Range (music)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In music, the range of a musical instrument is the distance from the lowest to the highest pitch it can play. For a singing voice, this is known as vocal range.
The range of a musical part is the distance between its lowest and highest note. The duration range is the difference between the shortest and longest rhythm used.
Dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and loudest volume of an instrument, part or piece of music.
Its designated range is the set of notes the player should or can achieve while playing. All instruments have a designated range, and all pitched instruments have a playing range.
While some woodwind instruments have no theoretical upper limit to their range (although they often have practical limits), they generally cannot go below their designated range. This is not the case for brass instruments. All brass instruments can play beyond their designated ranges. Notes lower than the brass instrument's designated range are called pedal tones; notes higher than the designated range are called screech notes. The playing range of a brass instrument depends on both the technical limitations of the instrument and the skill of the player.
While woodwind and brass instruments can play above (and in the case of brass instruments below) their designated ranges, it is not often called upon in classical arrangements. String musicians play the bottom of their ranges very frequently, but the top of a string instrument's range is rather fuzzy, and it is unusual for a string player to exceed the designated range. It is quite rare for wind musicians to play the extremes of their instruments. The most common exception is that of trombones. Bass trombones are occasionally asked to play pedal tones.
[edit] Typical ranges
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id:heading value:rgb(0.1,1,0.4) # id:subhead value:rgb(0.5,1,1) #
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bar:pitch bar:Hz barset:ranges bar:pitch2 bar:Hz2
Period = from:0 till:720 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
Define $cc2 = 2 Define $cc1 = 74 Define $cc = 146 Define $c = 218 Define $c1 = 290 Define $c2 = 362 Define $c3 = 434 Define $c4 = 506 Define $c5 = 578 Define $c6 = 650 Define $dd2 = 14 Define $dd1 = 86 Define $dd = 158 Define $d = 230 Define $d1 = 302 Define $d2 = 374 Define $d3 = 446 Define $d4 = 518 Define $d5 = 590 Define $ee2 = 26 Define $ee1 = 98 Define $ee = 170 Define $e = 242 Define $e1 = 314 Define $e2 = 386 Define $e3 = 458 Define $e4 = 530 Define $e5 = 602 Define $ff2 = 32 Define $ff1 = 104 Define $ff = 176 Define $f = 248 Define $f1 = 320 Define $f2 = 392 Define $f3 = 464 Define $f4 = 536 Define $f5 = 608 Define $gg2 = 44 Define $gg1 = 116 Define $gg = 188 Define $g = 260 Define $g1 = 332 Define $g2 = 404 Define $g3 = 476 Define $g4 = 548 Define $g5 = 620 Define $aa2 = 56 Define $aa1 = 128 Define $aa = 200 Define $a = 272 Define $a1 = 344 Define $a2 = 416 Define $a3 = 488 Define $a4 = 560 Define $a5 = 632 Define $hh2 = 68 Define $hh1 = 140 Define $hh = 212 Define $h = 284 Define $h1 = 356 Define $h2 = 428 Define $h3 = 500 Define $h4 = 572 Define $h5 = 644
Define $max = 650 PlotData=
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color:subhead from:$cc2 till:$c4 text:single reed color:b from:$cc2 till:$g text: octocontrabass clarinet* color:b from:$aa2 till:$g1 text:contrabass clarinet color:b from:$gg1 till:$d1 text:bass saxophone color:b from:$aa1 till:$g2 text:bass clarinet color:b from:$cc till:$g1 text:baritone sax color:b from:$gg till:$e2 text:tenor saxophone color:b from:$c till:$a2 text:alto saxophone color:b from:$d till:$g3 text:clarinet color:b from:$g till:$d3 text:soprano saxophone color:b from:$g till:$c4 text:sopranino clarinet color:b from:$c1 till:$c4 text:xaphoon
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color:f textcolor:blue align:left fontsize:S mark:(line,white) shift:(3,-4) bar:pitch from:0 till:$max at:$cc2 text:C0 at:$cc1 text:C1 at:$cc text:C2 at:$c text:C3 at:$c1 text:C4 at:$c2 text:C5 at:$c3 text:C6 at:$c4 text:C7 at:$c5 text:C8___Note
bar:Hz from:0 till:$max at:23 text:20 at:65 text:30 at:105 text:44 at:153 text:70 at:190 text:100 at:232 text:150 at:262 text:200 at:304 text:300 at:344 text:440 at:392 text:700 at:430 text:1000 at:472 text:1500 at:502 text:2000 at:544 text:3000 at:583 text:4400 Hz
bar:pitch2 # exact copy of bar:pitch from:0 till:$max at:$cc2 text:C0 at:$cc1 text:C1 at:$cc text:C2 at:$c text:C3 at:$c1 text:C4 at:$c2 text:C5 at:$c3 text:C6 at:$c4 text:C7 at:$c5 text:C8___Note
bar:Hz2 # exact copy of bar:Hz from:0 till:$max at:23 text:20 at:65 text:30 at:105 text:44 at:153 text:70 at:190 text:100 at:232 text:150 at:262 text:200 at:304 text:300 at:344 text:440 at:392 text:700 at:430 text:1000 at:472 text:1500 at:502 text:2000 at:544 text:3000 at:583 text:4400 Hz
</timeline>
*This chart displays only to a low C, though the octocontrabass clarinet extends down to at least a low A.
pl:Skale instrumentów muzycznych sv:Mall:Röst och instrumentomfångeo:Tonetendo es:Rango (música) fr:Tessiture he:מנעד ko:음역 nl:Ambitus no:Register (musikk) pl:Skale instrumentów muzycznych

