Throughout the Renaissance era instrumental music was usually just an accompaniment. It accompanied voice, it accompanied dance, it accompanied ceremony, and it accompanied war. Only toward the end of the Renaissance did instrumental music become common, and even the people of that era might have been surprised at the crowds attending concerts in the age of Beethoven or even Mozart.

Music in the Renaissance was mostly monophonic, meaning only one instrument or voice played at a time. When several instruments played together, they most likely took turns, or else played in unison or in octaves. As polyphony developed, so did the idea of a musical ensemble, instruments chosen because they combined well.

Noisy instruments were hardly ever played indoors except in large halls. Soft instruments, such as recorders, crumhorns, and racketts, were normally played indoors. Cornettos, flutes, and serpents could play with either loud or soft ensembles. Most of the reed instruments of the Renaissance were of the double-reed type, like the modern oboe, rather than the single-reed, like the modern clarinet.

Until the beginning of the 16th Century, instruments were considered to be less important than voices. Even though the instrumental music of the Renaissance period did not equal the vocal music, in terms of quality and quantity, it still played an essential part of the era. Instrumental music gained in popularity and developed a musical form that was distinct from vocal music.