These canons are designed to be played by any pair of instruments of the same kind, either wind or string, in whose compass they lie: e.g., 2 flutes (or piccolos), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 saxophones, 2 violins, 2 violas. They may also be played by 2 instruments of different kinds: e.g., flute and clarinet (making the necessary transposition), violin and viola; or by multiples of two: e.g., all the violins of the orchestra, or all the clarinets of the band.

While these are all canons at the unison, in most cases they will be reasonably effective at the octave, especially if played by instruments of two different families: e.g., oboe and bass clarinet, flute and violoncello.