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What our customer's say!

"Great resource for serious students, composers and orchestrators", This is a wonderful addition to the already comprehensive book "The Study of Orchestration". People who may have a little trouble hearing what they read on the page--as is my case--will find very clear and well-recorded examples of everything discussed in the books.

In addition to the useful audio recordings of several short score excerpts seen in the book, there are also very helpful video recordings of musicians playing various instruments using every different known technique.

For those who cannot get a hold of a live orchestra to demonstrate the limitations and qualities of each instrument, these CDs and the book they accompany are an effective substitute, and worth every penny.

"focus on playing and writing techniques for each instrument", Samuel Adler's book covers all important instruments in the modern symphonic orchestra: how they look, how they are played, where they come from, how they sound, how they blend with other instruments, their practial range (both for professional and non-professional players) and the correct notation within various contexts. It also tells the orchestrator about limitations and build-in problems for each instrument and how to deal with it. This alone is worth the price tag.

This book focusses on the orchestral "tone colors" and how they are mixed. Of course the widely accepted notation is widely covered as well in many examples.

I would have loved to have an accompanying CD (which of course would be expensive to produce - but it would immensely add to the value of this work), and I also would have loved to learn more about how to build great sounding voicings and how exactly the various sections dovetail into each other (melodic and harmonic concepts and layers). From this book I know what I can do and what might sound odd. But I gained little insight on how to tackle an orchestration, how to start: the down to earth nuts and bolts.

There are some examples on how great composers broke the rules. But (as I expected) we have no clue about the ideas behind it and if it actually worked. I would love to have for once a book who doesn't make gods out of famous composers (they are, no doubt, but that's old news - true teaching should equal motivation) but let us in on their secrets, at least as much as possible. Also: we know that rules are meant to be broken, but there are even rules on how to break rules. It's just the next level. I would love to have books on that.

Otherwise: very highly recommended! Not to be left out in any orchestrator's library!

"Excellent Resource", All I can say is these six CDs make all the difference when taking this orchestration course, no matter if it's in a class or on your own. In fact, this whole set, including the book and workbook, was a dream come true for me. Orchestration is greatly demystified with the accompanying CDs.

"Amazing book", This is the first textbook I've ever had that I couldn't put down. If you love writing classical music, get this book. I have found a few errors, but nothing detrimental to your orchestration education. It cites a lot of very useful examples and contains layers of information.

"Outstanding", I am a complete novice but I recognize this is the required study program. You must also buy the CD/DVDs that go along with the book.
Not cheap, but an outstanding learning tool. I would recommend that you read a book on music theory and composition before buying this set to get the most out of the program.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"helpful but out of date", I own the 3rd edition of this book and thought I'd chime in on some of the inaccuracies of the book coming from the perspective of a woodwind specialist as well as a composer.

Inaccuracies in the discussion of the Oboe family:
"The baritone oboe, sometimes called the bass oboe, has the same range and transposition as the heckelphone and a very similar sound;" Umm, well, if you're partially deaf or otherwise impaired, it might be a true statement that they sound similar. Also, the hecklephone has a range to low A, while the baritone oboe only has a range to low B... which makes the statement "All parts may be performed equally well on the bass oboe" patently inaccurate.

Inaccuracies in the discussion of the Clarinet family:
The book indicates in its diagram that E is the lowest note of the bass clarinet, with optional extended range to E-flat or D, but the text refers to extensions to E-Flat or C. However, all modern bass clarinets are constructed to have a range to E-flat, with extended instruments playing to C. Likewise, the section on the Alto Clarinet in E-flat indicates that E is the lowest note of the alto clarinet, but all modern alto clarinets are constructed to have a range to E-flat. Finally, to round out the misinformation of the clarinet family, the book indicates that the Contrabass Clarinet in Bb has a standard range to low D, but all modern BBb contrabass clarinets are constructed to have a range to E-flat, with extended instruments playing to C.

Inaccuracies in the discussion of the Saxophone family:
The book does not mention the low A extension for baritone saxophones, used on virtually all professional and even intermediate models. The book also discusses, misguidedly, the F sopranino saxophone, an instrument not available today, and frankly doubtful that it was *ever* really available or used.

The has a decent foundation of knowledge but comes off as very dated. In particular, I personally dislike the author's tendency to restrain instruments to cliched uses, for example, his admonishment: "If one elects to use an alto flute, one should certainly exploit its lower register, for the regular flute and piccolo are capable of covering the upper part of the register as adequately." Or in the case of the contrabassoon: "Even though many composers have asked contrbassoon players to play in the instrument's higher (and even in its highest) register, this takes the instrument out of it's most characteristic range and makes it just another bassoon, a little weaker and paler than its relatives". This strikes me as very old fashioned and rather simplistic. His suggestion would be like indicating that the cello covers the low range of the viola quite well and the violin covers the upper range of the viola, so you shouldn't use violas. Or perhaps: the violin covers the upper register of the cello quite adequately, so the cello should only be used on its lower three strings.

Thankfully composers have ignored that pathetic line of reasoning... we'd have much less beautiful music if that were the case.

I'd look forward to another, less dated, more accurate text. Probably from another author.

"Excellent text for learning orchestration", I studied orchestration using this text, along with the workbook and the set of CD's, at The University of Tennessee at Martin (taught by Dr. Scott Roberts), and found it to be an excellent resource. I chose to retain the book and CD's as permanent references, as I now work on my own professional orchestrations, being a self-published songwriter (Larry's Songs of Praise and Worship). I highly recommend this book, especially in conjunction with the associated CD's.

"Problems with CD payback", The book and CD set make a formidable combination and a great study guide, but I have had difficulties playing the CDs. The only direct way to list and select the 532 audio tracks on a PC is to open Microsoft Media Player and insert the appropriate disc. Going via disc 6 is enough to start hating the climactic finish to the Great Gate of Kiev from sheer repetition!
My difficulty is in playing the movies, which appear to be .DXR files. Can any fellow-sufferer help me here? They simply won't run for me. All that runs is the Musorgsky/Ravel under Quick-Time.

"Melts in Your Hands, Not in Your Mouth", The UN-accompanying (you have to buy it separately) CD album is obviously useless without the book, but it has not been sufficiently stressed that the corresponding sections of the book demonstrating the sound of various instruments in various contexts are, in turn, (mostly) useless without the CD album. If you omitted these sections, you'd have little left, and that little tends to belabor the obvious or to be inaccurate--as most of the earlier reviews concur, even those that, unaccountably, grant the thing five stars--and clumsily or dully written. Nevertheless, since this page is dedicated to the book alone and a separate page exists for the CD album, the little left is what I'm obliged to review here. Hence the single star.

I will not review the CD album or the corresponding sections of the book except to say: No one has any business writing for any instrument he does not know the sound of from auditioning it in person, from hearing it in real life. Nevertheless, young, inexperienced students are often required to take Orchestration courses, and Orchestration courses will often require them to write for instruments with which they are as yet unfamiliar. In this case, the Adler package (CD album and book) will prove helpful, but such students will also need a GOOD, AUTHORITATIVE orchestration text, and it would be unreasonable, considering the expense of the Adler package to make them buy both. I recommend assigning them the Piston or something comparable, and supplementing it with a single shared copy of the Adler package, or something similar, kept on reserve at the university (or college or conservatory) library.



"Consider Yourself Warned", Some additional (representative) examples:

The trumpet section of this book takes an entire paragraph to say that the trumpet plays loud throughout its range, but that professional trumpeters can play softly. This is very misleading. The thing an orchestrator needs to know about the trumpet is that it gets louder and more incisive as it gets higher. The saxophone section says that the very
lowest and highest notes on the saxophone are difficult to play softly, but otherwise it's smooth sailing. Again, very misleading. The lowest few
semitones on the saxophone (especially the low written Bb) go splat, but after that the saxophone is loud and brassy in its lower range and gets progressively thinner and reedier as it ascends. So, for example, if
you give an alto saxophone the Bb below middle C and a trumpet a D a third higher, the alto will wipe out the trumpet. If you move both instruments up a fourth, they will balance and blend well. If you move them up an octave from there, the alto will not blend at all with the trumpet, and the result will sound sick. Yes, players and conductors can compensate to some degree for the inherent tendencies of these instruments, but they shouldn't have to, and, trust me, they ain't a-gonna be sympathetic toward inept orchestrators.

It's rather an understatement to call the Adler "not without problem", as someone below does; it's pretty much all ONE big problem--and this is the THIRD edition!