To contribute a testimonial please email me at andrewhugill [at] gmail.com
From: Luke Juras
04.06.25
Hello Professor Hugill,
I just wanted to say thank you for creating the wonderful Orchestra Manual online resource! I am referencing it as I work on a web app that I am creating to help my students develop a better ear for good intonation. I have been a band teacher for 14 years and I am just learning the basics of computer programming this year. Thanks again!
Luke Juras
K-12 Music Teacher at Dutton/Brady Public Schools, Montana, USA
From: Ryan Hepburn
12.02.25
Hi Andrew
I have wanted to write for a while and say how fabulous I think your orchestral instrument website is. It’s an astonishing resource, and I hope it will remain available for many years to come.
Moreover, as a former student of both David Corkhill and Kevin Hathway, it’s great to see both doing their thing! I was working with Kevin only the other day. He hasn’t lost an ounce of his energy (but, I’m pleased to say that his taste in trousers has improved).
Thanks for putting this amazing resource together. I’ll make sure that my students know about it, too!
All the best
Ryan Hepburn
Tutor in timpani and percussion
The Purcell School
From: Nasim Khorassani
21/08/23
Dear Andrew,
I hope this email finds you well!
I have to let you know that I am immensely grateful for the website you have created and all the generous recordings, with meticulous details, that generously you have shared with us on your website! The Orchestra: A User's Manual has always been my go-to reference for orchestration since I found it about ten years ago when I was in Iran and had zero access to any performers. However, having moved to the US and working with many performers, I still go to your website to check the timbral ideas for my compositions! I am so excited that a coincidence also led me to your incredible book, Aural Diversity, which shares novel and super exciting research topics!
Thank you so much for all the generosity and incredible research!
Warmly, Nasim
Nasim Khorassani (she, her) Music Composition PhD Candidate University of California, San Diego www.nkhorassani.com
From: Zong Music
16/03/22
I would like to please have the testimonial for The orchestra A user’s Manuel material. I wish to enrich my orchestration skills, cause now I’m orchestrating for others but I feel I need more depth knowledge and deeper understanding of each instrument! Best, Zong China
From: Carol Worthey
08/04/21
I am totally energized as a professional composer after discovering your phenomenal website with its many aspects to explore. You are a brilliant and very personable polymath: It’s so generous and caring of you to share your wealth of orchestral knowledge and your musings about life. In particular, the overall design of The Orchestra: A User’s Manual with its many fascinating sections is totally easy to access, attractive and well-designed to be user-friendly. I especially love the brilliant applicability of the videos by instrumentalists in the orchestra --- this is a unique and effective resource of instrumentation, color combinations, practical info and professional tips. (Thank you as well to the contributing instrumentalists from the Philharmonia!) As both a painter and a composer, I feel I now can paint my music with sensory and idiomatic expression, illuminating darks and lights, from lacy textures to carpets of sound, utilizing all the colors of the spectrum! Your hard work and brilliance has given me a workable solution to my many years of incomplete and frustrating orchestration studies: Now at last I know I can put together orchestral pieces that sizzle, whisper, bellow and bloom! Thank you, Andrew Hugill! Carol Worthey Los Angeles, California http://www.carolworthey.com
From: Antonio A. Celaya
31/08/20
Your instrumentation materials online are excellent and a real service to many composers, In particular I have found your materials on string harmonics to be very useful.
Thanks for making it available to the public.
Antonio A. Celaya
From: Lisa Neher
07/07/19
I'm writing to share my testimonial with you about The Orchestra: A User's Manual website.
I refer to The Orchestra: A User's Manual on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis when composing. The concise, clear descriptions of idiomatic writing for classical instruments are very helpful. Even moreso, the video examples of extended techniques are a vital resource, especially because many of the standard orchestration text books either do not have audio/visual examples or primarily feature standard techniques in these examples. I used The Orchestra: A User's Manual extensively when writing my orchestral work, Twister, last summer, and continue to refer to it regularly for chamber music works.
Thank you for all you do!
Lisa Neher, Mezzo-Soprano & Composer, DMA
lisanehermusic@gmail.com
www.lisanehermusic.com
@LisaNeher
@1voicesinging
pronouns: she/her
From: Charlotte Harding
05/06/19
I just wanted to write to say how incredibly helpful I continue to find your website! I'm a composer and orchestrator and it's been an invaluable tool for many years! (Just this morning have been referencing the viola top octave ranges...!)
Very best wishes,
Charlotte
--
Charlotte Harding
www.charlottehardingmusic.com
From: Noey De Leon
31/12/18
I would love to help you out with a testimonial on this wonderful resource!
I have been using The Orchestra: A User's Manual for over five years. I stumbled upon this website while in school studying music and came to be a resource I turned to throughout my degree. It is so organized and supported with distinguished information. The presentation is professional and easy to use. A valued resource I'm happy to share with colleagues and friends alike.
With Thanks,
Noey De Leon
From: Martin Gregory
31/12/16
Dear Andrew,
I had not used your site for some considerable time and so did not see your request for testimonials until today. I assume that it will no longer help for the purpose you had in mind, but I would still like you to know that I find the site very useful.
I'm an amateur as far as music is concerned, playing mostly by ear. Several years ago I started playing with a band with a young violin player who had only everplayed from sheet music so I started writing the violin parts so that she could play them. I then started writing the parts for the entire band as I had some pieces from a previous band and no recordings. Your site was very helpful, in particular learning the ranges.
The layout of the site is also very easy to follow and requires very few clicks to find what one is looking for. I also appreciatethat your layout means that very little scrolling is required - it's really a pleasure to use.
Martin Gregory
Kind regards,
Schriesheim, Germany (originally from Dublin)
From: Giorgio Pianeso
19/12/16
Your work is extraordinary and very valuable. A very useful tool. Many many thanks!!!
Giorgio Planesio - Composer and Professor of Composition -Conservatorio di Cuneo - Italia
From: Amy K. Roisum Foley
15/03/16
Dr. Hugill:
I was introduced to your site by a student in my woodwind class. What a fantastic resource! Thank you for your work. Have you considered using Kickstarter or another short-term fundraising site? Please let me know if you start one.
Best,
Amy K. Roisum Foley
Director of Bands/Professor of Music
Minnesota State University, Mankato
From: Claude Luttmann
04/11/2015
Dear Andrew,
I have your site in my favorites.
I am currently studying Orchestration and I will certainly use the site often if not daily.
This is tremendous ressource for us musicians seeking for info on instruments. So much more convenient than reading a huge book on instrumentation.
What is of most importance to me is the instrumental techniques, their potential & limits, the sound produced. Being only guitarist when orchestrating I need such info in order not to overestimate (or underestimated) the possibilities of the instruments. This is in my opinion what your provides perfectly well. Many thanks for this.
Would be more than a shame if such a site would fall off ! Please make sure this will never happen. Thanks.
Kind regards,
Claude LUTTMANN
Student in composition, orchestration
From: carlos enrique trujillo mendez
17/10/2015
Hey Andrew!
The instrumentation site is awesome!
From Germany, carlos.
From: Matt Wiltrout
04/11/2015
Dr. Hugill,
I came across your website today via a google search while trying to determine the range of various instruments. I was so grateful to not only find a crystal clear definition of the range of each instrument but the also the audio files demonstrating their sound at a given pitch. What a brilliant idea! I don't often write for instruments other than my own, the piano, so the content of your site was perfect for an amateur writer like myself. I was so surprised and impressed by my discovery that I had to take a moment to write you to express my thanks.
Have a wonderful evening and thank you for the site.
From: Claude Frascadore
17.08.15
Je consulte regulierement « THE ORCHESTRA : A USER'S MANUAL » depuis que, â mon grand bonheur, je le couvert il y a quelques mois.
Ouvrage extra, jy trouve toujours toute information qu'il me faut sur orchestre, instrumentation et plus. Il est la ressource musicologique sur orchestre et instrumentation la plus complete que je connaisse ce jour sur le web.
Je ne voudrais pas voir disparaitre un tel ouvrage. Je le consulte d'ailleurs actuellement pour mon travail de composition du Code Couronne de COZIC.
Merci et a bientot,
Claude Frascadore
Compositeur, artiste multidisciplinaire, informaticien et pataphysicien.
From: Michel Pascal 08.07.15
Thank you very much for this excellent multimedia free work about orchestration on the internet. After searching the web and the books about this subject, I have recommended it to my students in composition at the Conservatoire National  Rayonnement Regional in Nice, France these last years. It is at the top of the list and they find there most answers to their questions. I also use it for myself. It is very clear, fast and easy to use. Very well done for orchestral writing purposes. The possibility to audition the musicians is very important and do not interfere with your search when you do not need it. A deeper part about special techniques usable for soloists would be very welcome.
Michel Pascal compositeur Professeur de composition electroacoustique Conservatoire National  Rayonnement Regional
From: Aneek Tharpar
Greetings Mr. Hugil!
I am a DMU alumni and I am loving your online resource. It's Fantastic!
[ Aneek Thapar ]
w: www.soundcloud.com/aneek
in: www.linkedin.com/in/aneekthapar
ai: www.audioinsight.co.uk - Audio Post-Production for Film & TV
nt: www.ninjatune.net - UK Independent Record Label
nj: www.ninjajamm.com - The remix app for iOS from Ninja Tune and Seeper
From: Ricardo Dicorato 20.10.14
Dear Andrew,
I'm studying orchestration at Berklee Online, and your Orchestra User's Manual is the website I was looking for!
Thank you and congratulations for your outstanding work,
Roberto Dicorato, Milano, Italy
From: Michael Lawson
08.01.14
Dear Andrew (if I may)
I came across your website today, and want to thank you for it. It is full of expertise, simply communicated and the video and audio clips are really helpful. I hope it is already widely used. I am planning to recommend it to a colleague who teaches orchestration at the Guildhall, in case his students are not aware of it.
Putting together something like this must have taken an enormous amount of effort (and creativity). It strikes me this is so much more accessible an approach to the rudiments of orchestration than the likes of Forsyth, Piston et al that I and generations have been used to in the past!
I will just add that I was a composer and concert pianist in the first part of my career. I had been a composition student of the great French teacher Nadia Boulanger in Paris for four years in the mid seventies. For various (good) reasons composition had to go to the back burner from the eighties onwards. Human rights documentary making, and record producing have occupied much of my creative time since then. But recently I have returned to composition in a significant way. I found your website as I had some ideas about bowing that I need to check, and your remarks were spot on. So thank you again.
If you are interested in India, and the plight of the Dalits, my latest film Indias Forgotten Children is on our website. I founded Pipe Village Trust as a human right film making charity a few years ago. I have made six broadcast documentaries: five on India, and one on Aids/HiV orphans in Mozambique. Now I am active again as a composer, I write the film scores too!
Thank you again for all the benefits of your knowledge and generosity in making your site available.
All good wishes
Michael Lawson
From Michael Lawson
Creative Director
www.pipevillagetrust.org
From: Robert Winslow
05.01.14
Dear Dr. Hugill,
I have really enjoyed your site and recommend it to my students. What a research job you have done! Thank you so much for your work.
Regards,
Robert Winslow
Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
Robert Winslow
Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
From: Paul Spicer
01.04.14
Dear Andrew
What a simply wonderful orchestration project you have created with the Philharmonia. A goldmine of information. Congratulations.
From: Louis Salter
14.03.14
Dear Andrew,
To the question "What's the best website you've discovered in the past week?" that was asked on a Facebook Group, I replied "The Orchestra: A User's Manual". I find the manual very useful to check ranges - and actually listen to the notes being played - , to know more about specific techniques and to hear what orchestra players have to say about their instruments. A very valuable resource that has contributed to improve my recent compositions.
Best wishes,
Louis Sauter
From: Jill Elliott
07.03.14
Dear Andrew,
I have just come across your manual, and have pleasure in contributing the following testimonial, which you may quote if you wish:-
What a wonderful resource this is! All the information that
we can find in an orchestration text book is here, but brought
to life by the actual players, who demonstrate and explain
what is good writing for their instrument, what is difficult
to achieve and how we can exploit the range of sounds and
effects they can produce. There are also interesting and
informative excerpts from orchestral pieces illustrating
different usages.
I have written orchestral pieces before and never had a complaint
about anything being unplayable, but have recently discovered
this manual and have found it invaluable in confirming my
own ideas about what to do with the instruments and also
encouraging me to try something new. It is useful to have
the expert advice of professional players rather than presenting
passages to one's friends who may or may not give an objective
assessment!
Best wishes,
Jill Elliott
From Juan Manuel Abras
12 Jan 2014
'The Orchestra: A User's Manual' has proven to be a useful, didactic multimedia tool for my students both at the National University of Lanús and at the 'Astor Piazzolla' Conservatory of Music of the City of Buenos Aires. Congratulations and keep the good work!
Juan Manuel ABRAS - Composer, conductor and researcher (www.juanmanuelabras.com)
From Marc Battier
27 Dec 2013
Dear Andrew,
Here in California, I'm finishing a piece for symphony orchestra "Rain Water for symphony orchestra" which will be premiered in two months near Los Angeles, and I'm away from my library and my orchestration books. I find your Web site invaluable and I am frequently using it. Congratulations and thank you. This is a real service for the community.
Sincerely,
Marc Battier
From Marcos Borelli
25 Nov
Dear Andrew,
Congratulations for your outstanding work, it was a invaluable help for my orchestration work.
I used mainly your web site in my composition "O pacto", played by the Brazilian young orchestra "Jazz Sinfonica Jovem", in 2011.
Feel free to use this e-mail.
Thank you very much,
Marcos
From Lanier Sammons
25 September 2013
Dear Dr. Hugill,
I hope the testimonial that follows proves useful to you.
Thank you so much for your work on the User's Manual; it's
a vital, vital resource.
Best,
Lanier Sammons
-------------------
The Orchestra: A User's Manual has been vital to my compositional
process since I discovered it (six or seven years ago,
I believe). Whenever I write for acoustic instruments,
visiting the site is among my first compositional steps.
I have to come prefer it to standard orchestration texts
for its incorporation of audio and visual materials, its
thoroughness, its inclusion of information about extended
techniques, and its direct connection to performers.
I recommend the site regularly to colleagues and students. It is a truly valuable resource that demonstrates the best of what the web can contribute to musical education.
From: Esteban Vargas
29 July 2013
Greetings Andrew,
my name is Esteban Vargas, and I'm a composition student
from the Universidad Catholica de Chile. I am writing this
mail basically because I want to thank you and congratulate
you for the work you have done by redacting this guide and
sharing it with people around the world for free. It's one
of the most complete sources of organology I have found so
far, and I use it constantly when I'm composing and I have
doubts about instrumentation.
The only weakness I have found so far is regarding to percussion
notation. Many of the strokes and mallets are specified in
videos, but not the notation necessary to indicate them in
a score.
Keep up the good work. Best wishes!
Esteban Vargas
From: Emilio Le Roux
24 July 2013
I wanted to say I have been using you Orchestra Manual for
about two
years, first as an independent composer, and now in my studies
because I
decided go into the University here in Brazil, for Composition.
I think
this is a good time to study music, with so many references
and tools.
The Orchestra Manual is one of the best examples. I use it
and recommend
it to my colleagues all the time.
Thank you!
Emilio Le Roux
From: Alexadre Ficagna
18 May 2013
Dear Mr. Hugill,
the manual brought online by you and the Philarmonica Orchestra
is absolutely great.
As a composer, I consult it very often, searching for various
informations: some instrument range, kinds of articulations,
extended techniques, etc. And the best is that I can hear
almost everything!
Looking at an instrument range hear it playing a specific
note, in various dynamics, that's a really amazing resource.
It's also interesting as supporting midia resources for instrumentation
and orchestration classes. The examples of combinations are
very helpful for the students. And for me.
Thanks a lot
Alexandre Ficagna - brazilian composer and music professor
--
http://soundcloud.com/alexandre-ficagna
www.myspace.com/alexandreficagna
---------------------------------
Endereo:
Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek 3117 apto 603
Bairro: Vila Ipiranga
Londrina/PR
CEP: 86010-540
From: Amy Moar
22 April 2013
Hello Andrew,
I wanted to thank you for the work you have put in to The
Orchestra: A user's Manual.
I am in my HND year Classical Music Performance at The Edinburgh
College and have enjoyed immensely
exploring the site as research for my Orchestration Unit
and Composition. I especially like the video and audio content.
I will be continuing with composition next year for the Degree
and I will definitely be returning to your pages for reference.
Very best wishes,
Amy Moar
From: David Roach <dave@davidroach.onmicrosoft.com>
6 Feb, 2013
I was invited by the Philharmonia Orchestra to take part in Andrew Hugill's online Orchestral Manual by demonstrating the Saxophones. I was immediately struck by what a useful resource the Manual would be, especially since professional players tend to be more realistic about the scope and limitations of their instruments and definitely more practical and enthusiastic than theoretical manuals. Andrew took great care to encourage a direct and informal approach and I think the results shine through in each instrument's segment. Once the site was up and running I heard many comments from teachers and students praising the Manual, "It is a great resource and useful in a completely ground-breaking way; after all it's like having a master-class on your computer with players of that calibre on display" was one particular plaudit which, unsurprisingly, sticks in my mind.
From: Nikola Kodziejczyk [tritonsubstitution@gmail.com]
Sunday, January 20, 2013 6:10 PM
Hi, my name is Nikola Kodziejczyk, I am a composer and
pianist from Poland,
and I would like to thank You for having THE ORCHESTRA: A
USER'S MANUAL on-line.
It makes writing orchestral music - which is mainly a solitary
experience - feel like there are lots of musician friends
that come to visit me during my work and give insightful
advice that refreshes my memory and gives me confidence that
i can write music that is technically advanced but also fun
to play.
It is very well structured and has the most crucial technical
aspects of a performance covered on video - which is really
easy and rewarding to peruse.
I found it, and used it from time to time while orchestrating and composing for Jazz Orchester Regensburg, Anna Hawkins, Amine et Hamza M'Raihi and just now for Mr. Richard Bona and Metropole Orkest.
Once again thank You, and good luck with The Imaginary Voyage!
Nikola Kodziejczyk MA
www.chordnation.pl
Albert Guinovart has sent you a message.
Date: 1/19/2013
Subject: Hello!
I like very much you website, it's really useful for the
pupils.
Best wishes!
Albert Guinovart
From: Antoni Komasa-lazarkiewicz [a_lazarkiewicz@mac.com]
Monday, January 14, 2013
My name is Antoni Komasa-Lazarkiewicz. I'm a composer of
music for film and theatre, based in Berlin.
I've been using this online resource as an important reference
tool as well as a source of musical inspiration for some
years now. I've been looking for such a web site for a long
time. This project has gathered all the necessary knowledge
in one place, enabling composers and arrangers to look up
specific musical effects and immediately see the appropriate
way of notating them.
This has proved to be an enormous help for me, when I had
to expand my orchestral workshop when working on projects
such as "In Darkness" by Agnieszka Holland, which
got an Oscar nomination last year. When looking for efficient
and possibly simple ways of notating different effects in
the string orchestra, I could rely on "The User's Manual" as
a reliable source.
It would be interesting to use this database as a starting
point for an open-source project, a kind of a musical Wikipedia.
The language of musical notation in modern orchestral music,
as well as the spectrum of effects in use in contemporary
compositions, is constantly evolving and it would be very
interesting as well as inspiring to have a place, where all
these new techniques are being gathered, commented upon and
offered for other artist to use.
Thank you
a_lazarkiewicz@mac.com
http://www.lazarkiewicz.art.pl
From Lennart Westman
Saturday, January 12, 2013 12:52 AM
Dear Andrew Hugill,
Many thanks for such a educative and brilliant web site you
have created: http://andrewhugill.com/manuals/
best regards
Lennart Westman
Composer in Stockholm, Sweden
+46 (0)70 - 459 23 93
www.lennartwestman.st
From Alex Hall [thealexhall@gmail.com]
Sunday, January 06, 2013 11:06 AM
Hi andrew
As a young composer, I have read a lot of orchestration guides
and manuals and many other books and articles. Nothing
I have used has offered quite the same amount of depth,
information and coherence than The Orchestra : A Users
Manual developed by Andrew Hugill and the Philharmonia
Orchestra. On a practical orchestration level, it is second
to none, offering detailed notation, soundbites and playability
of techniques for all the instruments, not to mention the
detail of the ranges for each instrument. A particular
feature I think is incomparably useful is the player's
tips and tricks for each instrument, which features members
of the philharmonia orchestra giving advice in good part
writing. For any aspiring composer, this is vital information,
and for every section of the modern orchestra and further,
that information is all there in one place. From the historical
context resources to the seating plan layouts, it really
is a phenomenal, 21st century tool for any composer. I
used it as a reference when writing pieces I submitted
to music colleges for BMus composition, and it really helped
in getting me not just one place, but three. All in all,
an essential resource for me and an extremely useful resource
for any aspiring musician and composer.
Alex j Hall
From: "j.alex.whyte" <j.alex.whyte@wanadoo.fr>
Date: 10 December 2012 19:32:07 GMT
To: Andrew Hugill <andrewhugill@gmail.com>
If you're not allergic to compliments, the Orchestral site
is a superb tool. [...] Thanks for all the pleasure your
work gave me.
J.Alex Whyte
On 27/03/2012 00:34, "Liam Clayton" <liampclayton@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Andrew,
I've realised tonight that the website that I've been using
for a few weeks to research orchestration and instrument
ranges is actually yours and it's been a great help with
my project. I'm new to orchestration so it's been really
useful!
Liam
From: Babak Yalinejad <babak.yd@gmail.com>
Date: 12 September 2012 04:24:15 GMT+01:00
To: Andrew Hugill <ahu@dmu.ac.uk>
Hello;
Thank you for creating this site; it's very useful,
Babak
From: JAMIE MAN <jplman@hotmail.co.uk>
Subject: Thank you
Date: 26 October 2012 15:56:38 GMT+01:00
To: Andrew Hugill <ahu@dmu.ac.uk>
Dear Andrew,
I just wanted to thank you for your website which has rescued
me on many occassions. The Orchestra: A User's Manual is
such a great resource when I am on the road and instrumentalists
are not at hand!
Thank you,
Jamie
JAMIE MAN
Conductor.Composer
From: "lauro.ferrarini@fastwebnet.it" <lauro.ferrarini@fastwebnet.it>
Subject: Thank you
Date: 14 February 2012 14:13:29 GMT
To: Andrew Hugill <ahu@dmu.ac.uk>
Reply-To: "lauro.ferrarini@fastwebnet.it" <lauro.ferrarini@fastwebnet.it>
Mr. Hugill,
I'm an italian musician working and writing very often for
orchestra.
I confess you that is very useful I use your on-line manual.
May be you can laugh at me but...some times I'm on a big
hurry... and as musician (I think you can understand when
a composer write under pressure) it's a little great help.
So thank you for this fantastic Idea and thank you for coming
(back) online.
FROM FAR ITALY with gratefulness
Lauro Ferrarini
From: Samantha Peebles <sp@fotosearch.com>
Subject: The Orchestra Additional Resource
Date: 26 July 2012 14:55:27 GMT+01:00
To: Andrew Hugill <ahu@dmu.ac.uk>
Dear Andrew Hugill,
I just came across your website and found it to be a very
useful
resource! I enjoyed all the different tips and tricks that
you show
through a video! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Samantha Peebles
From: charles farmer <cwf327@yahoo.com>
Date: 8 February 2012 03:49:50 GMT
To: Andrew Hugill <ahu@dmu.ac.uk>
Mr. Hugill,
Thank you for providing The Orchestra Users Manuel online. I find it very useful,
Charles Farmer
New Orleans La,
From: Mark Goldstein <markg990@yahoo.com>
Subject: trumpet
Date: 14 October 2012 17:36:01 GMT+01:00
To: Andrew Hugill <ahu@dmu.ac.uk>
Hey Andrew,
Thanks for the great Orchestra User manual website.
It's actually possible to play multiphonics on the trumpet without singing. You can split partials (playing right between the "C" and "G" registers, "G" and next "C", etc...) and sound both. With some practice you can actually get some pretty clean 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths.
Thanks and hope this helps!
- Mark Goldstein
From: Sandro Mussida <sandro.mussida@gmail.com>
Date: 20 December 2012 15:00:05 GMT
To: Andrew Hugill <andrewhugill@gmail.com>
I have to thank you for keeping such a "tool" alive and for giving to all the musicians and composers community a very useful tools for everyday work and study.
Best wishes
Sandro Mussida
Composer, Producer, Cellist
Posted on Mar 4, 2009 in Composer Tools:
The Orchestra: a Users Manual is a great site for all kinds
of information on composing for orchestral instruments.
Included on the site are:
Instrument range and transposition charts
Harmonic series charts
Score layouts, seating charts
Historical information about orchestras
Pictures of instruments and sound files, including samples
of less common instrument combinations
My favorite part of the site is the very detailed information
on all instruments including samples of sounds in different
registers, articulations and their effects, videos of player
tips and trips.
This project was conceived and written by Andrew Hugill in
2002-2003 during a sabbatical period from De Montfort University.
It was commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra with funds
made available by the Arts Council of England. (Compose Create)
The Orchestra A Users Manual: Violin
Professor Andrew Hugill, noted composer, writer and distance
learning innovator, authored this online manual for orchestration
featuring multimedia clips of Philharmonia Orchestra musicians
illustrating aspects of instrumental technique, including
bowing, plucking and left hand technique examples (use
nav bar on the left to access these features). Additional
information about the orchestra, orchestration, composition
and instruments is also provided. Note: Hugill was one
of the main innovators that created and developed The Sound
Exchange. (Wayland High School Orchestras.
From Peter Schwartz (New York) 7.4.06:
Hello, I found a link to your "The Orchestra: A Users
Manual" through the wikipedia website. I just wanted
to commend your University's effort in making such a wonderful
resource so accessible. As a composer and arranger I'm familiar
with the sounds of most instruments, but rarely have I had
opportunity to sit one-on-one with players and discuss playing
techniques, likes and dislikes regarding notation, strengths
and weaknesses of their instruments, and so on. I've spent
several hours today studying the information and viewing
clips on the flute/piccolo and bassoon/contra alone, and
learned SO much in the process. I plan to spend a lot of
time at this website. I'd be grateful if there was a way
of extending my appreciation to the people involved in developing
the Users Manual. I can only imagine the gargantuan effort
it took to produce. And I have no doubt that what I've learned
already, not to mention what I anticipate learning further,
will help make me a more expressive and creative composer/arranger
06-06-2005 12:50
ORCHESTRATION: An Online User's Manual
Hi all,
I came across this brilliant site a few weeks ago and found
it so good I thought I'd share. This has to be an invaluable
source for any orchestrator. It's like getting the whole
Philharmonia Orchestra to come to your own home and demonstrate
each instrument in detail. There are video clips, audio and
tons of info: Orchestration: A User's Manual
Cheers,
Mobius.
Re: ORCHESTRATION: An Online User's Manual
Superb!!!! Everyone should have this saved so they can call
it up in an instant.
http://www.mti.dmu.ac.uk/%7Eahugill/manual/violin/player.html
I would draw anyone and everyone's attention to this page
- with particular emphasis on the section : -
Players
Orchestral Parts
Really very good for anyone with a computer and sampled orchestral
library and great fun too, I would imagine.
Highly recommended.
09-30-2005 16:28
One other great resource on bells up is a website called The Orchestra: A Users Manual. Created by Andrew Hugill, this online orchestration guide features tons of video and audio examples with members of the Philharmonia Orchestra. The section on the horn is wonderful, including this page on effects. Simply click on the small icon next to each effect to watch a demonstration video with Cormac (Horn, Philharmonia Orchestra). In his video Cormac discusses a couple of different possibilities for bells up, noting that his preference is to go for it with the bell quite high in the air. Whatever you end up doing, make sure that you practice it well in advance of rehearsals, and coordinate with the other members of your section so that the effect looks (and sounds) uniform. (Horn World)