Playing range

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The playing range of a musical instrument is the region of pitch in which it can play, i.e. upper and lower boundaries of the notes it can play. 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.

"Range" sometimes refers just to the size of the range, as in "A horn has a greater range than a trumpet."

While most woodwind instruments have no upper limit to their range, 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.

Typical ranges

ImageSize = width:700 height:auto barincrement:17 PlotArea = left:0 right:0 top:0 bottom:0 AlignBars = justify Colors =

id:b value:rgb(0.85,0.85,0.85) # instruments
id:f value:gray(0.8)      # background bar

id:heading value:rgb(0.1,1,0.4) #
id:subhead value:rgb(0.5,1,1) #

BarData =

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=

align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:(line,black) width:12 shift:(0,-4)
barset:ranges
color:heading from:$ee  till:$c3  text:human voice
color:b from:$ee  till:$e1  text:bass
color:b from:$aa  till:$a1  text:baritone
color:b from:$c   till:$c2  text:tenor
color:b from:$e   till:$e2  text:alto
color:b from:$a   till:$a2  text:mezzo-soprano
color:b from:$c1  till:$c3  text:soprano

color:heading from:$aa2 till:$c5  text:string instrument

color:subhead from:$ee1 till:$d4  text:instruments where the strings are usually bowed
color:b from:$ee1 till:$a   text:double bass
color:b from:$cc  till:$g2  text:cello
color:b from:$c   till:$e3  text:viola
color:b from:$g   till:$d4  text:violin

color:subhead from:$hh2 till:$f4  text:instruments where the strings are usually plucked
color:b from:$hh2 till:$f4  text:harp
color:b from:$ff1 till:$f3  text:harpsichord
color:b from:$ee  till:$e3  text:guitar
color:b from:$g   till:$d4  text:mandolin
color:b from:$d   till:$a2  text:5-string banjo

color:subhead from:$aa2 till:$c5  text:instruments where the strings are usually struck
color:b from:$aa2 till:$c5  text:piano
color:b from:$d till:$d3  text:hammered dulcimer
color:b from:$aa2 till:$a4  text:cymbalum

color:heading from:$cc2 till:$c6  text:woodwind instrument

color:subhead from:$aa2 till:$f3  text:double reed
color:b from:$aa2 till:$f   text:contrabassoon
color:b from:$aa1 till:$d2  text:bassoon
color:b from:$e   till:$h2  text:cor anglais
color:b from:$a   till:$f3  text:oboe

color:subhead from:$gg1 till:$c4  text:single reed
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

color:subhead from:$cc  till:$d4  text:free reed
color:b from:$cc  till:$c4  text:harmonium
color:b from:$gg  till:$a3  text:accordion
color:b from:$c   till:$d4  text:16-hole harmonica
color:b from:$c1  till:$c4  text:typical C harmonica

color:subhead from:$c   till:$c5  text:transverse flute
color:b from:$c   till:$c3  text:bass flute
color:b from:$g   till:$g3  text:alto flute
color:b from:$c1  till:$c4  text:flute
color:b from:$c2  till:$c5  text:piccolo

color:subhead from:$f   till:$c5  text:fipple flute
color:b from:$f   till:$c3  text:bass recorder
color:b from:$c1  till:$g3  text:tenor recorder
color:b from:$f1  till:$c4  text:alto recorder
color:b from:$c2  till:$g4  text:soprano (descant) recorder
color:b from:$f2  till:$c5  text:sopranino recorder

color:subhead from:$cc2 till:$c6  text:combination of flutes and reeds
color:b from:$cc2 till:$c6  text:organ

color:heading from:$ee1 till:$c3  text:brass instrument
color:b from:$ee1 till:$d1  text:tuba
color:b from:$aa1 till:$d2  text:trombone
color:b from:$aa1 till:$e2  text:horn
color:b from:$e   till:$c3  text:trumpet
color:b from:$e   till:$c3  text:cornet

color:heading from:$cc  till:$c5  text:percussion

color:subhead from:$cc  till:$c1  text:membranophone
color:b from:$cc  till:$c1  text:timpani

color:subhead from:$cc  till:$c5  text:idiophone
color:b from:$cc  till:$c4  text:marimba
color:b from:$c   till:$f1  text:tubular bells
color:b from:$c   till:$c5  text:celesta
color:b from:$f   till:$f3  text:vibraphone
color:b from:$f1  till:$c5  text:xylophone
color:b from:$g2  till:$c5  text:glockenspiel

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

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