Notation To-Do List

I’d make a little to-do list of things you should include in a notated score. You can use it as a check list when making scores.

1. Title Page

include title, composer, orchestrator (unless same as composer), and music publisher (if applicable).

2. Instrumentation Page

detail specific instruments necessary for the piece.  Include number of instrumentalists for woodwinds, brass and percussion.  In the percussion, include both the specific instruments required and the number of players necessary to play them.  It’s common to also put the piece’s duration on the Instrumentation Page.  Also indicate if the score is transposed or in C.

3. Staff layout, names and clefs

4. Enter all the notes

5. Dynamics

6. Slurs indicating tonguing in the woodwinds and brass

7. Slurs indicating bowing in the strings

8. Additional articulations such as staccato, tenuto, etc.

9. Common string text, such as divisi, unison indications.

10. Common brass/woodwinds text, such as “1.” and “a2”, etc.

11. Mark instrument names on percussion staves.

12. If using harp, include pedalings

13. If using timpani, include initial tunings of the drums and notate when the drums must be retuned.

14. Rehearsal letters at key structural points.