Principles of Instrumental Combination

Combining instruments is not addition, but making loudness, colour and register give way.

Related

TimbreSpacingDoublingBassoon

The problem

Two instruments sounding together do not simply add their volumes, and neither keeps its colour intact. Combination is about relationships: who is in front, who is behind, and who fills the gap between them.

Instrument combination

Three working rules: one strong against one weak, one high against one low, one moving against one still. Instruments of the same family blend easily but offer little contrast. Instruments of different families contrast strongly but must yield in register and dynamics. Fix one main line first, then decide who doubles it, who counters it, and who merely supplies rhythm.

Register and masking

Unison is the most dangerous spacing; thirds and sixths usually read more clearly. The lower the register, the more density turns to mud, and the middle register masks most readily. Move one part by an octave, or turn it into a sustained note, and the result is often clearer than changing timbre.

What to listen for

In the First Brandenburg Concerto, hear how three oboes, bassoon, two horns and strings each occupy a layer. Notice who speaks and who merely holds the harmony. The bassoon phrase below marks the low register.

Common misconceptions

The mistake is to treat combination as finding a set of pleasant colours. Relationships come first: front and back, thick and thin, moving and still. Colour only makes those relationships audible.

Sources

• 通行配器教材所述音域、移调与平衡原则，用于事实核对，未引用原文
• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "Instrumentation", used for fact-checking only, not quoted

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.