Hey Friend,

Have you ever wondered why orchestras are so large? Why they have multiple musicians playing the same instruments?

When you look across the floor, you'll often see three or more instances of each instrument. Multiple violins and violas, flutes and clarinets, trumpets and tubas. Even the percussionists can sometimes be duplicated.

So what's your guess? Why does an orchestra need upwards of one hundred musicians or more to accomplish what we rockers usually do with only three to five or six people?

Back in the day before microphones, it was a necessity to have more than one of each instrument because the musician couldn't produce enough volume on their own.The composer would ensure there were enough of each instrument to create the level of volume and depth required to reach the audience.

Think about that for a second. A composer obviously has to have an ear for all the parts that will be played by each instrument. But they also have to create based on the physical environment. They have to know and understand the size and design of the venue they're playing.

They have to understand the acoustics of the buildings where their orchestras were housed - to know how the sound echoes off the floor, ceiling and walls. 

We'll need to come back to this. My daughter's ride to school didn't show up, so it's Super Dad to the rescue... talk to you tomorrow.

Peace~

Dave