I recently had the privilege of speaking to the Advanced composition seminar at Morgan State University. This talk was designed to facilitate an upcoming collaboration between Morgan State University and the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, where I currently serve as Assistant Conductor. The original name of the lecture was “Orchestrating for Success: Getting the Players On Your Side, on Day One.” In the discussion, we covered a top ten list of important orchestration and engraving rules of thumb to help guide young composers through the process of bringing their ideas to life.

Before I began, I put out a call for suggestions on Facebook and Twitter and received many great pearls of wisdom from experienced performers. I have embedded many of their suggestions below. Many thanks to the contributors who added valuable information to this discussion.

When working with young composers preparing a composition to be read for the first time by orchestral musicians, I have a very simple premise. The best shot a composer has at a successful premiere is to have:

excellent musical ideas,
cast within thoughtfully engraved parts.

If you win over the musicians, you are set for success with the audience and beyond. In order to win them over, all it takes is a general sense on by the musicians that you put care into creating your parts. An orchestration textbook and instrument guides are critical resources, but sometimes it is helpful to focus on a shorter list of general rules of thumb. In that spirit, here are ten guidelines to help make sure your next composition looks great on the page, and sets the stage for the orchestra to give you an excellent first reading.

Technical Details

Articulations and Other Style Indications

Put thought into the articulation markings that are appropriate for every passage. In particular, wind players expect that every note will contain some indication as to length and attack (legato, staccato, tenuto, marcato, etc.) and do not have a default articulation. All musicians look for guidance, shape, direction, and character, that you have specific ideas in mind. Large passages without articulation or style look naked to the experienced musician.

Beaming

Work to create the simplest possible beaming, organizing according to the time signature. Exception: in 4/4, beam into 2 groups of 4 eighths.
Singers should also see beams in logical groupings according to meter. Avoid flags as the default.

Fonts

Use the most generic and easily readable fonts and styles possible. Avoid “handwritten” and “jazz” fonts. Always keep in mind how you wish to use limited performer bandwidth for maximum musical success.

Justification

All events occurring on beat 1 belong on the left margin. Exception: whole rests are centered.

Franz Doppler, Fantasie Hongroise

Ledger Lines, Clefs

Generally speaking, musicians prefer not to look at more than a small number of ledger lines (2 or 3) if it is avoidable. For many instruments (violin, piano), it is appropriate to use 8va or 8vb, or even 15va or 15vb. For some instruments, such as viola, cello, bass, trombone, and bassoon, clef change is the more common way to indicate extended pitches beyond the first few ledger lines. Note in the Schoenberg example below that the Cello part goes into Alto Clef. This should not be emulated. Cellos prefer Bass, Tenor, and Treble. On the positive side, note how he carefully optimizes for minimal ledger lines, switching to alto clef to keep all notes inside the staff. That said, one should avoid excessive clef changes whenever practicable.

New Notations

Avoid creating new notation methods when at all possible. Opt for the simplest and most traditional method of notation possible to achieve the desired sound. Oftentimes, there is a very simple way to achieve a desired effect. For common terms, use standard Italian markings. For specific instructions, use English.

See below for an example that would have ideally been written with a standard time signature like 6/8. There are always rare exceptions where an idea needs a special notation to properly capture it, but in most of those already rare cases, that reason should be readily apparent to the musicians by looking contextually at the music.

Source: Music Engraving Tips (Facebook) (avoid)

Page Turns, Spacing

Make certain that page turns do not sit along modulations, new sections, new meters, tempo changes, or other important musical transitions. This brings up the important issue of spacing (which will get adjusted when you start optimizing for smooth page turns). In the best parts, the musicians never even think about spacing, “it just looks right,” throughout.

Proper beat grouping and spacing of rhythms is a must. We read as much by spatial awareness as by notation. Parts that don't take into account these kinds of things just come across as discourteous.
— Dr Emily Worthington (@ECWorthington) February 12, 2019

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Rehearsal Marks, Measure Numbers

After you have finished composing, do a surface-level analysis and select logical points for rehearsal marks (letters or numbers). The finished score should have at least one rehearsal letter for every two facing pages, if not more often. Do not place an arbitrary rehearsal marking every 5 or 10 measures. Also provide measure numbers in score and parts.

Take a few minutes to declare *sensible rehearsal # sections* and not just the default every 4 or 10.

A prominent rehearsal # should coincide with a meaningful musical moment, or at least something recognizable as a phrase break.
— 🎼 John M. Black (@baroquepasa) February 12, 2019

Score Order, Staff Deletion, and Other Layout Concerns

Use the most conventional score order possible.
Generally avoid deleting staves unless there will be an extended section, such as a cadenza, which will fill up a significant portion of the score, which will only use a handful of instruments.

Conductors:
*No score in C. Transpose in the studio, not on the podium
*Plenty of rehearsal marks: 1 on every 2-page spread
*Largest possible rastral size
*Don't hide empty staves: saves time if instruments are always in the same place
*List instrumentation on the inside cover
— Brings PowerPoint to a Jazz Club (@MattSComposer) February 12, 2019

Spelling

Work to spell chromatic chords in ways that make sense horizontally rather than vertically. That is, look for the option that makes it easier for the individual musician to read their part, even if the chord spelling is not vertically satisfying to its chord function. As a general matter, avoid using double-sharps and double-flats if there is a simpler way to write that. Also, French horn players as a general rule do not read key signatures in contemporary music unless the music is particularly tonal.

Source: Wikipedia (avoid double flats and sharps)

General Advice

Strive for Simplicity.

Even as you make certain to give a thorough sense of musical detail, look for ways to simplify your notation without compromising your musical vision or the sound you are after. The goal in simplifying is not to affect the sound but to lower the cognitive bandwidth on the musician so that they have an easier time performing the musical whole, the end result being a more complete realization of your musical conception (which is everyone’s goal to begin with).

Be Meticulous.

After you extract your parts, make sure to look through each individual part, measure by measure, slowly, with a “fine tooth comb.” You are looking for outright errors, for style and rehearsal markings that did not export to the proper line, and for things that differ from your original intent that may not have jumped out at you in the full score. Generally, you are making certain that your music looks as elegant and gorgeous on the page as your vision for your music sounds in your head.

Show Empathy.

The musicians will be striving to give you a great reading of your work. You want to show them how much their time is worth to you by giving them highly-readable parts. Show empathy for their efforts by thinking through what each musical request will mean to them in simple, physical terms.

Before you put five different dynamic instructions on a note that lasts for a fraction of a second, please question whether you can sing the effect you want. If not, we can't play it. See also hairpins on staccatissimo notes etc.
— Dr Emily Worthington (@ECWorthington) February 12, 2019

Orchestrating for Success