The Study of Orchestration

I studied classical piano and composition myself for most of my life and have professional degrees in both. When I write my music, I need to look up stuff now and then, or brush up my knowledge. This book is perfect for this! I wish I had bought it years ago.

I have used Adler for many years, though several editions. It is a great orchestration book for the beginner and the experienced orchestrator alike. Very easy to read and well organized, I feel it is one of if not the best orchestration text on the market to date.

An essential reference tool for the Composer and Orchestrator - I've read it cover to cover, and dipped into it for information almost every week. This orchestration text works exceptionally well with the accompanying set of 5 CD's and Workbook. This is the more expensive package, but it will literally last a lifetime. With the CDs, you gain an aural idea of the sound or orchestral phenomenon that the musical examples and wording is trying to explain. For the young composer, this is a wonderful thing, as it builds up a collection of sounds in the imagination with which to compose, like a palette with which to paint. The Study Of Orchestration has up-to-date orchestral technique, including comprehensive natural harmonics charts for strings, a contemporary notation guide; giving possible notation for microtones, distortion, white noise, and 'highest point on a string'-noteheads, etc. Most of the instrumentation examples and orchestral extracts have a corresponding CD track, an immediate education for your musical ear. The 5 CDs make this book unique. I especially value this book for its Natural Harmonics charts which give the required string, node and resultant pitch for Violin, Viola, Violoncello and Double Bass. I consult these charts all the time. Buy this book, (and the CD's if you can afford them).

I bought the main text, the workbook and the cd's and then took a college level orchestration course as an independent study. I got good marks in the course and needed minimal help from my professor. The cd's are worth it because standard repertoire is used, allowing you to easily remember concepts by recalling familiar works. After reading a section, doing the related workbook exercises and listening to examples, I felt well prepared for each meeting with my prof. The only thing that bugged me was the author's somewhat slavish (IMHO) devotion to Gunther Schuller.

This book is very well done. It can be used as a reference, or as an orchestration course (with the CDs and the workbook). Musical examples are wide in scope and musical styles. I really recommend buying the CD set: most of the musical examples have been specially recorded for this book (good quality + instrument choirs & registers isolated from the rest of the orchestra).