What instruments are in a concert band?
Concert bands include instruments from the woodwind, brass and percussion families. For example:
- Popular woodwind instruments include the flute, clarinet, oboe and saxophone. There tend to be a lot of flutes and clarinets because of their popularity.
- Common brass instruments are the trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba and euphonium.
- Percussion instruments include different types of drums, chimes and the xylophone. There’s a whole variety of percussion instruments used to create amazing sound effects.
At BDCB we have around 65 musicians. Here we are standing up after a concert at Wimborne Minster
Full list of concert band instruments
There are many types of instruments in a concert band and some have more than one musical part. That’s a lot of musicians playing different scores at the same time! Here’s a list of the concert band instruments in a full band, along with the number of parts where relevant:
| Woodwind instruments | Brass instruments | Percussion instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Flutes 1, 2 Piccolos Bass clarinet Clarinets in Bb 1, 2, 3 Oboe 1, 2 Bassoon Alto saxophone 1,2 Baritone saxophone Tenor saxophone Clarinet in Eb (occasional) Alto clarinet (rare) Contra alto/contra bass clarinet (very rare) Contra bassoon (rare) Alto flute (very rare) Bass saxophone (very rare) Soprano saxophone (rare) Cor Anglais (English horn – occasional) |
Tenor trombone Bass trombone Trumpet/cornet in Bb Alto tenor horn in Eb Horn Euphonium/Baritone horn Tuba Flugel horn (rare) Alto trombone (very rare) |
Snare drum Bass drum Tenor drum Cymbals Bongos Congas Drum set Tambourine Timpani Timbales Tom-toms Tam-tam Xylophone Marimba Crotales Vibraphone Glockenspiel Chimes Wind chimes Triangle Wood blocks/temple blocks Maracas Claves Anvil Vibraslap Rain stick Whip Guiro Finger cymbals Slide whistle Sleigh bells |
Concert band vs orchestra
What’s the difference between a concert band and an orchestra? This is a very common question and the main difference is that concert bands don’t typically have string instruments, whereas orchestras do. Orchestras have a large string section but you won’t find a violin, viola, or cello in a concert band. Saying this, there are a couple of exceptions: concert bands do often have a string bass or bass guitar part to strengthen the bass line.
What does a concert band layout look like?
As the conductor faces the band, the percussion is at the back. The brass instruments sit in a semi-circle in front of the percussionists and the woodwind instruments sit towards the front of the band.
Here’s what a typical concert band layout looks like:
Image credit: Band of HM Royal Marines. Here they are performing as a full concert band
So as you can see, there can be a lot of instruments in a concert band. The Conductor has a tough job listening out for all the different parts coming together!
Check out our massed bands concert to see how we managed to fit three bands together in a local hall.
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