Instrumental solo piece

In music, an instrumental solo piece (from the Italian: solo, meaning alone) is a composition, like an étude, solo sonata, partita, solo suite or impromptus, or an arrangement, written to be played by a single performer. The performer is called a soloist.

The instrumental solo pieces can be monophonic or polyphonic. Monophonic instruments, like those of the brass and wind sections, can only produce one single note at a time, and so can only perform monophonic pieces. Polyphonic instruments, such as the guitar, piano, and harp, can play multiple notes at once, and so can play both monophonic and polyphonic pieces.

References

• David Fuller, "Solo", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).