A question about orchestration, and this may or may not apply to xenharmonics (it definitely applies to harmonics/otones): The flute is a “sine wave” instrument, with little in the way of overtones in its timbre. The oboe and bassoon are “sawtooth” instruments, with much more pronounced partials. The clarinet is “square wave”, with moderate levels of harmonics and only odd-numbered ones at that. So I’m thinking, when one has three-part chords in the upper woodwinds and two parts for each instrument, it’s best to have flute play the top and middle notes, oboes top and bottom, clarinets middle and bottom. This would produce optimal balance, and with more space between the oboe parts, there’s less harmonic clutter. I’m mostly writing in 12 equal, by the way, but I do occasionally use non-12edo notes in flute- and clarinet-family instruments. (Meanwhile, the two bassoons are usually playing bass lines in unison, octaves or maybe “power fifths”, the last I use a lot due to all that rock/metal influence.)
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 21:28:10 +0000
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