Alexander Publishing, a publisher of music training and production tools that have been endorsed by winners of the Academy, Grammy and Emmy Awards, has released The Spectrotone Chart, created by Academy Award nominee Arthur Lange, the former head of the MGM Music Department.
In Lange’s words, the Spectrotone Chart is, “a colorgraphic exposition of tone-color combinations and balance as practiced in modern orchestration”.
In the past, composer/orchestration book authors Francois Auguste Geveart, Rimsky-Korsakov and others divided each instrument’s range into the low, medium, high, and very high registers. They described each range break using adjectives. Arthur Lange took this approach to the next level by colorizing each instrument’s tone colors across their range and provided adjectives for timbre descriptions within each tone color. The result is an approach that works linearly across an instrument’s range, and then vertically for showing potential unison (called “layering” in synth language), octave, light harmony, and multi-voice possibilities both within a section and by combining sections.
Colors and adjectives Arthur Lange used to describe the tone colors are:
With the Spectrotone Chart’s color-coded approach, musical combinations can be quickly worked out by instrument, by range, and by specific notes. Combinations are presented in four categories: Perfect, Close, Complimentary, and Remote.
Application to EQ’ing
The Spectrotone Chart is organized by the 88 keys of the piano with each key numbered, from the bottom A being 1 to the highest C being 88. Because of its application to mixing and EQ, Alexander Publishing added below each piano key its Hz frequency. Similar to many EQ charts, above the piano keyboard are the colorized tone colors within each instrument’s range.
Instruments represented include the string section with tone colors for each individual string, brass with mutes, brass without mutes, woodwinds, all the saxes including soprano sax, piano, harp, celesta bells, timpani, vibes, marimba and xylophone.
The Spectrotone Chart is available as a digital download with two detailed training guides in PDF format. The Spectrotone Chart is designed for a standard 18" × 24" poster sheet for printing, but can be printed in smaller sizes such as US Letter or A4 to fit your needs.
Pricing and Availability
The Spectrotone Chart and booklets are available as a digital download for $19.95.
You can order it from www.alexanderpublishing.com/Departments/Professional-Orchestration/Spectrotone-Chart.aspx.
In the past, composer/orchestration book authors Francois Auguste Geveart, Rimsky-Korsakov and others divided each instrument’s range into the low, medium, high, and very high registers. They described each range break using adjectives. Arthur Lange took this approach to the next level by colorizing each instrument’s tone colors across their range and provided adjectives for timbre descriptions within each tone color. The result is an approach that works linearly across an instrument’s range, and then vertically for showing potential unison (called “layering” in synth language), octave, light harmony, and multi-voice possibilities both within a section and by combining sections.
Colors and adjectives Arthur Lange used to describe the tone colors are:
- White = Brilliant 

- Yellow = Bright 

- Green = Pleasant 

- Blue = Rich 

- Orange = Golden 

- Red = Glowing 

- Brown = Warm

- Purple = Mellow
- Grey = Dull 

- Black = Indefinite
With the Spectrotone Chart’s color-coded approach, musical combinations can be quickly worked out by instrument, by range, and by specific notes. Combinations are presented in four categories: Perfect, Close, Complimentary, and Remote.
Application to EQ’ing
The Spectrotone Chart is organized by the 88 keys of the piano with each key numbered, from the bottom A being 1 to the highest C being 88. Because of its application to mixing and EQ, Alexander Publishing added below each piano key its Hz frequency. Similar to many EQ charts, above the piano keyboard are the colorized tone colors within each instrument’s range.
Instruments represented include the string section with tone colors for each individual string, brass with mutes, brass without mutes, woodwinds, all the saxes including soprano sax, piano, harp, celesta bells, timpani, vibes, marimba and xylophone.
The Spectrotone Chart is available as a digital download with two detailed training guides in PDF format. The Spectrotone Chart is designed for a standard 18" × 24" poster sheet for printing, but can be printed in smaller sizes such as US Letter or A4 to fit your needs.
Pricing and Availability
The Spectrotone Chart and booklets are available as a digital download for $19.95.
You can order it from www.alexanderpublishing.com/Departments/Professional-Orchestration/Spectrotone-Chart.aspx.
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