# Common Orchestral Doublings & Combinations (Explored)



## ChrisSiuMusic (Jun 8, 2020)

Hey everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful day!

I'd like to share with you a video on orchestral instrument doublings. This is a widely discussed topic that works especially well with auditory examples, so I hope this video gives you some insights.

As always, let me know if you have any thoughts or questions! Take care


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## dcoscina (Jun 8, 2020)

Nice Chris. BTW- if you are going for shuto (knife hand technique), remember to tuck your thumb in lest you break it... this coming from a dope who broke 2 fingers sparring when I attempted an open palm re-direction of a kick and missed....it took a year for them to heal and they will never be the same again. And it was my left hand which is my writing hand.. yeesh.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jun 8, 2020)

dcoscina said:


> Nice Chris. BTW- if you are going for shuto (knife hand technique), remember to tuck your thumb in lest you break it... this coming from a dope who broke 2 fingers sparring when I attempted an open palm re-direction of a kick and missed....it took a year for them to heal and they will never be the same again. And it was my left hand which is my writing hand.. yeesh.


I'm so sorry David...I'll keep that in mind XD


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## dcoscina (Jun 8, 2020)

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> I'm so sorry David...I'll keep that in mind XD


it's ok. I've been a life long martial artist and at 52, I'm starting Judo whenever this pandemic clears up...


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## gohrev (Jun 8, 2020)

Really good work on this, Chris. You are an excellent tutor. Thank you very much for creating and sharing.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jun 8, 2020)

berlin87 said:


> Really good work on this, Chris. You are an excellent tutor. Thank you very much for creating and sharing.


Many thanks! It's my pleasure


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## alexandrost (Jun 13, 2020)

Thanks, it's very useful having it all concentrated in one video!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jun 13, 2020)

You're so welcome!


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## orwollgf194 (Jun 19, 2020)

Great video! Very useful to see it in context like this. Does anyone know of any handy charts/one-sheets that describe the relationships between the instruments? Would be good to have on hand as a reference or for inspiration.


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## orwollgf194 (Jun 19, 2020)

Gene Pool said:


> Reference books and charts are fine and they have a purpose, of course. There is the Henry Brandt book, which can teach you certain concepts about doubling recipes. And I think some people like the Spectratone chart, but eventually you want to get to the point where you don't need the chart. The Gardner Read book (Orchestral Combinations) has the most long term application, since you can look up thousands of doublings by type and it’ll tell you where to find examples of it in the repertoire, including page and bar numbers.
> 
> You already know this, but it bears repeating that the only way to really learn about doublings is to learn them with your ear, and the only way to do that is by listening to lots and lots of transparent, exposed doublings while reading them on the score page.
> 
> ...



Wow, thanks for the detailed response here. All great points. And very true that doubling doesn't work like a simple math problem (oboe+viola = dark/rich) etc.

Definitely some good food for thought- appreciate you taking the time & effort to explain the methodology here.


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## ZosterX (Aug 31, 2020)

You have the VSL website who provides all informations about doubling and stuff, very useful if someone is seeking on that stuff.


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