The second edition features a new discussion of the bugle, information on percussion instruments of American and African origin, an extensively rewritten section on the organ, and the addition of Spanish terms to the existing English, French, German, and Italian. Appendixes on MIDI, guitar fingering, and guitar chords are new to the second edition, and the material on electronic instruments and electronic sound modification has been revised and expanded. The revision also includes nearly 100 new musical examples.

The essentials of accomplished orchestration - the combining of diverse instrumental qualities in ensemble performance - are covered in the next two chapters. Here, step by step, Blatter proceeds from the basics of musical lines to scoring for various instrumental groupings. Chapters ten and eleven explain the techniques of transcription and arrangement while chapter twelve discusses the performance dynamics of chamber groups and larger ensembles. The appendixes provide quick access to essential technical information: transposition of instruments, electronic sound modification, MIDI, the harmonic series, and fingerings.

In what is probably the best general book on the subject, a noted English composer describes 57 orchestral instruments, tracing their origins, development, and status at the beginning of World War I.

Alexander details dozens of woodwind and brass writing techniques previously known by only a few top professional film orchestrators, composers, and arrangers which are applicable to both live performance and MIDI mock-ups.

Principles of Orchestration, with Musical Examples Drawn from His Own Works is a book by a famous Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, member of the group of composers known as The Five. The book presents a notable attempt to show all of the nuances of orchestration. The author describes everything one needs to know about arranging parts for a string or full orchestra. The book is concise, articulate and excels at being both a book of reference and a book of general knowledge.

Contemporary Orchestration: A Practical Guide to Instruments, Ensembles, and Musicians teaches students how to orchestrate for a wide variety of instruments, ensembles, and genres, while preparing them for various real-world professional settings ranging from the concert hall to the recording studio. Unlike most orchestration texts, it includes coverage of contemporary instruments and ensembles alongside traditional orchestra and chamber ensembles. Features Practical considerations: Practical suggestions for choosing a work to orchestrate, and what to avoid when writing for each instrument. Pedagogical features In the Profession: Professional courtesies, considerations and expectations. Building the Score: Step-by-step construction of an orchestration. Scoring Examples: Multiple scoring examples for each instrument. Exercises: Analyzing, problem solving, and creating orchestration solutions. Critical Thinking: Alternate approaches and solutions.

As in the earlier editions, the emphasis is on the practical fundamentals of orchestration. The Sixth Edition has been expanded and revised to reflect new developments in instruments and orchestral practice, and a new listening compact disc has been added that contains selected examples of orchestration.