Sure! That's where I've learned a lot! I'm a fairly active performer myself, so in addition to my own preferences, I see what others pencil into their parts, and hear what they gripe about. A couple of experiences stand out ...Anders Hedelin wrote: ↑24 Oct 2023, 12:51 So, JJP's idea of asking the performers themselves isn't a bad idea. How many of you colleagues have actually done that?
1) My teacher in college had taught me hand copying so when I got to NYC I would at least have a skill while I was trying to find playing gigs. I got hooked up as one of the hand copyists for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band in the 90s, and those guys were all very experienced and very vocal if they didn't like how their parts were laid out! Festival Productions (George Wein's company that owned the band) made the switch to requiring Finale the next year, which was fine as I had already learned it in grad school. When Jazz font came out I used it on exactly 1 job, as everyone in the Carnegie band hated it, said the noteheads were too small, the lettering and numbers were illegible, etc. I still think that might be the only time I've ever used it. Even jazz players who had spent their whole lives reading hand copied parts hated the Jazz font. (I personally dislike almost all "hand copied" music fonts.)
2) I know I've mentioned it here before, but I was one of the woodwind players in the "house band" for the BMI Composer's Workshop in the early-mid 00s. As each composer only had 20 minutes to rehearse the band (who was seeing the music for the first time) and try to get a run-through, it was really fascinating notationally as well. There are lots of things I still do based on complaints, mistakes, or other gripes I heard there. The band was all pros, including a lot of Broadway players, so they were all pretty comfortable about telling up-and-coming young composers what to do or not do with their parts. Off the top of my head: always use "late" instrument changes as the key sig change helps if they missed the "to" indication, don't cue into the bar where the entrance is, use backward repeats for a repeat that goes to the beginning even if not technically needed (someone will inevitably ask "where do we repeat back to?"), never use modal key sigs as brass players in particular hate them, obviously plan for logical layouts so as a composer make sure to include time for mute or instrument changes, etc.
IME, performers are either pretty vocal about their preferences or are in the "whatever, I'll read anything, just put it in front of me" camp. Gripes sometimes get passed along to the section leader as to not have the whole ensemble speaking up at rehearsal. The section leader often hears them in the form of excuses too, like "sorry I missed that line in bar 47, but look at how effed up this is written," LOL!