: After mastering individual instruments, students learn to write for specific sections—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

: Most editions are paired with a workbook that provides exercises in transcribing piano works for various orchestral combinations.

. To most, the book was a technical manual of ranges, transpositions, and woodwind fingerings. To Leo, it was a spellbook.

: Detailed chapters explore the ranges, transpositions, and unique timbres of every standard orchestral instrument.

The book begins by treating each instrument as a unique character. From the technical agility of the flute to the complex overtones of the French horn, Kennan provides:

Moves from individual instrument mechanics to sectional writing, and finally to full orchestral scoring.