✅ Rhythm beaming shows the middle of the bar and the pulse.

• More specifically, follow the “Two-Level Rhythmic Parsing Rule”
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6mWguApzAU

• Avoid too many rests which can make the rhythm challenging to parse:

  

✅ Accidentals/Key Signature/Enharmonics

• Avoid awkward intervals, such as diminished 3rds
• Choose enharmonics that make sense in the context of the rest of the piece. For example, if a piece is in the key of A minor, a G# would usually be more appropriate than an Ab.
• If a section is chromatic:
  • sharps when ascending
  • flats for descending
• The standard practice for many film scores is to not use a key signature, unless the piece is very clearly in a given key.
• Even when pieces are in a key, it’s common to not include key signatures for horns and—to a lesser extent—trumpets.
• If you are unsure about a specific enharmonics, it’s better to be consistent!

Example of poor enharmonics:

![Untitled](<https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/1fbc28f2-f509-49aa-b0a3-9bef408830cf/Untitled.png>)

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Consider transposing your music to a different key to maximize the comfort of your players.

While players may be capable of playing in your original key, it may pose challenges with execution or intonation —making them less able to focus on the *musicality* of their performance.

Eb minor is a great key for pianists, but not string players!

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✅ Dynamics, Slurs, and Technique markings

• Leaving these out would be the equivalent of not considering velocity, MIDI CCs, and articulations in the DAW… so don’t do it!

  

• Generally, do not use slurs as phrase markings for strings and winds.

  • Slurs indicate bowing for strings - every note in a slur will be taken with one bow stroke.
  • Slurs indicate tonguing for brass and woodwinds. They are capable of longer slurs, but also remember that they have to breathe!
  • If you want a whole section to be played legato, you can instead simply write “legato”

• Slurs extend over ties:

  

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Some helpful advice I received from my orchestration teacher:

Staccato (and spicatto) is an overused articulation, especially from composers who work in DAWs. In real life, the sound is often much weaker than what you are used to hearing in your DAW. For quick passages, in particular, consider just leaving it as detache or even making it legato.

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✅ Clef - use the right one!

• Cellos read treble, bass, and tenor clef. The best advice I have heard is to think of these as distinct registers of the instrument, not a means of reducing ledger lines.
• https://orchestrationonline.com/cello-registers-as-defined-by-clefs/