---
product_id: 4901759
title: "Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series)"
price: "110.39 DT"
currency: TND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/4901759-essential-dictionary-of-orchestration-the-most-practical-and-comprehensive-resource
store_origin: TN
region: Tunisia
---

# Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series)

**Price:** 110.39 DT
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series)
- **How much does it cost?** 110.39 DT with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/4901759-essential-dictionary-of-orchestration-the-most-practical-and-comprehensive-resource)

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## Description

desertcart.com: Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series): 9780739000212: Black, Dave, Gerou, Tom

Review: Way more than the basics. - This pocket dictionary manages to pack more useful information than some orchestration tomes out there. It covers not only the basics like range and articulations for every possible instrument out there, but it adds idiosyncraties to watch for. I use it to validate scores before sharing with a performer for feedback (I take a composition class). Knowing what register is resonant, and which is not fast (clarinet, bassoon), where the breaks are between registers and what I can and should not do when music runs through those changes -- this information is invaluable -- and much faster to retrieve than googling site after site hoping someone will have a 45 minute video that addresses what makes musicians mad at composers! Small enough to fit in the external pocket of my shaped violin case. It is a treasure!
Review: Great book in small package - I was somewhat skeptical when I purchased the hard copy. One review said it was small--they might have underestimated: this book is tiny. However, it fits wonderfully in my purse as it is scarcely larger than my wallet. HOWEVER: this tiny book is packed with very useful AND very accurate information. I purchased it because sometimes I compose or arrange for instruments I don't normally do on a regular basis, and I am sometimes unsure. For example, the slide positions on the trombone--just where do those partials begin, and where does the tenor and bass trombone differ. The harp--I have written extensively for this instrument, but it is always good to keep up with current or alternate practices that I might not have learned. Strings: this book covers the gamut of techniques. IF you are a thoughtful music professor, I recommend you require this book for your class rather than one of those $100+ books, and fill in the broad scope with your lectures. IF you are a student, go along with what your professor requires, but carry this tiny book with you at all times. :-) Nessa

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #435,109 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (439) |
| Dimensions  | 4.25 x 0.5 x 5.75 inches |
| Edition  | 0002- |
| ISBN-10  | 0739000217 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0739000212 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 352 pages |
| Publication date  | October 1, 1998 |
| Publisher  | Alfred Music |

## Images

![Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71qCLOsw4hL.jpg)
![Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5126qGNygUL.jpg)
![Essential Dictionary of Orchestration: The Most Practical and Comprehensive Resource for Composers, Arrangers and Orchestrators (Essential Dictionary Series) - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Yq6swReRL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Way more than the basics.
*by I***A on April 7, 2025*

This pocket dictionary manages to pack more useful information than some orchestration tomes out there. It covers not only the basics like range and articulations for every possible instrument out there, but it adds idiosyncraties to watch for. I use it to validate scores before sharing with a performer for feedback (I take a composition class). Knowing what register is resonant, and which is not fast (clarinet, bassoon), where the breaks are between registers and what I can and should not do when music runs through those changes -- this information is invaluable -- and much faster to retrieve than googling site after site hoping someone will have a 45 minute video that addresses what makes musicians mad at composers! Small enough to fit in the external pocket of my shaped violin case. It is a treasure!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book in small package
*by N***A on August 29, 2019*

I was somewhat skeptical when I purchased the hard copy. One review said it was small--they might have underestimated: this book is tiny. However, it fits wonderfully in my purse as it is scarcely larger than my wallet. HOWEVER: this tiny book is packed with very useful AND very accurate information. I purchased it because sometimes I compose or arrange for instruments I don't normally do on a regular basis, and I am sometimes unsure. For example, the slide positions on the trombone--just where do those partials begin, and where does the tenor and bass trombone differ. The harp--I have written extensively for this instrument, but it is always good to keep up with current or alternate practices that I might not have learned. Strings: this book covers the gamut of techniques. IF you are a thoughtful music professor, I recommend you require this book for your class rather than one of those $100+ books, and fill in the broad scope with your lectures. IF you are a student, go along with what your professor requires, but carry this tiny book with you at all times. :-) Nessa

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very useful reference book!
*by "***" on December 29, 2010*

This is an excellent little book (and I do mean LITTLE... the book has a wealth of information, but it's tiny, like pocket-sized!) to reference when creating film scores or other orchestrations. The instruments are grouped together for ease of navigation (e.g., percussion, stringed instruments, horns, reeds, etc.). The book details the ACTUAL range and the SOUNDED range of each instrument, and it has some really uncommon/bizarre instruments listed! It's really nice that the sounded range is included, as instruments vary in timbre and thus play in a different register, so the same note on the same staff can sound different. I use this book frequently when I'm writing various orchestrated sections of film scores. Use this as a reference book only. It doesn't go much further than that. Quite worth the money!

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*Product available on Desertcart Tunisia*
*Store origin: TN*
*Last updated: 2026-05-07*