The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Part 6:
Arranging
228
Guitars and Other Plucked Instruments
The guitar is technically part of the string family, although most folks differen-
tiate it from the violin-type instrument. That’s because the guitar is never
bowed; it’s always plucked or strummed. (The guitar also has six strings, com-
pared to the four strings of the violin instruments.)
There are several other instruments that fit within the guitar category. The
mandolin and ukulele are smaller and higher pitched than the guitar, whereas
the electric bass is more like a traditional double bass, but in a guitar-like con-
figuration with just four strings.
Guitars, of course, can be either acoustic or electric—and the electric ones can
have either solid or hollow bodies. The different configurations produce different
types of sound, although the notation is the same for all the different guitars.
Guitar parts can be notated with notes on staves or, if you just want a strummed
rhythm, by using chord notation. You can also spell out the fingering of each
chord by using guitar tablature, as shown in the following.
Guitar tabs can 
be automatically
derived from tradi-
tional chord nota-
tion when you use a
computerized music nota-
tion program, such as those
discussed in Chapter 19.
Tip
Guitar tablature.
Oh, and while we’re talking about plucking strings, we can’t forget the harp.
The harp isn’t really a guitar (it’s kind of like a piano, but more vertical), but it
does work when you pluck its strings.
Woodwinds
Some woodwinds are made of brass; some are made of wood. But all (except the
flute) use a wooden reed to produce their sound; you put the reed in your mouth
and blow until it vibrates.
The flute produces sound when you blow across an open hole; kind of like blow-
ing across a soda bottle. But it’s still classified as part of the woodwind family,
probably because it has a similar valve structure and fingering for determining
individual notes.
There are lots of different woodwind instruments. You have flutes and piccolos;
at least four different types of saxophones; a variety of clarinets; those odd-
sounding oboes and bassoons; and even the not-so-common English horn
(which isn’t a horn and isn’t even English—it’s an alto version of the oboe).
Woodwind instruments primarily use the treble clef, although the bassoon and
contrabassoon both use the bass clef.

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Chapter 18:
Composing and Arranging for Voices and Instruments
229
Brass
Brass instruments typically are made of brass. However, so are saxophones and
cymbals and timpani, and they’re not part of the brass family; so that really isn’t
a good indicator, is it? Nope, what makes brass instruments unique is that length
of brass tubing wound up into a tight little package, the open mouthpiece you
blow into, and the three or four valves you use (in conjunction with changing
the shape of your lips) to create different tones.
The trumpet is the brash and annoying younger brother of the brass family, 
the trombone is the more stable older brother, and the tuba is the not-always-
serious uncle. Also hanging around is the weird foreign relation, the French
horn; and a few other unusual relatives, such as the baritone. All in all, it’s a
rather loud and brassy bunch—pun intended.
Brass instruments use either the treble or bass clefs, depending on their predom-
inant pitch.
Keyboards
Depending on whom you ask, keyboard instruments are really string instruments
or percussion instruments. In reality, they’re a little of both. The sounds are
produced by internal strings, which are struck by tiny hammers—much like per-
cussion instruments are struck.
There are many different types of keyboards, and they all have fairly wide
ranges. The piano, of course, is the big dog, but you can’t forget about organs,
or harpsichords, or any number of electronic synthesizers. A full piano has 88
keys; some smaller instruments can have shorter keyboards. Without exception,
all modern keyboard instruments sound in concert pitch.
Percussion
When you talk percussion, you’re talking about a lot of different instruments.
Percussion instruments make noise when you hit them or shake them, so the
family includes everything from snare drums and cymbals to marimbas and tim-
pani. Most percussion instruments are of indefinite pitch—that is, although they
make a noise when you hit them (or shake them), that noise isn’t associated with
a specific pitch. Other percussion instruments, such as timpani and the mallet
family, do produce a definite pitch (or pitches).
When you’re writing for an indefinite pitch instrument, you don’t have to follow
standard staff notation. For example, when you write for drum set, you assign
different parts of the staff to different drums and cymbals in the set. In the fol-
lowing example, the bass drum is the bottom space on the staff; the snare drum
is the third space up. Cymbals are at the top, notated by X-shaped note heads.
Writing for drum set.

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