Editing Instrumental (section)

{{short description|Music without vocals}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Other uses}}
{{original research|date=November 2009}}

An '''instrumental''' or '''instrumental song''' is [[music]] without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted [[backup vocals]] in a [[big band]] setting. Through [[Semantic change|semantic widening]], a broader sense of the word [[song]] may refer to instrumentals.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ozzi |first1=Dan |date=11 April 2018 |title=RLYR's 'Actual Existence' Is 40 Minutes of Beautiful Chaos |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rlyrs-actual-existence-album-stream/ |access-date=26 January 2019 |website=Noisey |publisher=Vice |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bernardinelli |first=Federico |date=19 August 2018 |title=Rocking on Banker's Hill, an Interview with El Ten Eleven |url=http://arcticdrones.com/interviews/el-ten-eleven/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126122349/http://arcticdrones.com/interviews/el-ten-eleven/ |archive-date=26 January 2019 |access-date=26 January 2019 |website=Arctic Drones |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Tobias |title=Interview with Jasper TX {{!}} Sweden Experimental interviews |url=http://www.tokafi.com/15questions/interview-jasper-tx/ |access-date=26 January 2019 |website=tokafi.com}}</ref> The music is primarily or exclusively produced using [[musical instrument]]s. An instrumental can exist in [[music notation]], after it is written by a [[composer]]; in the mind of the composer (especially in cases where the composer themselves will perform the piece, as in the case of a [[blues]] solo guitarist or a [[folk music]] fiddle player); as a piece that is performed live by a single instrumentalist or a [[musical ensemble]], which could range in components from a [[duet|duo]] or [[trio (music)|trio]] to a large big band, [[concert band]] or [[orchestra]].

In a song that is otherwise sung, a section that is not sung but which is played by instruments can be called an '''instrumental interlude''', or, if it occurs at the beginning of the song, before the singer starts to sing, an instrumental [[introduction (music)|introduction]]. If the instrumental section highlights the skill, musicality, and often the virtuosity of a particular performer (or group of performers), the section may be called a "solo" (e.g., the [[guitar solo]] that is a key section of [[heavy metal music]] and [[hard rock]] songs). If the instruments are [[percussion instrument]]s, the interlude can be called a percussion interlude or "percussion break". These interludes are a form of [[Break (music)|break]] in the song.