General Question

PhiNotPi's avatar

Where can I find a list of the ranges of the different instruments?

Asked by PhiNotPi (12681points) December 13th, 2011

I have been able to find many places that will give me a maximum range for each instrument, but I am looking for a source that gives the range that perhaps you can expect that, say, some high-school student might know if they have been learning the instrument in school for 4–5 years. I guess the main point I am try to get across is “where can I find the range of the different instruments that I can actually expect people to be able to play?” By “instrument”, I mean flutes, oboes, saxophones, french horns, tubas, bassoons, things of that nature.

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5 Answers

harple's avatar

You could look at an exam board and see what the scale requirements are for each grade…

In the uk, the main music examining body is ABRSM

Mariah's avatar

Dunno, but I can tell you that a high school oboe player should be able to play from the B flat below middle C (this is the lowest note possible on the oboe, but it’s not hard to play) up to perhaps D, two octaves plus one whole step above middle C. Hope that helps at all. xD

jazmina88's avatar

I had an orchestration book with a guide in college. Mid staff works well, pretty safely. Low brass can hit your lows, woodwinds the high.
I loved orchestratin, but a bit rusty.

JessK's avatar

“The standard concert flute is pitched in C and has a range of about three and a half octaves starting from the musical note C4 (middle C). In most cases the flute’s highest pitch is C7, however more experienced flautists are able to reach up to F7 (and in some cases C8). Modern flutes may have a longer foot joint (a B-foot), with an extra key to reach B3.”

Yeah, for flutes we can go down to B3 but only if we have the right footjoint, which most people end up having by the time they leave high school, and we are expected to be able to get up to C7. Depending on how advanced you are you can get C# if you try and only a few can get up to D7.

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