This is the perfect overview of orchestral and acoustic instruments, categorised into 4 different ranges for arrangement: bass, low, mid, high
Learning where every instruments fits in is incredibly important for improving your arrangement skills, and get ideas for layering both in unison and octaves.
The instruments have been sorted into the range that suits them best, and they are also labeled with their most common lowest note as described in concert pitch (this note can often vary depending on instrument variations etc.). Some instruments (especially folk instruments) have so many key and tuning variations that I simply took one common one.
So you can consider those “lowest note” in parenthesis as just a common example for that instrument. Also, some of the instruments in this chart are “collections” of similar types of instruments. Such as “Zither Family” which are medium sized plucked stringed instruments like dulcimer, psaltery, cantele etc.
FULL RANGE INSTRUMENTS
- Piano Family (Grand, Upright, Harpsichord)
- Organ Family (Pipe Organ, Reed Organ, Electric Organ)
- Harp Family (Concert Harp, Celtic Harp)
- Guitar Family (Acoustic Guitar, Lute)
BASS RANGE INSTRUMENTS (C0 – G2)
- Strings: Double Bass (C1)
- Brass: Contra Bass Tuba (Ab0)
- Brass: Contra Bass Trombone (Ab0)
- Brass: Bass Trombone (Bb1)
- Brass: Tuba (D1)
- Reeds: Contra Bassoon (B0)
- Reeds: Contra Bass Clarinet (Bb0)
- Plucks: Bass Guitar (E1)
LOW RANGE INSTRUMENTS (C2 – G3)
- Strings: Cello (C2)
- Brass: Euphonium (Bb1)
- Brass: Cimbasso (F1)
- Brass: French Horn (B1)
- Winds: Pipe Organ (C1)
- Reeds: Bassoon (Bb1)
- Reeds: Bass Clarinet (Bb1)
- Voice: Basses (C2)
MID RANGE INSTRUMENTS (C3 – G4)
- Strings: Viola (C3)
- Brass: Alto Trombone (A2)
- Brass: Flugelhorn (Bb2)
- Brass: Trombone (E2)
- Brass: Bass Trumpet (E2)
- Winds: Bass Flute (C3)
- Winds: Bass Recorder (F3)
- Reeds: Baritone Saxophone (Db2)
- Reeds: Tenor Saxophone (Ab2)
- Reeds: Oboe (Bb3)
- Reeds: English Horn (E3)
- Reeds: Clarinet (D3)
- Voice: Tenor (C3)
- Voice: Alto (F3)
- Plucks: Harp (Cb1)
- Plucks: Acoustic Guitar (E2)
- Plucks: Bouzouki (G2)
- Plucks: Banjo (C3)
- Perc: Marimba (C2)
- Perc: Tubular Bells (C4)
HIGH RANGE INSTRUMENTS (C4 ->)
- Strings: Violin (G3)
- Strings: Erhu (D4)
- Strings: Hurdy Gurdy (G4)
- Brass: Trumpet (E3)
- Brass: Piccolo Trumpet (D4)
- Winds: Alto Flute (G3)
- Winds: Flute (C4)
- Winds: Tenor Recorder (C4)
- Winds: Bansuri in G (D4)
- Winds: Alto Recorder (F4)
- Winds: Pan Flute in C (F4)
- Winds: Low Whistle in D (D4)
- Winds: Piccolo Flute (C5)
- Winds: Soprano Recorder (C5)
- Winds: Tin Whistle in D (D5)
- Reeds: Alto Saxophone (Db3)
- Reeds: Soprano Saxophone (Ab3)
- Reeds: Melodica (F3)
- Reeds: Duduk in A (F#4)
- Voice: Soprano (C4)
- Plucks: Zither Family (C3)
- Plucks: Mandolin (G3)
- Plucks: Lap Harp Family (C4)
- Plucks: Ukulele (C4)
- Perc: Celesta (C4)
- Perc: Kalimba (C4)
- Perc: Vibraphone (F3)
- Perc: Xylophone (F4)
- Perc: Glockenspiel (G5)