The drones for Lean can be played by any combination of other instruments, either live or pre-recorded. These can be as simple as a single string instrument or many instruments playing very quietly. Although the drones should remain in the background, I encourage making small subtle shifts in volume or timbre - never anything overly dramatic or obtrusive. It is imperative that the drones not be transposed up or down the octave; they must be G3 and D4. Ideally, the solo violists would stand as far away from one another as possible, to create an extreme stereo effect. Lean is dedicated to Jonah & Nadia Sirota. - Nico Muhly