10 Tips for Student Composers and Arrangers - Ensemble Music
Here are some tips for young composers and arrangers as a practical guide on how to
best present their own scores in preparation for performances (rather than a guide on how
to write good music!
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| Bananathoven |
Here’s a preliminary tip: unless you have super neat handwriting (and an abundance of time), using
a notation software is highly recommended!
1. Know what you want and add as much detail in the score as possible
The less details you provide, the more freedom you are giving the performers with room for
interpretation. If this is your intention, then that’s cool. One quarter note can be played in a thousand
different ways - if you want specific articulations, note length, expressiveness - write them in!
Imagine in 300 years time your work is being performed when you’re no longer around.
Did you remember to say everything that you wanted to in the score?
The less details you provide, the more freedom you are giving the performers with room for
interpretation. If this is your intention, then that’s cool. One quarter note can be played in a thousand
different ways - if you want specific articulations, note length, expressiveness - write them in!
Imagine in 300 years time your work is being performed when you’re no longer around.
Did you remember to say everything that you wanted to in the score?
2. Keep in mind that human beings are going to be performing your work, not a computer!
Unless your work is actually written to be performed by a computer! You might be disappointed if your
music sounds awesome played back on software but in reality turns out that it’s nearly physically
impossible to perform. Always a good idea to check the limitations of the instrument(s) and/or voice(s)
you are writing for, and find expressiveness within these limits. Which brings me to my next point:
music sounds awesome played back on software but in reality turns out that it’s nearly physically
impossible to perform. Always a good idea to check the limitations of the instrument(s) and/or voice(s)
you are writing for, and find expressiveness within these limits. Which brings me to my next point:
3. If you are writing for specific musicians for them to perform, get to know them!
Show them fragments, ask them to play and give their feedback on what works and what doesn’t.
Listen to what’s being played back, and ask yourself if you like it or not. Just as important is to listen
to the musician’s advice - they won’t care if you saw some crazy extended technique in a textbook if
they can’t play it. Do tell them what kind of sound you want though, and they can help you find the
best way of notating it.
Listen to what’s being played back, and ask yourself if you like it or not. Just as important is to listen
to the musician’s advice - they won’t care if you saw some crazy extended technique in a textbook if
they can’t play it. Do tell them what kind of sound you want though, and they can help you find the
best way of notating it.
4. Make the scores and parts as easy to read as possible
These days we’re expected to perform with very little preparation time, so if your work is going to be
performed, you’d want the rehearsals to be as efficient as possible. It’s especially important for new
music that the parts are crystal clear so no time is wasted on players trying to figure out what’s written.
The first thing is to make sure you use a clear font and that the font size is not too small. And here
are some more important notes on notation:
performed, you’d want the rehearsals to be as efficient as possible. It’s especially important for new
music that the parts are crystal clear so no time is wasted on players trying to figure out what’s written.
The first thing is to make sure you use a clear font and that the font size is not too small. And here
are some more important notes on notation:
5. Add both bar numbers AND rehearsal numbers/letters
While notation software will probably automatically add bar numbers at the beginning of each system
for you, having rehearsal figures regularly throughout the parts will save ensemble musicians heaps
of time in rehearsals. How frequently you insert them depends on the music, but you might want to
use them at beginnings of each new sections, new phrases, new musical ideas, at key changes or
wherever it makes musical sense to do so, instead of every set number of bars. It’s a good idea to
make sure that there aren’t too many bars between the rehearsal figures.
for you, having rehearsal figures regularly throughout the parts will save ensemble musicians heaps
of time in rehearsals. How frequently you insert them depends on the music, but you might want to
use them at beginnings of each new sections, new phrases, new musical ideas, at key changes or
wherever it makes musical sense to do so, instead of every set number of bars. It’s a good idea to
make sure that there aren’t too many bars between the rehearsal figures.
6. Add instrumental cues in parts
During extended rests on a given instrument (especially brass and percussion), it helps to have those
little tiny notes indicating what the other instruments are playing (don’t forget to label which
instrument(s), too!) - this will help the ‘resting’ musician to stay ‘tuned in’ to what’s happening in the
music, as well as serve as a warning or reminder before their next entrance. This also helps as a guide
in situations where ‘resting’ musicians lose count of how many bars they’ve slept through and easily
find their way back on track without interrupting the rehearsal.
little tiny notes indicating what the other instruments are playing (don’t forget to label which
instrument(s), too!) - this will help the ‘resting’ musician to stay ‘tuned in’ to what’s happening in the
music, as well as serve as a warning or reminder before their next entrance. This also helps as a guide
in situations where ‘resting’ musicians lose count of how many bars they’ve slept through and easily
find their way back on track without interrupting the rehearsal.
7. Keep page turns in mind
If possible, lay out the parts so that there are at least a few bars of rest at the bottom corners of the
right side pages if the parts fold out like a book. Or at least choose a passage for the bottom right
corner where the instrumentalist can play with one hand while turning the page with the other, although
not ideal. For string sections, if there are no rests, make the bottom right corner a passage where
the volume/sound won’t suffer if the inside desks are to turn the page then.
Extra tip: how to annoy brass players - write ‘con sordino’ where there is a page turn (with no rest prior
to the passage to actually have time to place the mute muha ha haaa!!)
right side pages if the parts fold out like a book. Or at least choose a passage for the bottom right
corner where the instrumentalist can play with one hand while turning the page with the other, although
not ideal. For string sections, if there are no rests, make the bottom right corner a passage where
the volume/sound won’t suffer if the inside desks are to turn the page then.
Extra tip: how to annoy brass players - write ‘con sordino’ where there is a page turn (with no rest prior
to the passage to actually have time to place the mute muha ha haaa!!)
8. Take care of rhythmic groupings
Are there irregular/odd time signatures in your music, or perhaps 4/4 time but with interesting rhythmic
groupings? If so, remember to actually group them into the specific pulse that you want - where are
the strong/weak beats? For example, if you have 5/8 time, is it a 2+3 feel, or 3+2? Or like Stravinsky
you want all 11 quarter notes in the 11/4 bar to be of equal weight in the Rite of Spring? There are
some composers that write great music but notate carelessly, only giving attention to having the
correct number of beats in a bar and ignoring rhythmic groupings. Musicians can get confused and
frustrated while trying to count and subdivide something that can otherwise be easily visually
recognised if organised properly.
groupings? If so, remember to actually group them into the specific pulse that you want - where are
the strong/weak beats? For example, if you have 5/8 time, is it a 2+3 feel, or 3+2? Or like Stravinsky
you want all 11 quarter notes in the 11/4 bar to be of equal weight in the Rite of Spring? There are
some composers that write great music but notate carelessly, only giving attention to having the
correct number of beats in a bar and ignoring rhythmic groupings. Musicians can get confused and
frustrated while trying to count and subdivide something that can otherwise be easily visually
recognised if organised properly.
9. Proofread, edit, proofread, edit
Rinse and repeat.
10. Learn to conduct
You know your music best and how you want it to sound! Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Mahler,
Wagner and countless other composers were also conductors, too! Now add your name to this list!
Wagner and countless other composers were also conductors, too! Now add your name to this list!
♠ ♠ ♠
This could go on and on, but we’ll stop here for now! Actually, I do have one tip on how to write good
music: I learnt this from my jazz harmony / big band arranging / conducting teacher Bill Motzing
but can be applied to ALL music. Here it is:
music: I learnt this from my jazz harmony / big band arranging / conducting teacher Bill Motzing
but can be applied to ALL music. Here it is:
BONUS TIP
11. “If it sounds good, it is good!”
- Duke Ellington
Happy music writing!
© vegan conductor 2018
