Notes to Myself

Well, here we are at another New Music Festival here at Ball State. Lots of great music lined up for the next few days, including two pieces of mine. And, as is almost always the case with music with live performers, I have been making a number of revisions to scores this week.

Basically, I've been improving the notation based on player feedback. Which is a good thing. But I got to thinking: "Gosh, what if I just wrote it right the FIRST time?!"

To that end, this is the beginning of a note to myself. I planning on adding to it as I learn. These are not rules so much as guidelines, to quote the Pirate. Also, there are many, MANY times where the notation is a very specific way for a very specific reason, and the players just have to suck it up and do their best. But really, lots of the time a little change makes everybody happier.

• When possible, try to have important moments occur at the beginning of a measure. Sure, I may feel this entrance as an upbeat to the next measure, but it's probably going to SOUND like a downbeat, and the players will have an easier time if it really IS an upbeat.
• Even though I may feel a section in an "eighth note" meter (3/8, 5/8), if there are lots of fast notes (32nds, etc.), rebar it in 3/4 or 5/8 so the fast notes are sixteenths rather than 32nds. Really, it sounds the same.
• Apparently, 7/8 is not a completely natural time signature for everybody, like it is for me. Who knew?
• Pauses don't have to ALWAYS be notated by rests. Sometimes it's o.k. to trust the player to pause a while without necessarily counting two measures of silent beats.
• If I am going to be the pianist for the performance, WRITE SOMETHING I CAN PLAY! Moron.

Share any thoughts of your own! I will add them here if they're not totally lame! :-)

JR