Music Composition DUMmIES

(Ben Green) #1
There are many more indications for string players. Con legno means to play
with the wooden side of the bow; Pizzicato(sometimes shortened to Pizz) is
an indication to pluck the strings; Arcomeans to bow normally.

For more information on stringed instrument notation, check out some of the
many good books on the market.

Brass and woodwind instruments ...................................................


Grammy Award nominee and McNally-Smith College of Music instructor Mike
Bogle has graciously provided simple guides to markings for brass and wood-
wind instruments, which we reproduce here as Figures 14-28 and 14-29.

&


?
bb

B Tbrumpet œ Œ œ


œ
̇. œ
Ó

œ
F Trombone Œ

œœ


̇. œ


Ó




œ


̆


F


Œ œ


̆ ̆œ


œ


̆


F


Œ


̆œ œ
̆

m ̇. œ^


m ̇. œ^




~~~
~

~~~
~

Range of the trumpet and trombone
are very similar, except trumpet
plays on octave higher and
transposes up a whole step.

“Naked” version = Medium loud

“Naked” version

Short,
stabbed quarter notes Shake Accented fall-off

Possible interpretation #1

Figure 14-29:
Notation
specific to
trumpet and
trombone.


&


&


&



bb


4


4


4


4


4


4


œ
Alto Sax.
F

œ œ œ œ. œ œ


œ
Tenor Sax.
F

œ œ œ œ


.
œ

œ


Concert Key œ œ œ
œ œ

. œ


œ


̇.
Œ

̇.
Œ

̇. Œ








This phrase will sound rather “hot” on the tenor saxophone because of the higher
“tessiture” compared with the overall range of the instrument. On the alto saxophone,
the same phrase will sound more “comfortable” and possibly less “exciting.”

Figure 14-28:
Notation
specific to
saxophones.


Chapter 14: Composing for the Standard Orchestra 185

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