Comments on: How to Score

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:09:12 +0000

In reply to Jorge Hernán Hoyos Rentería. Hi, correct! I do not use them in the score. In parts for sessions, measure numbers should be on every measure, underneath. JKMS and FineLine put them in the middle, Disney put them on the bar line. I prefer in the middle and down a bit as they clash less and requite less tweaking. And no boxes!

By: Jorge Hernán Hoyos Rentería

Jorge Hernán Hoyos Rentería — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:11:02 +0000

Hi Tim,
You clearly don’t like using boxes around measure numbers although you use measure numbers on every bar. What is the standard practice in the industry for parts? Is it the same as the score (centered around the measure and boxed)? is it centered around barlines? top? bottom? what do you prefer personally? Thanks in advance.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 03:33:15 +0000

In reply to Brando. Hi. If the clef is not changing, it is easy, I will just apply it as soon as the previous instrument is done, that way it will be on the next system no matter what. If clefs change or it is a live score with a key signature, then it is more of a pain as you have to see how the page lays out. Might even need 2 staff styles. One to make the score look right with the name and another to have the clef/key sig change at the right time, which would be right on the new entry, not before it.

By: Brando

Brando — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 15:37:41 +0000

This is a great resource, thank you!

For changing percussion (or other) score staff names when there is an instrument change, do you apply the new staff style / or instrument change at the first measure of the new instrument, or at the beginning of that system?

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:30:27 +0000

In reply to Leonard. Correct about the key signatures. I just did some arranging for Alan Menken's next score and I used them. Horns can go either way these days. Ask 3 horn players and you will get 4 different answers, but will all say they can handle it either way. Timpani I still prefer it to have no key sig. As to transposed scores or not, it is your gig, so do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

By: Leonard

Leonard — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:46:40 +0000

Hi Tim! Thank you very much for this blog. It explains and helps with so many things, that it’s probably impossible to find in any orchestration book. I’m writing an original song now. For the first time in my life I plan to record it with live orchestra. I’ve never been working yet with such. The idea is to record the sections separately to have more control on mixing, as it’s a song. Most of time I think about composing and orchestrating in terms of film scoring. So by default I prepare scores in concert pitch, with no key signatures. But it’s true that for songs (even in films) people almost always use key signatures as an exception. For my song I have also put key signatures in this case. Many people (especially in various Facebook groups) tell me that I shouldn’t make it in concert pitch, but make a transposed conductor’s score. I’m a bit confused now, because scoring it with film techniques expects you to write it in concert. But it’s not a film in this case, nor a live performance – it’s going to be a very layered recording of a song, with many instruments recorded separately, in different studios, halls. How would you do in this case? Would you make a transposed score for a song or work in a concert pitch? What are your methods for songs recording? When you record a song for a film do you use a concert score with key signatures or a transposed one?

And also – I was confused, thinking that Timpani and Horns should never have key signatures, even if a whole score has them, like in classical music scores, when horns were natural and timpani had no pedals. I think I have had a lack of knowledge onto this. Could you make things brighter in my head, please? If I have a concert score with key signatures on all instruments, except obviously untuned perc, do Timpani and Horns have to have key signatures as well as all other instruments?

Thank you!!

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 22:10:51 +0000

In reply to Peter Roos. Not sure of an exact number as there are lots of factors. So long as it is readable, then it can be a lot. But each section has to be readable in one glance.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:51:30 +0000

In reply to musicalmusings888030662. It depends on what is happening. If there really is nothing, then the rest is fine. But if there is something in the track, it would be noted in the guide staves, the rest of the orchestra could be optimized out so that would then just take up a single page.

By: Kostas

Kostas — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 05:35:11 +0000

Very cool info Tim. Can you include the heaviness of the paper for the conductor’s score and the parts at the PAPER SIZE section? I mean what you usually use. Thanks

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 23:35:48 +0000

In reply to lowefinney0327.

Sorry for slow reply. For the woods as they are often doubling, I will have 2 staves for the flutes as you noted. For horns they are in all sorts of combinations, but often unison. I just use 2 staff most of the time and the copyist splits the parts out. We do not interlock in the studio, so it is just pitch = number order as opposed to the concert hall.
When I do scores for the concert hall, I do them the normal way, with horns properly written. I do find it is OK to have woods on 2 staves per section whether it is double or triple, again due to doubling.
I am not a fan of having all the brass on their own staves in film scores, I see it often and it is a waste of space and makes it harder for me to see a whole score.