Alternative instrumentation : a study of selected instruments

• Main Author: Geraci, Paul A.
• Other Authors: Ester, Don P.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Musical instruments.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/176379; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1263888

This study includes information on nonstandard instruments. The purpose of this document is to benefit composers who may wish to write for instruments not found in the standard orchestra. Since composers are constantly seeking new sounds, they often turn to exotic or less frequently used instruments. These nonstandard instruments can provide fresh timbres in addition to those of standard Western instrumentation, or aid the composer in alluding to the characteristic sounds of a particular culture. A study such as this is needed because most nonstandard instruments do not appear regularly in orchestration texts.The instruments included in this study are: accordion, carillon, didgeridoo, erhu, glass harmonica, hammered dulcimer, cimbalom, hardanger fiddle, harmonica, highland bagpipes, Irish flute, tin whistle, koto, shakuhachi, sitar, thermin, and uillean pipes. Entries contain information about each instrument’s timbre, dynamics, physical description, history and origins and limitations. Photographs and musical examples from well-known composers are included with each entry. A significant portion of information was collected from personal interviews with expert performers and composers. === School of Music