Long instrument names

[Hector Pascal]

Hi again, Hope I am not wearing out my welcome with so many questions! I really appreciate your collective wisdom

I recall reading in a book that the full instrument names with transposition (without abbreviation) should be shown to the left of the indented first system of a score. Fitting the word "Piano" is fine, but "Bb soprano saxophone" is quite wide, so if I use that I can only fit one busy bar in system one, and two bars would suit me best.

Is it a crime to abbreviate it to "Bb soprano sax." ? It looks ok and it means I can fit the two bars in system one. Btw, my modus operandi is to use A4 with 1.5cm margins all round.

Cheerio,
Hector.

[David Ward]

No-one has complained about this. As you can see several long instrument names have been abbreviated for reasons of space.

[John Ruggero]

Hi again, Hope I am not wearing out my welcome with so many questions!

No worries. You are the ideal Notat.io user and why it came about. Everyone learns from these questions, both the person who poses them and those who answer.

[Hector Pascal]

Thanks, David & John, for your help!
Cheers,
HP.

[Fred G. Unn]

Is it a crime to abbreviate it to "Bb soprano sax." ? It looks ok and it means I can fit the two bars in system one.

Just wanted to point out the Bb is also completely unnecessary here IMO as there is no other transposing variant for Soprano Sax. Obviously the transposition needs to be included for instruments such as Clarinets and Trumpets, but I'm fine with omitting it for Sopranino through Bass saxophones. If you are writing for an unusual saxophone such as C Melody, F Mezzo, etc. then I would use it, as well as uncommon instruments at the extremes of the instrument family such as Bb Soprillo, or any Contrabass saxophone. (I have a friend that has an amazing subcontra which I think is in Bb sounding an octave below Bass.)

[Hector Pascal]

Thank you, Fred.
PS: That is an amazing subcontrabass sax!