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MUSIC PREPARATION
GUIDELINES FOR
COMPOSERS
The following guidelines pertain to book design for
music publications (i.e., scores and parts). They are a
good starting point for most pieces, but instrumentation
and the speci!c details of each work will dictate which
choices to make.

General Comments

• Pieces may not exceed 8 minutes in performance

duration.

• Scores must be engraved (computer or by hand):

i.e. no illegible sketches.

• Each measure (bar) should be numbered at the

beginning of each sta" system, beginning anew
with each movement. Placement of measure
numbers should be the same throughout the
work, i.e. above, the top sta", or on a special line
of the grand sta", such as above the !rst violins.

• Rehearsal letters (if used) should correspond to

musical landmarks and must be used in
conjunction with—not instead of—measure
numbers.

• Clefs and key signatures (if used) must appear at

the beginning of each sta".

• Care should be taken with the use of the

abbreviations 8va and 8vb, avoiding their use if
possible. They are sometimes acceptable in C
scores to save space, almost never in orchestral
parts, except for piano or other keyboard parts.
They are generally useful for a span of more than
three notes with three or more ledger lines.

Front Matter

Title Page

• Title

• Composer

• Lyricist (if applicable)

• Short instrumentation (e.g. for Orchestra)

• Description (e.g. TRANSPOSED SCORE, C SCORE,

or Flute I)

• Name of publishing company, if applicable

(centered on the bottom)

• Note that title pages are generally only used for

scores or very large parts and not usually used
for most orchestral or chamber parts.

Notes Page(S)

• Full title of work, printed as it would appear in a

formal concert program, including appropriate
capitalization and diacritical markings, along with
movement titles in their proper order.

• Full instrumentation (for orchestra works)

including doublings and percussion instruments

• Duration

• Commissioning credit

• First performance

• Program Notes (recommended)

• Describe any deviations from standard musical

notation.

• Describe any speci!c staging instructions.

Detailed diagrams are helpful to illustrate
particularly complex staging.

• Describe any special equipment, synthesizer

settings, or other technical requirements (also
note these details on the cover page of the
instrument’s part). Instructions should be as
speci!c and as understandable as possible.

• Include any special instructions for “prepared

instruments” or other uncommon instruments.
(also note these details on the cover page of the
instrument’s part).

First Page Of Music

• Title

• Movement title, if applicable

• Composer

• Year composed (optional)

• Duration (usually on score only)

• Lyricist (if applicable)

• Short instrumentation (e.g. for Orchestra)

• Description (e.g. (FULL SCORE, or Flute I)

• Name of publishing company (centered on the

bottom).

• Copyright Information, e.g. Copyright © 2018

Tyler Smith (ASCAP or BMI)

Page Sizes, Orientation, Margins, Etc.

Note: page size equivalents are listed below. Visit this
site for detailed explanations for international paper
sizes.

• In general, the four major sizes for music are 9 x

12" (folio size, used for parts and some scores,
equivalent to UK/EU paper size C4), 11 x 17"
(UK/EU A3) or 11 x 14" UK/EU B4) (scores, and
very rarely, parts), and 8.5 x 11" (UK/EU A4)
(choral scores/parts). 10 x 13" is roughly
equivalent the the European size B4, but is
mostly unavailable in the U.S. and does not
always !t into orchestral folders. 10 x 13 is more
a standard size in Europe. In the U.S., 9 x 12 is
more standard. To print 10 x 13 and staple bind,
you will need to !nd paper that is 13 x 20 and
likely run it through a large format inkjet printer.

• 9 x 12" (12 x 18" Tabloid Extra size folded in half)

is an ideal size for most parts and even many
scores. Although 9 x 12 (UK/EU C4) is the
preferable size for parts, they may be printed
on 8.5 x 11 (UK/EU A4) paper (i.e., 11 x 17
[UK/EU A3] folded and stapled-bound) as a last
resort.

• It is strongly recommended that you never set up

scores or parts in landscape fashion, for a variety
of reasons, unless your music is graphically
notated, or the pages are meant to be slide from
left to right, such as with some graphic scores or
marimba solos.

Scores

• 9 x 12 (UK/EU C4), 11 x 17” (UK/EU A3) or 11 x 14”

(UK/EU B4) (for smaller ensembles) Sta" size 4
mm. to 6 mm.

• Margins: sides .75” (1.905 cm); top/bottom .5”

(1.27 cm)

• First page of music (scores and parts) should

have a copyright notice centered on the bottom
of the page.

• All tempo indications should appear above the

top sta" and above the !rst violin line on each
score page.

• Instrumental scores (not choral scores) may be

optimized (empty staves removed) to save space,
and to !t more systems per page.

• C scores and transposed scores are both

acceptable, each has advantages and
disadvantages. C scores are sometimes more
useful for highly complex, keyless, and/or non-
tonal music (i.e., New Complexity, 12-tone, etc.) .
One of the drawbacks to C scores is that some
transposing instruments will necessitate more
ledger lines, which can look a little cluttery and
cause the staves to take up too much vertical
space on the page. Conversely, transposed
scores allow more of the material to appear in
the sta", creating a tighter-looking score. Most
conductors can easily read transposed scores
and are quite used to them, especially since they
are more common for older, traditional music,
through the Romantic era. These days, it’s a toss-
up, depending on your style. Whether it’s a C
score or transposed, you need to indicate that
on the !rst page (usually upper left-hand
corner).

Piano/vocal Scores

• 9 x 12” (UK/EU B4), 7 mm. sta"

• Margins: sides .75” (1.905 cm); top/bottom .5”

(1.27 cm)

Choral Scores

• 8.5 x 11” (UK/EU A4), 5 mm. sta"

• Margins: .5” (1.27 cm) all around

Chamber Scores

• 9 x 12” (UK/EU B4), 7 mm. sta". Although 9 x 12

is the preferable size for chamber scores, they
may be 8.5 x 11 (i.e., 11 x 17 folded and
stapled-bound) as a last resort. (UK/EU
equivalent is A3 for 11 x 17" and A2 for 11 x
17" folded)

• Margins: sides .75” (1.905 cm); top/bottom .5”

(1.27 cm)

• Solo instrument(s) with piano: make the solo

instrument staves 60% of the standard size (7
mm.).

Parts

• 9 x 12” (UK/EU B4), 7 mm. sta". Although 9 x 12

is the preferable size for chamber scores, they
may be 8.5 x 11 (i.e., 11 x 17 folded and
stapled-bound) as a last resort. (UK/EU
equivalent is A3 for 11 x 17" and A2 for 11 x
17" folded)

• Margins: sides .75” (1.905 cm); top/bottom .5”

(1.27 cm)

• The !rst page of each part must have the

instrument name.

• All subsequent pages must have a small header

at the top indicating the instrument name. Please
don’t forget to do this. So, for example: PIECE NO.
1 – Piccolo. Please don’t forget to do this.

• All odd-numbered (righthand) pages must have

page turns.

• If a part begins on page 2 (for page turns) please

include a title page as page 1.

• In some cases 11 x 14” (or UK/EU B4) parts are

acceptable in order to accommodate music that
has serious page turn problems, but they should
be avoided if at all possible for orchestral parts.
It’s better to have 2-3 staves per page to
accommodate a page turn than to resort to 11 x
14” (or UK/EU B4) parts.

• In some cases foldouts are acceptable, but only

as a last resort.

• If parts and notated using a computer software

program, they should be completely computer
generated, without any handwritten additions.

• Logical cues are expected during long periods of

rest, the cues being transposed to the reading
key of the instrument. Cues must be audible to
the musician reading the part. Generally, if there
are 8 or more measures of rest for bars with the
same meter (and even if there are di"erent
meters), you should probably add a cue.

• Tempo and meter changes must shown on all

parts, even during periods of extended rest. The
use of “Tacet until. . .” is not acceptable.

• Pay careful attention to the placement of page

turns; build blank pages into the parts to facilitate
turns. Each blank page should include a phrase
such as "Blank Page for Page Turn" to indicate
that the blank page isn't a missing page of music.

Page Numbering

• Odd-numbered pages on the right (recto); Even-

numbered pages on the left (verso). There are
never any exceptions to this rule.

• In music, we do not count the front matter (pages

before the music starts). The !rst page of music is
page 1, and the rest of the book should continue
sequentially. The convention is to put page
numbers in the top “outside” corners; odd
numbers on the right, even numbers on the left.

• If you have a large number of pages in the front

matter (e.g., more than 4-6 pp.), they are
numbered with lower-case roman numerals,
centered at the bottom of the page.

• The !rst page number is never shown (e.g., page

1 or page i).

Measure Numbering And Rehearsal

Letters

• Measure numbers should be stated at the start

of every system, at the top, in italic, at a point size
that's readable. It is not necessary to number
every bar or number every 5 or 10 bars.

• Rehearsal letters may be used for large scores

such as operas or larger symphonic works.

• Numbering each measure should be avoided,

except in the case of multi-measure rests, where
measure number ranges are helpful (e.g., “27–
117”) or in orchestral scores, in which each
measure may include a measure number at the
top (or less likely, the bottom) of the score.

Typefaces

• There are two basic styles of fonts used for music

text—page numbers, headers, front matter,
technical indications, etc.: serif (i.e., Times New
Roman, Plantin, Times, Garamond, Goudy, or
Caslon, etc.), or sans serif (i.e., Helvetica, Futura,
Optima, Gill Sans, etc.). Serif fonts are generally
more common. Whichever font you use, that
same font style and family should be used
throughout your entire piece; never use both
Plantin and Times New Roman, for example. It is
always best to use as few fonts as possible, but
di"erent styles within a font family (plain, bold,
italic, wide or narrow versions of the same font)
are perfectly acceptable, when appropriate. For
the sake of consistency, Times New Roman will
be suggested below.

• Tempo indications (above the sta"): Times New

Roman, bold, 14 pt.

• Tempo alterations (like rit. and accel.): Times New

Roman, either italic or bold, 14 pt.

• Title, composer, lyricist. These are usually a serif

font, like Times New Roman. Sizes may vary
depending on house style, but the default sizes in
programs like Sibelius are perfectly acceptable.

• Page numbers on large-format scores, i.e., 11 x

14 (UK/EU B4) or 11 x 17 (UK/EU A3): Times New
Roman, plain, 12 pt. so that they are visible when
printed as smaller study scores.

• Technique text (above the sta"): Times New

Roman, plain, same font as tempo indications.

• Expression text (below or above the sta"): Times

New Roman, italic.

Speci!c Instrument Comments

Strings

• String parts should be created with one part per

section. Complicated string divisions should be
written on separate staves. Avoid dividing the
music for the string section into multiple parts
unless necessitated by multiple and continuous
division of the voices.

Winds And Brass

• Avoid creating wind and brass parts with multiple

parts on a single stave (e.g. Flutes 1 and 2 must
be separate parts).

Harp

• Harp pedaling should generally be left to the

performer, except for an initial pedal diagram at
the beginning of a work, beginning of a
movement, after a very long span of rests, or
after a lot of pedal changes. When in doubt, leave
harp pedalings out.

Percussion And Timpani

• The Timpani part should NOT be included in the

percussion part. Timpanists should never be
asked to play other percussion instruments.

• Percussion parts should include a list of the

instruments required.

• Percussion parts may be in score form or

individual instrumental parts. Each has its
advantages depending on the requirements of
the music. Consult with an experienced
orchestral percussionist.

• Percussion instruments should be notated on the

sta" from high to low, according to their relative
pitch. These positions must be maintained
consistently throughout the work. A notation key
printed at the beginning of the part may be
helpful to the player.

• In general, metallic instruments such as cymbals

are usually written on lines, drums are written on
spaces, but this is a loose rule.

Paper

• The paper for parts should be of substantial

quality to avoid show-through of music from the
reverse side, to ensure durability, and to stand up
to on-stage wind patterns caused by ventilation
systems. Paper for parts that are used for rental
(i.e., orchestral parts) are always heavy weight
because it will be used over and over again and
needs to stand up to repeated use.

• The minimum requirement is usually 60 or 70 lb.

o"set paper, but color laser copier paper will
work in a pinch. 20 lb. paper (i.e., inexpensive all-
purpose copy paper) is not acceptable for scores
or parts.

• The page layout should allow for comfortable

page turns.

• Fold out pages should be avoided or, if absolutely

necessary, used sparingly.

Formatting And Binding

• Parts and scores should be bound so that they lie

#at on the stand. Generally, the best and easiest
way to bind folded parts is to staple the spines
using a large-format stapler, which are easy to
!nd on sites like Amazon.

• Plastic comb binding should be avoided, as it is

noisy when pages are turned and falls apart
easily over time. Coil binding may be used for
scores but not for parts.

• Ideally, parts should be printed double-sided on

large-format, Tabloid Extra sized paper, folded,
and stapled.

• To bind multiple, loose part pages, a$x library

tape (not Scotch tape) to the left margin of the
part. All pages should be attached to the center
spine. Loose pages should be taped or attached
to the center margin of the spine

• Tape: Vital Presentation Concepts Inc. or 3-M

Corp. Micropore surgical tape.

• Accordion fold parts (single-sided sheets taped

side-to-side) are not acceptable.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES
All suggested resources are in English; books link to
Amazon.

Orchestration & Instrumentation

Books

• The Study of Orchestration by Samuel Adler

• Instrumentation and Orchestration by Alfred

Blatter

• Technique of Orchestration by Kent Kennan

• Principles of Orchestration by Nikolay Rimsky-

Korsakov

• Handbook of Instrumentation by Andrew Stiller

I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n B o o k s : S p e c i !c
Instruments And Extended
Techniques

• The Other Flute by Robert Dick

• Oboe Unbound: Contemporary Techniques by

Libby Van Cleve

• New Directions for Clarinet by Phillip Rehfeldt

• Contemporary Techniques for the Bassoon by

Jamie Leigh Sampson

• How to Write for Percussion: A Comprehensive

Guide to Percussion Composition by Samuel Z.
Solomon

• Harp Scoring by Stanley Chaloupka

• The Contemporary Guitar by John Schneider

• The 21st Century Voice by Michael Edward

Edgerton

• The Contemporary Violin: ExtENDed Performance

Techniques by Patricia Strange

• The Contemporary Contrabass by Bertram

Turetzky

Notation Books

• Behind Bars by Elaine Gould

• Music Notation by Gardner Read

• Music Notation in the Twentieth Century by Kurt

Stone

Music Software And Plugins

• Sibelius - Music Notation Software

• Finale - Music Notation Software

• Dorico - Music Notation Software

• Musicprep.com - Useful Sibelius Extras

• Finale Tips - Finale Tips and Plugins, including JW

plugins

• TG Tools - Comprehensive Plugins for Finale

Music Printers

• Skidmore College Print Services

• Long Island Music Engraving Services (LIMES)

(East Coast)

• Subito Music (East Coast)

• Black Ribbon Printing (West Coast)

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