If you write sheet music...

[JimmyM]

...here's a handful of tips. I just got some music for a gig later this month, and it's got a lot of just plain bad chart writing, so here's a few tips from someone who writes them for a semi-living (EDIT: I made a couple edits to the original post based on a couple replies here):

1. Try to maintain the symmetry of the music on the printed page. Try to begin each new section on the beginning of a staff line, and end it at the end of a staff line. If you're notating complex lines, do what you have to do to make it readable and fit on the line, but generally you should be able to maintain the symmetry of the music on the page. If it goes out of symmetry because of an odd bar or a 1st/2nd ending gumming up the works, try to recover symmetry ASAP.

2. Don't make your charts 5 or 6 pages when they could easily be on one page. Rare is the time I'll make a chart that requires more than two pages. Why? Page turns, of course! There's no need to write that way. Make it readable...i.e. it's better to have two readable pages than one page with everything crammed on it, but don't spread stuff out so far that you have to flip pages every minute.

3. Close all your repeated phrases. I don't know how many times I get charts with repeats at the end of a phrase but not at the beginning. Then they pencil it in, and I don't know if I'm supposed to read the penciled-in repeat or not. And no DS's without an S to get you back, and no To Coda without a clearly deliniated coda.

4. Remember the key signatures. Goes without saying. But you'd be surprised how many charts I get that don't have them. Sloppy and no excuse.

5. Don't just plug a MIDI file into your sheet music writer and not tidy it up. How the hell am I supposed to follow sheet music that has a quarter note tied to an eighth note tied to a 16th note tied to a 32nd note followed by a 32nd note rest, when you meant to write a half note? Come on, use your head! BTW, don't think this doesn't happen...I got a couple charts last night with exactly that. And when your MIDI file dumps 200 bars of the same repeated 12-bar blues progression, edit the damn thing down and use repeats (got several charts like that last night as well).

6. Don't accept the defaults on your computer sheet music program. That wastes paper, puts your beginnings and endings of phrases at odd places somewhere in the middle of the staff, and aggravates those who read it. Clean it up. And for crying out loud, don't include the guitar chord diagrams on your chord charts (believe it or not, it's happened). If you don't know how to clean it up, RTFM or don't write charts.

7. If you handwrite your charts and you end a phrase before you run out of staff line, cross out the rest of the staff line left over or we're going to think it's another bar.

8. Include rehearsal markings at the beginning of each new phrase. Some people like to number each bar. I don't. If you just include rehearsal markings like letter A or letter B every so often, I think it's just as easy to reference as numbered bars and more readable. But if you like to number your bars (nothing wrong with it other than it's just not my thing), include rehearsal markings, too. Make sure there are plenty of them (this is one good way to show where phrases start) and make sure they are the same for every instrument.

9. If you decide to rearrange your music, write a new chart. Don't scratch out a section and draw a big arrow to where we're supposed to go. There is a bigtime oldies act who used to be notorious for that until she finally got new charts 4 years ago. I won't mention her name because I love her, but it rhymes with Wesley Store. The one exception that's allowed is if you have a key change on a relatively simple chart.

10. Know the ranges of the instruments you're writing for. I know your piano has a low A, but my bass only goes to low E and I'm not bringing a 5 unless you request it. I don't like 5-strings...I'll play one if requested, but after I arrive is not the time to tell me. If you don't know the ranges, buy an arranging book (I use Don Sebesky's "The Contemporary Arranger") or ask a friend who plays that instrument.

11. If you're writing for an unfamiliar instrument, take a little time to learn how to best write for it. Every instrument has strengths and weaknesses. Like you wouldn't write two notes for a sax player to play at the same time, but you might for guitar. However, on the guitar, you run the risk of writing a two-note phrase that is extremely hard to play or even totally unplayable (this is especially true for bowed instruments like violin or cello). Again, a good arranging book is invaluable, and so is running your chart by someone who plays the instrument if you can.

12. (From BassChuck): Make sure all your different charts for each song match up bar for bar with each other. One pet peeve is having repeats in one part but not others. In other words the bass part has a repeat, but the sax part is different both phrases, so they've got 16 bars, no repeat, and the bass and piano have 8 bars with repeat. Very sloppy writing, and makes communication with each other difficult at best.

13. (From BassChuck, slightly edited): Make sure your chords and accidentals match up to the key signature. An example is if the key is Ab and you're writing a C# chord when it should be a Db.

14. (From BassChuck): As a rule.... if you have to explain what you meant, you didn't write it correctly. Of course an avante garde thing might need some verbal clarification, but for the most part, it should be clear and obvious to the player.

15. If you write your charts in tab, I'm balling them up and throwing them on the floor

If anyone else wants to add their own hints, please do so. I'm mainly just ranting a little here, but it IS meant to be helpful to those of you who write charts, and it makes a world of difference in readability to do these things.

[KPJ]

Jimmy, it's her party and she'll chart how she wants to!

Seriously, though, good stuff. I have seen some of what you mention on the rare times when the acts I play with actually bother to chart. I had a keyboard player give me a chart he made once that had an instrumental break charted between verses that must have been written by a Liliputian! He must have used a microscope to write it! So yeah, writing out a chart legibly in a font that can actually be sight read is a bonus.

[JTE]

One I ran into once... They didn't know bass was transposed up an octave. So the charts had mostly ledger lines BELOW the bass cleff.

If you're writing chord charts it really helps if you know what you want. C/A isn't going to be processed the same as Amin7 most of the time.

jte

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

1. Don't write in 3-bar phrases across each staff line.

...unless the music is in 3-bar phrases.

Originally Posted by JimmyM

3. Close all your repeated phrases.

Yeah, that's my pet peeve too.

[Cyber Soda]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

11. If you write your charts in tab, I'm balling them up and throwing them on the floor

As you very well should!

[TL5]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

...here's a handful of things not to do. I just got some music for a gig later this month, and it's got a lot of just plain bad chart writing, so here's a few tips from someone who does it for a semi-living:

1. Don't write in 3-bar phrases across each staff line. Is it that much trouble to write 4 bars across the staff and try to maintain some symmetry of the music as it's played? And if you can write in 8-bar phrases across the staff, even better. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to fit 8 bars of chord changes across one staff line. If you're notating complex lines, do what you have to do to fit on the page, but generally you should be able to maintain the symmetry of the music on the page.

2. Don't make your charts 5 or 6 pages when they could easily be on one page. Rare is the time I'll make a chart that requires more than two pages. Why? Page turns, of course! There's no need to write that way.

3. Close all your repeated phrases. I don't know how many times I get charts with repeats at the end of a phrase but not at the beginning. Then they pencil it in, and I don't know if I'm supposed to read the penciled-in repeat or not. And no DS's without an S to get you back, and no To Coda without a clearly deliniated coda.

4. Remember the key signatures. Goes without saying. But you'd be surprised how many charts I get that don't have them. Sloppy and no excuse.

5. Don't just plug a MIDI file into your sheet music writer and not tidy it up. How the hell am I supposed to follow sheet music that has a quarter note tied to an eighth note tied to a 16th note tied to a 32nd note followed by a 32nd note rest, when you meant to write a half note? Come on, use your head!

6. Don't accept the defaults on your computer sheet music program. That wastes paper, puts your phrases at odd places somewhere in the middle of the staff, and aggravates those who read it. Clean it up. And for crying out loud, don't include the guitar chords on your chord charts (believe it or not, it's happened). If you don't know how to clean it up, RTFM or don't write charts.

7. If you handwrite your charts and you end a phrase before you run out of staff line, cross out the rest of the staff line left over or we're going to think it's another bar.

8. Include rehearsal markings at the beginning of each new phrase. Some people like to number each bar. I think that's a waste of time if you just include rehearsal markings like letter A or letter B.

9. If you decide to rearrange your music, write a new chart. Don't scratch out a section and draw a big arrow to where we're supposed to go. There is a bigtime oldies act who used to be notorious for that until she finally got new charts 4 years ago. I won't mention her name because I love her, but it rhymes with Wesley Store. The one exception that's allowed is if you have a key change on a relatively simple chart.

10. Know the ranges of the instruments you're writing for. I know your piano has a low A, but my bass only goes to low E and I'm not bringing a 5 unless you request it. I don't like 5-strings...I'll play one if requested, but after I arrive is not the time to tell me.

11. If you write your charts in tab, I'm balling them up and throwing them on the floor

If anyone else wants to add their own hints, please do so. I'm mainly just ranting a little here, but it IS meant to be helpful to those of you who write charts, and it makes a world of difference in readability to do these things.

+1 on all counts.

I played a musical earlier this year and was given two sets of charts for every song. One was a chord written over the lyric style (useless for rhythms) and the other was a 'Rhythm Score' (which was 5+ pages per song).
By adhering to your rule 1, I was able to re-write ll of the charts to be two pages (or less). At least I had time to re-write them.

Also, personal preference, but if your not sure whta key we'll end up playing in - I prefer a Nashville Number chart, with the previous rules in effect.

[HaVIC5]

A couple things. Now, I know a lot of these critiques don't apply to your run-of-the-mill lead sheet type thing, but they're good things I've come to know.

1) Writing three bars on a system is perfectly fine if there is a complicated phrase, and you should never sacrifice a nice, even spacing for the notes for the sake of symmetry. You can also use three-per-line if there is a complicated pickup into a note for the next section, or if the phrasing isn't symmetrical. Symmetry isn't everything, its nice, but the main thing is a balance, uncluttered look.

2) I would much rather deal with 5 pages of 7-8 systems with four bars a system than one or two pages with everything crammed or everything made smaller to fit. A big part of the art of copying comes into how to deal with page turns in a way that makes sense for the players involved, and by cramming music into less pages, you're not solving the problem - you're just creating another one, music that looks cluttered.

8) Industry standards generally say number every bar, but that's typically for complicated arrangements in tight, studio situations where every second lost searching for what bar is what costs thousands. I generally do, but if it makes the music look cluttered, I don't. It depends on what kind of headache you want - the headache of making the music not look over-done, or the headache of finding measure numbers to work on in rehearsal.

10)That's something that you just have to deal with, since plenty of other musicians are in the same boat. Bari's without low A, alto's without F#, double bassists without C extensions, flutes without low B, etc, etc, etc, arrangers write and may require extreme ranges. Yes it's there fault for not telling you to bring a 5 banger, but it isn't their fault for writing it - if you have a four, transpose notes up. Classical guys have done it for ages.

Otherwise, good tips. I once had the opposite problem from reading at sounding pitch - somebody gave me a chart with the bass part transposed UP an octave. It was high to begin with, so I was dealing with D's and E's an octave above the staff! Needless to say it didn't go very well.

[phatbass]

I have one guy who does chord charts and writes out the whole song with NO FRICKIN' BAR LINES!! It's just a sequence of chord names with no discernible structure.

[NickyBass]

Haha. I hear you Jimmy. I'll add that this is a good list of what not to do AND a good list of things for aspiring session/pit musicians to learn to work with. I hate it just as much as you do....BUT...if we can nail it without asking questions, we'll have a one up on the next guy.

[BassChuck]

Great list Jimmy. Every music student here should print that out and paste it in the front cover of their orchestration book.

I was always taught to make the part 'phrase' like the music. In other words, number of measures per line should reflect the phrasing of the music (in a lot of cases, 4 bars).

One pet peeve is having repeats in one part but not others. In other words the bass part has a repeat, but the sax part is different both phrases, so they've got 16 bars, no repeat, and the bass and piano have 8 bars with repeat.

Make sure there are plenty of rehearsal marks (this is one good way to show where phrases start) and make sure they are the same for every instrument.

Use standard notation. Don't use Bb, Eb and F# as the key signature for Gm. (in the original handcopied publication of "Godspell" this is actually used). Deal with the F# as an accidental.

As a rule.... if you have to explain what you meant, you didn't write it correctly. Of course an avante garde thing might need some verbal clarification, but for the most part, it should be clear and obvious to the player.

I'm not sure if it's still in print, but Clinton Roehmer's book on part copying (pre-computer programs) is a wonderful text even today for spelling out how to organize parts. Clinton was the part copier for Stan Kenton and many others.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

11. If you write your charts in tab, I'm balling them up and throwing them on the floor

I've been a tab hater and it's against my principles to write a just-tab piece of sheet music, but I must admit that recently I've found writing bass tabs along with standard notation a very entertaining practice, just because I feel that showing my own opinion about how a piece should be played (that's what tabs are useful for, nothing else) is a way to show my perspective as a player. It may generate agreements/disagreements, and that's always an edifying thing. Unfortunately, I guess many people ignore the standard notation staff and that totally defeats the purpose of putting both notation systems into one single piece of sheet music.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

...here's a handful of things not to do. I just got some music for a gig later this month, and it's got a lot of just plain bad chart writing, so here's a few tips from someone who does it for a semi-living:

1. Don't write in 3-bar phrases across each staff line. Is it that much trouble to write 4 bars across the staff and try to maintain some symmetry of the music as it's played? And if you can write in 8-bar phrases across the staff, even better. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to fit 8 bars of chord changes across one staff line. If you're notating complex lines, do what you have to do to fit on the page, but generally you should be able to maintain the symmetry of the music on the page.

2. Don't make your charts 5 or 6 pages when they could easily be on one page. Rare is the time I'll make a chart that requires more than two pages. Why? Page turns, of course! There's no need to write that way.

3. Close all your repeated phrases. I don't know how many times I get charts with repeats at the end of a phrase but not at the beginning. Then they pencil it in, and I don't know if I'm supposed to read the penciled-in repeat or not. And no DS's without an S to get you back, and no To Coda without a clearly deliniated coda.

4. Remember the key signatures. Goes without saying. But you'd be surprised how many charts I get that don't have them. Sloppy and no excuse.

5. Don't just plug a MIDI file into your sheet music writer and not tidy it up. How the hell am I supposed to follow sheet music that has a quarter note tied to an eighth note tied to a 16th note tied to a 32nd note followed by a 32nd note rest, when you meant to write a half note? Come on, use your head!

6. Don't accept the defaults on your computer sheet music program. That wastes paper, puts your phrases at odd places somewhere in the middle of the staff, and aggravates those who read it. Clean it up. And for crying out loud, don't include the guitar chords on your chord charts (believe it or not, it's happened). If you don't know how to clean it up, RTFM or don't write charts.

7. If you handwrite your charts and you end a phrase before you run out of staff line, cross out the rest of the staff line left over or we're going to think it's another bar.

8. Include rehearsal markings at the beginning of each new phrase. Some people like to number each bar. I think that's a waste of time if you just include rehearsal markings like letter A or letter B.

9. If you decide to rearrange your music, write a new chart. Don't scratch out a section and draw a big arrow to where we're supposed to go. There is a bigtime oldies act who used to be notorious for that until she finally got new charts 4 years ago. I won't mention her name because I love her, but it rhymes with Wesley Store. The one exception that's allowed is if you have a key change on a relatively simple chart.

10. Know the ranges of the instruments you're writing for. I know your piano has a low A, but my bass only goes to low E and I'm not bringing a 5 unless you request it. I don't like 5-strings...I'll play one if requested, but after I arrive is not the time to tell me.

11. If you write your charts in tab, I'm balling them up and throwing them on the floor

If anyone else wants to add their own hints, please do so. I'm mainly just ranting a little here, but it IS meant to be helpful to those of you who write charts, and it makes a world of difference in readability to do these things.

when you are given charts do you usually get lead sheets or all the notes.....and generally speaking how much freedom do you get to add of your own

suppose for a minute that your charts had to be raised or lowered a key or three to suit a vocalist or something,would the average guy in that league be expected to sight it transposing on the fly

[JTE]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

... I must admit that recently I've found writing bass tabs along with standard notation a very entertaining practice, just because I feel that showing my own opinion about how a piece should be played (that's what tabs are useful for, nothing else) is a way to show my perspective as a player. It may generate agreements/disagreements, and that's always an edifying thing. Unfortunately, I guess many people ignore the standard notation staff and that totally defeats the purpose of putting both notation systems into one single piece of sheet music.

You could just put in some designation for string instead of the whole tab. When I first started guitar lessons the book (Alfred's maybe?) had string indications, and I think it's not uncommon in classical guitar literature too. Doesn't take up as much space as a full tablature and prevents the issue of people ignoring the notation.

jte

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by BassChuck

<SNIP> I'm not sure if it's still in print, but Clinton Roehmer's book on part copying (pre-computer programs) is a wonderful text even today for spelling out how to organize parts. Clinton was the part copier for Stan Kenton and many others.

Can you provide the exact title or ISBN number?

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

Can you provide the exact title or ISBN number?

http://www.amazon.com/art-music-copy...5374225&sr=1-1

This will get you there. I WAS SHOCKED to find that this little paperback book that I think cost $5 in 1972 is now very close to $100 for used copies.

OK...... I stand by that its a useful book but no way is the information that unique. In other words, the information in this thread covers the subject fairly well.

[Tom Servo]

If you haven't read this (pdf), it's a funny but VERY apropos thing.

One other thing, accidentals should be sharped when going up the scale and flatted going down. Makes things easier. And yes, there's sometimes a place for Cb.

[Bassist4Life]

Sounds like JimmyM just read through the book for Fiddler on the Roof.

[JimmyM]

Funny stuff, Tom Servo!

Jim, it totally varies. Sometimes I'll get chord charts where I come up with parts based on my familiarity of the song, sometimes I'll get totally notated charts (the charts I got last night for my gig were about 80% notated). There are some who are very particular about note for note, some who are happy if you shake it up a little but generally follow the lines, some who couldn't care less if you use the written line or not. But I'll usually read notated lines note for note unless I think they're not working. It's OK in jazz to go off the chart now and then, but in pop songs where you're trying to recreate the records as I do most of the time, you don't want to stray too far.

[Stumbo]

'scribed. Great idea. Sticky this bad boy.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

A couple things. Now, I know a lot of these critiques don't apply to your run-of-the-mill lead sheet type thing, but they're good things I've come to know.

1) Writing three bars on a system is perfectly fine if there is a complicated phrase, and you should never sacrifice a nice, even spacing for the notes for the sake of symmetry. You can also use three-per-line if there is a complicated pickup into a note for the next section, or if the phrasing isn't symmetrical. Symmetry isn't everything, its nice, but the main thing is a balance, uncluttered look.

While that's true, I would advise going for symmetry whenever possible. Yeah, don't fill up 4 bars with 16th notes and try to cram them on one line, but try to recover the symmetry as soon as possible.

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

2) I would much rather deal with 5 pages of 7-8 systems with four bars a system than one or two pages with everything crammed or everything made smaller to fit. A big part of the art of copying comes into how to deal with page turns in a way that makes sense for the players involved, and by cramming music into less pages, you're not solving the problem - you're just creating another one, music that looks cluttered.

True, but you can make your charts fewer pages and not look cluttered. My charts never look cluttered. If it looks like I'm going to clutter things up, I'll sacrifice another page. But I'll give you an example...I could easily write a chart for the song "At The Hop" on one page and it would easily pass your standards for readability. Tonight I was given a 5-page chart for it, 3 bars per line, rehearsal letters every 5 bars. That's just silly.

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

8) Industry standards generally say number every bar, but that's typically for complicated arrangements in tight, studio situations where every second lost searching for what bar is what costs thousands. I generally do, but if it makes the music look cluttered, I don't. It depends on what kind of headache you want - the headache of making the music not look over-done, or the headache of finding measure numbers to work on in rehearsal.

If someone wants bar numbers, I'll do it, but I find them annoying and a tad distracting. Good, well-placed double bars and rehearsal markings are every bit as effective as numbering bars. Just as quick to figure out "Let's pick it up at 4 before C" as it is to figure out "Let's pick it up at bar 42."

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

10)That's something that you just have to deal with, since plenty of other musicians are in the same boat. Bari's without low A, alto's without F#, double bassists without C extensions, flutes without low B, etc, etc, etc, arrangers write and may require extreme ranges. Yes it's there fault for not telling you to bring a 5 banger, but it isn't their fault for writing it - if you have a four, transpose notes up. Classical guys have done it for ages.

Sorry, this is the one thing I fully disagree with. Actually, it's not an opinion. That's just sloppy arranging. What you said to do is what I do in those cases, but I think if you're going to write for an instrument, you should get a feel of what that instrument does and what notes it typically plays. I bought a $60 book to tell me what the ranges of instruments are and how to write for them effectively. Takes about 1 minute to look an instrument up and get its range. Then I spend a few minutes reading about its little quirks so I don't write something totally out of character. That's what tight arrangers do. Sloppy arrangers write parts out of range.

That isn't to say you should beat yourself up if it happens. Everyone has done it from time to time. But if you're unsure, run it by someone who plays that instrument.

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

Otherwise, good tips. I once had the opposite problem from reading at sounding pitch - somebody gave me a chart with the bass part transposed UP an octave. It was high to begin with, so I was dealing with D's and E's an octave above the staff! Needless to say it didn't go very well.

Yeah, this is why I bring a Whammy Pedal to my gigs now Just kidding...well, I do bring a Whammy Pedal, but not for that. I just transpose it on the fly. Gotta do what you must to get through the gig. And if you have problems, it's their fault, not yours.