Multi-instrumentalist facts for kids

Guyanan-Swedish musician Colin Dyall (1938-2017), father of actor Karl Dyall and singer Sharon Dyall, was a known multi-instrumentalist.

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more different musical instruments. Many professional musicians learn to play several instruments. This skill helps them in many types of music.

Playing Many Instruments in an Orchestra

In an orchestra, musicians sometimes play more than one instrument during a single show. This is very common in the woodwind section. When a musician plays more than one instrument, it is often called doubling.

For example, a flute player might also play the piccolo. A piccolo is like a smaller, higher-pitched flute. If the music needs a piccolo, the flutist will switch instruments. They might play the flute for one part and then quickly switch to the piccolo for another. Then they might switch back again.

Common Doubling Examples

Some other common examples of doubling in an orchestra include:

• An oboist might also play the cor anglais. This instrument sounds a bit like a larger, deeper oboe.
• A clarinettist might also play a bass clarinet. The bass clarinet is much larger and plays lower notes.
• A bassoonist might also play a contrabassoon. This is the largest and lowest-sounding instrument in the woodwind family.

At the start of a piece of sheet music, there is a list of all the instruments needed. This list also shows how many players are required. It makes it clear if one musician needs to double on different instruments.

Images for kids

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  Jimmy Castor with two types of saxophones.

See also

In Spanish: Multinstrumentista para niños