instrumentation

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noun in·stru·men·ta·tion \ ˌin(t)-strə-mən-ˈtā-shən , -ˌmen- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of instrumentation

1 :the arrangement or composition of music for instruments especially for a band or orchestra

2 :the use or application of instruments (as for observation, measurement, or control)

3 :instruments for a particular purpose; also :a selection or arrangement of instruments

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Examples of instrumentation in a Sentence

There was a problem with the airplane's instrumentation.

Recent Examples of instrumentation from the Web

The group’s instrumentation blends a classical string trio (violins, viola and cello) with elements of a bluegrass rhythm section (mandolin, guitar and banjo).

— rebecca seymour, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "10 things to do in Lake Country in September," 28 Aug. 2017
Pieces of the habitation module and instrumentation compartment fly by the windows, some of them striking the sides of our spacecraft.

— scott kelly, Smithsonian, "Scott Kelly’s Journey Home After His Year in Space," 24 Aug. 2017
That’s all in English but with influences of hip-hop and electronic music and arrangements of tabla with Indian instrumentation.

— nicole pajer, Billboard, "Emerging Artist Vidya Vox Talks Fusing Indian Sounds with Western Pop Music," 18 Aug. 2017
Most of the tapes are unmarked, but the majority of the rest appear to be instrumentation reels for Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, NASA’s fly-by missions to Jupiter and Saturn.

— j.m. porup, Ars Technica, "Scrap dealer finds Apollo-era NASA computers in dead engineer’s basement," 14 July 2017
Instead of limiting himself to a DJ, and the usual spare hip-hop instrumentation, Chance employed a choral quartet, a trumpeter, and an all-purpose digital keyboardist.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Chance the Rapper closes Essence Fest in a blaze of glory - almost," 3 July 2017
But how does one define an art form so heavily based on improvisation and live instrumentation?

— felice león, The Root, "Watch: A Brief History of Jazz by Some of the Genre’s Freshest Faces," 26 June 2017
The Air Force would later say pilot navigational error was the likely cause, due to bad weather and instrumentation that was not nearly as sophisticated as today's technology.

— laurel andrews, Alaska Dispatch News, "The glacier search for servicemen lost in a 1952 plane crash continues. But time is running out.," 24 June 2017
The early folk shadings appear sporadically, with moments in which the layered instrumentation fades and makes Pecknold's vulnerability more explicit.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Fleet Foxes go deeper but lose some luster on 'Crack-Up'," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'instrumentation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of instrumentation

1818