SEQUENCING CLASSICAL MIDI TUTORIAL

6. READING THE SCORE

Orchestral scores can be quite complicated to the untrained but taken one step at a time they can be less daunting than they first appear.

First of all the score is made up of several rows of staves that represent each instrument. Depending on the piece you are working on the number of staves can range from as little as 2 to a massive 25 or so. The instrument names may be in a foreign language (See appendix for translations) and unfamiliar clefs may be used.

If you don't already have, for example, a Symphony score at your disposal then I suggest a trip down to your local library to acquire one for the purpose of this tutorial.

(i)Instrument Groups

The first thing to note is that the instruments come in groups. And they are as follows:

  • WOODWIND:
    Piccolos
    Flutes
    Oboes
    English Horns
    Clarinets
    Bassoons
  • BRASS:
    French Horns
    Trumpets
    Cornets
    Trombones
    Tubas
  • PERCUSSION:
    Piano
    Timpani
    Tambourine
    Cymbals
    Drums
    Xylophone
    Glokenspiel
    Chimes
    Celesta
  • STRINGS:
    Harpsichord
    Harps
    Violins
    Violas
    Cello's
    Double Basses

 

Obviously, this is just a guide as different pieces may demand more or fewer instruments.

 

(ii)Clefs & Transposing Instruments

One thing you will notice is that not every instrument has the same clef or key signature. Obviously instruments like the Bass Clarinet, Tuba, Bass Bassoon, Double Bass, etc... will carry the Bass Clef most of the time. Several instruments carry the Alto and Tenor clefs.

 

G1: Clefs
   

Treble Clef

Alto Clef


Tenor Clef


Bass Clef

The different key signatures are due to the 'transposing instruments' that play one note but sound another. This is due to the scaling of the instruments.

I would advise that when sequencing you adhere to the clefs and key signatures on the score and to transpose those parts appropriately using the non-data altering function of your sequencer. If your sequencer doesn't possess such a feature then although it will
be annoying to hear instruments apparently playing the wrong notes on playback I would keep the signatures as they are until you have completed your sequence. This enables you to find notes quickly if they retain the scored notation unless you are very good at transposing notes on sight.

So just how much do we transpose these parts then? The following list shows you how much to transpose most instruments you may encounter:

 Piccolo
Instruments in Bb
Instruments in A
Instruments in F
Instruments in E
Bass Clarinet
Double Bass
Xylophone/Glokenspiel
12 semitones higher than written
2 semitones lower than written
3 semitones lower than written
7 semitones lower than written
8 semitones lower than written
12 semitones lower than written
12 semitones lower than written
12 semitones lower than written

Other things you will notice with orchestral scores are the plethora of foreign names and abbreviations and marks. It is not the intention of this tutorial to list all such items you are likely to encounter (one of many dedicated books on this subject would be useful if you are not familiar with them) but appendix (ii) given at the end of this tutorial will list most of the more common terms you may encounter.

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