Editing Pet Sounds (section)

===Orchestrations and arrangements===

''Pet Sounds'' incorporates tempo changes, metrical ambiguity, and uncommon tone colors that, according to musicologist James Perone, distinguish it from virtually "anything else [...] in 1966 pop music".{{sfn|Perone|2012|p=28}} His analysis highlights the closing track "Caroline, No" for its wide [[tessitura]] shifts, expansive melodic [[interval (music)|intervals]], and choice of instruments, alongside Wilson's structural and textural innovations in composition and orchestration.{{sfn|Perone|2012|p=28}} Wilson combined standard rock instrumentation with intricate layers of vocal harmonies{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=114}} and many instruments which had rarely, if ever been used in rock.{{sfn|Smith|2009|p=38}} This included [[ukulele]], [[sleigh bell]]s, [[accordion]], [[French horn|French]] and [[English horn]]s, [[timpani]], [[vibraphone]], and [[tack piano]]<ref name="PS2016"/>—all of which had appeared on ''Today!''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/custommusic2/craigslowinskicom.pdf |title= The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys Today! |last= Slowinski |first= Craig|year=2007 |access-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref>—in addition to [[bass harmonica]], [[güiro]], [[bass clarinet]], [[bongos]], [[glockenspiel]], [[banjo]], [[bicycle horn]], Coca-Cola cans, and [[Electro-Theremin]].<ref name="PS2016"/>

{{listen|pos=right
|filename=Here Today Pet Sounds.ogg|title=Instrumental break from "Here Today" (1996 stereo mix)|description="[[Here Today (The Beach Boys song)|Here Today]]" is described by [[AllMusic]] as one of Wilson's most ambitious arrangements, blending the "complexity of an orchestral piece with the immediacy of a good pop tune".<ref>{{cite web |last=Guarisco |first=Donald A. |title=Here Today |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/here-today-t2827570 |website=AllMusic |access-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205053544/http://www.allmusic.com/song/here-today-t2827570 |archive-date=December 5, 2010}}</ref>
}}
Arranger Paul Mertens, who later worked with Wilson on live renditions of the album, observed that Wilson's approach to orchestration involved adapting classical instrumentation to rock sensibilities rather than superimposing classical elements onto rock frameworks: "Brian was [not] trying to introduce classical music into rock & roll. Rather, he was trying to get classical musicians to play like rock musicians."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Appelstein |first1=Mike |date=July 20, 2016 |title=Brian Wilson's Latest Tour May Be Your Last Chance to Hear Him Perform Pet Sounds Live |work=[[Riverfront Times]] |url=http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/brian-wilsons-musical-director-paul-mertens-talks-about-pet-sounds/Content?oid=3086082 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207020047/https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/brian-wilsons-musical-director-paul-mertens-talks-about-pet-sounds/Content?oid=3086082 |archive-date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Referring to "Wouldn't It Be Nice", Perone opined that the track sounded "significantly less like a rock band supplemented with auxiliary instrumentation [...] than a rock band integrated into an eclectic mix of studio instrumentation."{{sfn|Perone|2012|pp=28, 30}}}}

Tracks on ''Pet Sounds'' typically featured around a dozen unique instruments, ranging from the comparatively sparse "[[That's Not Me (The Beach Boys song)|That's Not Me]]" (six instruments) to the expansive "God Only Knows" (over 15).<ref name="PS2016"/> Wilson frequently employed doubling—a technique where two instruments play the same melody—to reinforce structural clarity, enhance depth, and achieve a spacious sonic quality. Though it had been used for centuries in orchestral and classical arrangements, its use in contemporary rock was predominantly restricted to electric bass. He expanded the practice across diverse instruments, including violins and accordions.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=158}} In ''Pet Sounds'', electric and acoustic basses were also frequently doubled, and played with a hard [[plectrum]].{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=160, 162}} Drums were employed less for steady rhythm than for textural and tonal effects.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|p=130}}