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ALL ABOUT THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS POSTER

The Musical Instruments Poster provides information for mixing, arranging, and producing recorded or live music:

• Comparative pitch ranges of more than 70 popular musical instruments (by note and frequency)

• Six vocal registers (three male, three female) aligned for comparison with each other, and for reference by note and frequency: bass, baritone, tenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, soprano

• Tuning directions for 23 of the most popular stringed instruments

• 88-note Great Staff (Grand Staff), with each note aligned to its frequency and piano key position

• Specific pitch frequencies (cycles per second or Hertz) for all 88 notes

• Instrument families classified, sub-classified (e.g. percussion, brass, woodwinds, strings, etc.), and illustrated to the same scale

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"Once you have a close look at the clever way it's structured, the Musical Instruments Poster has a lot more practical information on it than first meets the eye. You have done a superb job of displaying intelligent and instructive material ... yet the whole effect is entertaining."—Bill Tully, Preston, ID

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EQUALIZATION (EQ) AND RANGE GUIDE FOR SOUND MIXING, ARRANGING, AND SONGWRITING

• If you arrange, record, or mix music (home recordings, live music, or studio recordings), you are aware of the importance of equalization (EQ). To do it accurately, you need to know the frequencies (number of cycles per second) of the notes associated with the pitch ranges of each musical instrument and each voice range.

• Each musical instrument and vocal register has a different range. The Musical Instruments Poster displays the frequency (number of vibrations per second, or Hertz) for each note playable on each instrument, including the various human vocal registers.

• Sometimes you may use a multi-octave electronic instrument such as a synthesizer to replicate the sound of some other instrument, one you don’t normally play, such as a bass clarinet or mandolin. That means you need to take care not to play outside the unfamiliar instrument’s natural range. The Musical Instruments Poster shows which notes (referenced to an 88-key piano)—and which corresponding frequencies—define the natural ranges of most popular instruments. So, even if you have never played the instrument you are emulating with your electronic keyboard, you can at least make sure you’re playing exclusively within the emulated instrument’s natural range.

TUNING DIRECTIONS FOR 23 POPULAR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS

• The Musical Instruments Poster provides tuning information for the orchestral stringed instrument family (violin, viola, cello, double bass) and for the orchestral harp.

• As well, the poster shows how to tune a variety of folk and popular instruments, such as the guitar, sitar, banjo, pedal steel guitar, and Appalachian dulcimer. The notes corresponding to the open pitch of each string are displayed on each instrument’s “range bar.”

• The Musical Instruments Poster also identifies special tuning relationships. For example, the violin and the mandolin are normally tuned identically.

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"You have picked all the right information to put on these posters ... I find all of them very practical, both for me and the music classes I teach at night school. Especially the Musical Instruments Poster. Way to go!"—Charles Noga, Scarborough, ON

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RANGES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND HUMAN VOICES

• The poster shows the pitch ranges for more than 70 instruments in all (see the full list below). It also displays the practical ranges of human voices (vocal registers) for bass, baritone, tenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, and soprano voices.

• A horizontal bar shows the range of each musical instrument and vocal register. The left end of each bar, representing the lowest note normally playable on a given instrument, aligns vertically with its corresponding key on the piano. The right end of each bar, representing the highest note normally playable, aligns with its corresponding piano key. (For some instruments, some musicians are able to play higher and lower notes than those displayed on the Musical Instruments Poster. This also applies to vocal ranges.) Each end of each range bar displays the name of the note aligned with the respective piano keys.

• The 88-key piano keyboard displayed across the middle of the poster visually aligns with the range bars of all the instruments and voices. The left and right ends of each instrument’s range bar align exactly with their corresponding piano keys.

• Just below the piano keyboard is the Great Staff (or Grand Staff). It shows the pitches of all 88 piano notes, aligned directly beneath each corresponding key of the piano keyboard. This alignment extends to the uppermost and lowermost notes of the ranges of all musical instruments (and vocal registers) on the poster.

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"[The Musical Instruments Poster] shows some very valuable insights when you can see all the alignments [of the instrument ranges].—F. Girdler, Moncton, NB

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LIST OF INSTRUMENTS AND VOICES FEATURED ON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS POSTER

The upper half of the Musical Instruments Poster shows all the instruments of the symphony orchestra, and their ranges:

ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS

Tuned Percussion
   •  Xylophone
   •  Celesta
   •  Lyra Glockenspiel
   •  Orchestral Glockenspiel
   •  Tubular Bells (Chimes)
   •  Vibraphone
   •  Marimba
   •  Timpani (Kettledrums)

Brass
   •  Trumpet
   •  Cornet
   •  Flugelhorn
   •  French Horn
   •  Tenor Trombone
   •  Bass Trombone
   •  Euphonium
   •  Tuba

Woodwinds
   •  Piccolo
   •  Flute
   •  Alto Flute
   •  Oboe
   •  English Horn (Cor Anglais)
   •  Clarinet
   •  Bass Clarinet
   •  Bassoon
   •  Contrabassoon
   •  Soprano Saxophone
   •  Alto Saxophone
   •  Tenor Saxophone
   •  Baritone Saxophone

Strings
   •  Violin
   •  Viola
   •  Cello
   •  Double Bass
   •  Harp
   •  Piano
  

HUMAN VOICES

Female
   •  Soprano
   •  Mezzo-Soprano
   •  Contralto (Alto)

Male
   •  Tenor
   •  Baritone
   •  Bass

The lower half of the poster shows a variety of popular non-orchestral instruments:

NON-ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS

Tuned Percussion
   •  Jew's Harp (Jaw Harp)
   •  Steel Drums
   •  Mbira (Thumb Piano)

Winds
   •  Pan Pipes
   •  Whistling
   •  Tin Whistle (Penny Whistle)
   •  Soprano (Descant) Recorder
   •  Alto (Treble) Recorder
   •  Tenor Recorder
   •  Bass Recorder
   •  Organ
   •  Harmonica
   •  Concertina (English Type)
   •  Piano Accordion
   •  Melodeon (Button Accordion)
   •  Harmonium
   •  Melodica
   •  Uilleann (Irish) Pipes
   •  Highland (Scottish) Pipes
   •  Northumbrian (English) Pipes

Strings
   •  Zither
   •  Pedal Steel Guitar
   •  Appalachian Dulcimer
   •  Hammered Dulcimer
   •  Autoharp
   •  Mandolin
   •  Balalaika
   •  P’i-p’a
   •  Sitar
   •  Lute
   •  Bouzouki
   •  Banjo
   •  Guitar (Various Types)
   •  Ukulele
   •  Electric Bass
   •  Harpsichord
   •  Celtic (Irish) Harp
   •  Hurdy Gurdy (French Type)

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"The members of my choir find the Musical Instruments Poster most helpful. They have a better understanding of where their individual voices fit into the sound of the whole choir."—Jose Amado, Fresno, CA

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COLOR-CODED RANGE BARS AND SCALED ILLUSTRATIONS

• Color-coded range bars identify instrument families:

-  Grey-green bars show tuned percussion instrument ranges
-  Yellow bars show brass instrument ranges
-  Purple bars show woodwind instrument ranges
-  Red bars show stringed instrument ranges
-  Blue bars show human vocal ranges

• Except in a few cases (noted on the poster), each instrument is illustrated at 1/30 scale on poster size “A” (regular size). This includes a 1/30-scale silhouette of a person, so you can compare the size of any instrument relative to the size of a person. As well, there is a diagram of a typical symphony orchestra seating plan.

FREE CHORD PROGRESSION CHART INCLUDED!

• All versions of the Musical Instruments Poster come with a free bonus chart: the Chord Progression Chart:

HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS POSTER

• The Musical Instruments Poster is a companion to the book, How Music REALLY Works!: The Essential Handbook for Songwriters, Performers, and Music Students, 2nd Edition, by Wayne Chase (ISBN 1-897311-55-9, print; or ISBN 1-897311-56-7, PDF).

• If you want to understand everything on the Musical Instruments Poster, consult the following chapters of How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Edition:

-  Chapter 3 on how musical instruments work
-  Chapter 4 on scales and intervals
-  Chapter 5 on keys and modes
-  Chapter 9 on vocal ranges
-  Chapter 11 on vocal technique, sound, and style

• Some of these chapters are available for free at our sister website:

www.HowMusicReallyWorks.com

HOW MUSIC REALLY WORKS!

If you don’t yet have a copy of How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Edition, you can read the first 6 full chapters for free at this website:

www.HowMusicReallyWorks.com

For Performers, Students, and Instructors:

• Most aspiring professional musicians and instructors can sing or play an instrument with considerable proficiency. But they don’t understand much about how music itself really works.

• If you want to get ahead as a musician and/or instructor, then singing or playing an instrument expertly is not enough.

• If you aim to make a living (or at least part of your living) in music as a performer and/or instructor, you’ll do a lot better if you understand the important aspects of how music works. For example:

-  What separates a brilliant melody from an ordinary one?
-  How do great chord progressions work?
-  What makes a lyric emotionally powerful?
-  How is it possible to create a unique, original, signature
      sound and style?

• All of these topics, and a lot more, are extensively and clearly covered in How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Edition, the world’s single most useful and authoritative book for performers, songwriters, and music students.

• How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Edition, is equally useful whether you read music or play by ear (like most performers and songwriters). You don’t need to know how to read music. In fact, the book has no music notation—instead, everything you need to know about creating emotionally powerful music AND lyrics is spelled out in clear English, with hundreds of illustrations and examples.

• If you don’t already have it, you can purchase How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Edition, in print or PDF format, from this order page (phone, online ordering, fax, or mail):

How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Ed. Order Page

  
For Songwriters:

What's the status quo in original songwriting everywhere?

Lame melodies. Run-of-the-mill lyrics. Boring chord progressions.

How come?

• The sad truth is, 99.9% of songwriters fail to rise above mediocrity. Frankly, they’re simply clueless about effective songwriting technique. They have no knowledge of the techniques required to write brilliant melodies, effective chord progressions, and powerful lyrics.

• If you write songs as a solo artist or member of a band, you’re one in a pack of millions. Anybody can write mediocre songs—which is exactly why the world’s awash in second-rate, forgettable songs.

• Writing brilliant songs takes real know-how—which is what you need if you expect to break away from the pack and get noticed.

• With How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Edition, you can acquire that know-how. You can quickly start learning effective technique: how to create brilliant tunes, how to construct brilliant chord progressions, how to write brilliant lyrics.

• Click on this link for free access to 470 pages (6 complete chapters):

www.HowMusicReallyWorks.com
 

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