Mostly MODERN ENSEMBLE
INSTRUMENTATION and Guidelines

The following instrumentation guidelines should be adhered to when submitting or composing works for the Mostly Modern Ensemble.

  • Works may not exceed eight minutes in duration. Any works that exceed that will either be edited down, or only a portion of the work will be performed. Score and MIDI files will be used to check duration.

  • Note that composers are not required to use all of the instruments and may compose for a subset of the ensemble instead, but additional instruments cannot be added. Please note that the ensemble's instrumentation may change from summer to summer.

  • The list of Percussion Instruments Available should also be used as a guideline by performers submitting pieces that use percussion for the MMF | NL Chamber Series.

  • Composers may use playback sound (fixed media) from their laptops in their work, which does not count as one of the instruments. Composers must bring their own equipment for performance. We will not be able to accommodate live processing due to rehearsal limitations.

Please make sure to read our Policy on Edits with regard to how we handle edits for final scores and parts.

Instrumentation

NOTE: up to six performers (one each, so one clarinetist, one violinist, etc.) may be used from the following list (not including the conductor).

  • Conductor (Optional – works that don’t need a conductor will not be conducted at the discretion of the ensemble)

  • Flute (doubling Piccolo and/or Alto Flute)

  • B-flat Clarinet (doubling A Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, and/or E-flat clarinet—please don’t write for all of them, two at most, if possible)

  • Oboe (doubling English horn)

  • Percussion (see Percussion Instruments Available below)

  • Piano

  • Violin

  • Viola

  • Cello

Percussion Instruments Available

  • 4 1/3 Octave Marimba

  • Vibraphone (with working motor)

  • Glockenspiel (Orchestra Bells)

  • Crotales (high and low sets)

  • Tubular Chime (up to 3 singular chimes, not more than one single chime per cymbal stand, strongly recommended not to use these, or use no more than one)

  • Snare Drum

  • Large Concert Bass Drum

  • Drumset Bass Drum with Pedal

  • 4 Concert Tom Toms

  • Large Tam Tam

  • Suspended Cymbals (small, medium, large)

  • Sizzle Cymbal

  • Temple Blocks (5)

  • Woodblocks (high, medium, and low)

  • Triangles (small, medium, large)

  • Tambourine (with head)

  • Tambourine (mounted, without head)

  • Claves

  • 3 Cow Bells (High, Medium, and Low Latin Cow Bells, not Almglocken)

  • Ratchet (with bass drum mount)

  • Finger Cymbals

  • Castanets (mounted or hand-held)

  • Anvil (percussion sound effect)

  • Bell Tree

  • Mark Tree

Note: additional, small, hand-held percussion instruments may be available if we are notified before the festival or if the composer supplies the instrument(s). Additional large instruments (i.e., a full set of chimes, timpani, or a larger marimba) are unavailable. It is strongly recommended that composers not write for both the marimba and vibraphone in the same piece, if at all possible, and be as economical as possible when writing for percussion. The smaller your set-up, the more likely your piece will be performed in the future.

Pieces not adhering to these instrumentation guidelines will not be considered or programmed.