For band directors›Sixty-nine instruments
The Whole Horn · what it means
Sixty-nine instruments
Sixty-nine instruments, each with its own correct transposition, its own clef, and a range that reflects what the instrument can actually play rather than what fits neatly on a staff.
What it means in practice
- The whole wind and brass familyFlutes and piccolo, oboe and cor anglais, every clarinet, bassoon, the saxophones, trumpets in several keys, horn, trombones, euphonium, tuba.
- The brass-band instruments tooTenor horn in E-flat, and euphonium read in B-flat treble clef exactly as a cornet part — the way the banding world has always read it.
- Strings and voiceViolin, viola in its own alto clef, cello, double bass, and vocal ranges.
- Mallets and timpaniIncluding all twelve major scales notated in bass clef within the real range of a standard set of kettles.
- Twenty-five of them don't transpose at allFlute, oboe and the other C instruments are simply correct, which matters just as much when they are reading alongside everyone else.
Why it matters
Most practice software covers the instruments that are easy to cover, and quietly leaves out the ones a real band room actually contains.
A tool is only useful to a director if it works for the whole room, including the euphonium, the bass clarinet and the person behind the timpani.
Frequently asked
Which instruments does The Whole Horn support?Sixty-nine instruments, each with its own correct transposition, its own clef, and a range that reflects what the instrument can actually play rather than what fits neatly on a staff.
Every chair in the room, not just the easy ones.