NOTATIO

Thanks, John and Salvo.

Three questions, please: 1. I have many scores in which the tempo suddenly slows--moreso than a ritenuto or ritardando. So I use "assai ritenuto," for instance, in these scores. Should this be "ritenuto assai" instead? 2. And is "molto ritenuto" incorrect Italian to mea...

Interesting points, all. What got me thinking about the notation was that after I had changed all the dotted-eighth-sixteenths to eighth note-sixteenth rest-eighth note, I was concerned that the notation would suggest too short an initial note. So to keep it as clear and simple as possible, I left i...

Thanks, John, for your thoughtful comments. I'll probably just leave the notation as is. I want it to be clean and uncomplicated.

I’m working on a Grade 3 brass quintet, written for high school groups. The piece throughout includes many phrases with dotted eighth-sixteenth notes (see attached). I’ve written them that way, but I prefer their interpretation and performance to be as eighth notes with a sixteenth rest (second atta...

Thanks, OCTO and RMK.

I'm adding a drum set staff to a concert band score. Where should I place the staff? I'm guessing the staff should go above the snare drum/bass drum staff.

Thank you, David Ward and RMK.

Are there general bowing guidelines on when to indicate bowing and when to leave bowing to the conductor and players?

Yes. Most of my publishers want live performances.