Questions about score presentation

I have a fairly substantial orchestral work (~12 mins) and need to prepare a score and parts for a performance in April (I will post it up here eventually, but as it's for a competition I don't want to affect the judging by putting it up on the 'net before the performance). Anyway, I have some specific questions about score presentation:

1. Does every change of time signature require a double barline, or only at major sections? Or do I only need double barlines at changes of tempo?

2. Percussion parts: I have three percussionists, one of whom plays timps for the whole piece, as is the convention. The other two must play six different instruments between them in the course of the work. There's no problem practically, as I have allowed enough time to move around between instruments and change sticks and such like. However, in order to achieve this, some percussion instruments are played by both of the players during the course of the piece, and so I can't simply put half the instruments on one part and half on the other. Should I provide one part for each player which contains everything they, and only they, will play? Or have two copies of the same part, with all six percussion staves on it and the instrument/stick changes marked?

3. Is 'crash cymbals' the best name for the type you hit together? Although they are called this in my orchestration book, I have heard that some percussionists will interpret this as a type of suspended cymbal found on a drum kit. Would it be best to use a pictorial symbol (no pun intended) as well as a name to be clear?

Many thanks for your help.

1. Does every change of time signature require a double barline, or only at major sections? Or do I only need double barlines at changes of tempo?

You don't need a double bar at every time signature change, but it is common to use them when you arrive at a new, steady tempo.

2. Percussion parts

Keep in mind that timpanists are not usually grouped with the other percussionists. If you are asked to write for 3 percussionists it might mean timp. + 3 percussionists. You will want to have only one part for each player on the score (not one staff for each instrument you use) BUT... when you make parts for the performers, percussion 1 and 2 (or however many you have) get extracted together into one part (timpani gets its own separate part). So each percussionist will see the other percussion staves on their part, not counting timpani.

3. Is 'crash cymbals' the best name for the type you hit together?

That's what I would use, assuming you mean the big ones that you hold out in front of you. Pictographic notation is not necessary.

Do you know how to format the score? Are you in the U.S.? If you are, score size is 11x17 and part sizes are at least 9x12. If this is a more casual thing, it's probably ok to make everything 8.5x11 (as long as the score's not too scrunched). Not sure about other countries... And I just realized you're in the UK. Maybe this size info will help someone else, then.

Ask if you have any other questions.

Ta. It's definitely timps and two other percussion players as stipulated in the competition rules. The orchestra want everything as pdf anyway so they will print and size everything at their end.

Other than this I'm entirely familiar with formatting a score and parts - we had the importance of good presentation drummed into us by successive composition teachers, and as a result I've never had any complaints from orchestras about the clarity of my parts. (For future reference, parts in Europe generally are the same editions and therefore same leaf size as the US, apart from some houses such as Breitkopf, EMB, Carus or Ricordi (eww) which are slightly smaller. Contemporary works are as often as not handwritten, which I hate. I just print on A4).

1. Does every change of time signature require a double barline, or only at major sections? Or do I only need double barlines at changes of tempo?

Not necessary at time sig changes, though at tempo changes and major sections its usually a good idea. Of course, use double bar lines always at key changes.

2. Percussion parts: I have three percussionists, one of whom plays timps for the whole piece, as is the convention. The other two must play six different instruments between them in the course of the work. There's no problem practically, as I have allowed enough time to move around between instruments and change sticks and such like. However, in order to achieve this, some percussion instruments are played by both of the players during the course of the piece, and so I can't simply put half the instruments on one part and half on the other. Should I provide one part for each player which contains everything they, and only they, will play? Or have two copies of the same part, with all six percussion staves on it and the instrument/stick changes marked?

Make a percussion score of all the percussion music in one part. An alternative is to make separate parts for each instrument. If your section has a preference, I'd ask before printing.

3. Is 'crash cymbals' the best name for the type you hit together? Although they are called this in my orchestration book, I have heard that some percussionists will interpret this as a type of suspended cymbal found on a drum kit. Would it be best to use a pictorial symbol (no pun intended) as well as a name to be clear?

It should be fine. Sometimes I've seen it as "Piati" to avoid confusion. I always say "Crash Cymbal", as in singular,

is the drum kit thing. The picture is unnecessary.

If this is still needed, I would ask what percussion instruments you are having the percussionists play. Depending on the time and spacing, it may be possible to have a percussion part 1 and 2, where percussionist 1 only plays (triangle, tambourine, and sleigh bells) for example. So from there you can structure the Percussion 1 part to those specific instruments, and then the rest to percussion 2.

The downside to that is that they might arrange their instruments in a way that then will give them a helluva lot of running. My advice: Keep all six instruments in one part and let them show at all times - unless there are lengthy sections just with two then hide the others. Keep the keyed and tonal percussion instruments on top.

For anything other than english speaking countries I would call it 'Piatti a due'

Update: the orchestra (which started rehearsals last week) were happy with the way I'd presented the percussion parts but asked for additional separate parts for the tuned percussion instruments to make page turns easier. If anyone is desperate to see what I did, PM me and you can have the pdfs, but there seem to be no problems now.

The instruments are: Xylophone, Vibraphone, snare drum, crash cymbals, sus. cymbal and bass drum, as well as timps (one player)