couple of quick questions (orchestration etc.)

Hello, I have a few questions about this orchestra piece I'm writing. firstly, there are a few bits in it where there is a texture that consists of basically a chord which is played by some instruments sustaining, but by others as rapid arpeggios. I've attached a couple of examples. What I'm going for is a kind of flickering sound mass thing where he rapid lines are not necessarily in the foreground, but kind of make it sound like there's movement inside the chord, if that makes sense. currently I have the rapid instruments at one dynamic louder than the sustaining instruments, but maybe they should be the same dynamic?

there are also a couple of bars where the tempo changes mid bar, beat 3 for example, is this a bad thing to do from a conductor's point of view? Should I rebar it so the tempo change is on the downbeat?

I don't think you really have to change anything on the pages you uploaded, what's the speed of this ?

Your texture will work but I would use more strings to sustain that chord, are you sure you want the contrabasses that high ? (I'd keep those in Bass Clef)

In 2nd page I think those tuplets in brass are unnecessary, those can enter and exit using the same 16ths beats on woodwinds, the tuplets make it confusing I think.

and "f, actually p" hahaha, man, please pick one, f or p.

haha thats a note to myself. f for sibelius playback, p for reality.

The tempo is crotchet=126, oh and that double bass note is a harmonic.

hmmm you have a point about the triplets, I think I'll change them.

Thanks!

Tempo changes in the middle of bars are possible but make it absolutely clear where it falls. Something like a dotted barline helps.

alright, another question, is it ok for strings to put big slurs over a passage and just write "legato, bow change ad lib" if I don't mind them changing at different times?

"stagger bowing" would be more clear but the legato marking makes the long slurs unnecessary.

Thanks Tokkemon, I have another question, in this score there are:

a) those hairpin cresc/dim with the circles at the end to indicate cresc/dim to/from nothing

b) upward pointing arrow notehead indicating highest possible note (this is in the string part, at the end of a gliss)

do I need to explain these in performance notes, or are they common enough knowledge? The piece is being played by a university orchestra.

I'd explain 'em anyway just to make sure there's no ambiguity. I prefer to use the >n symbols with the "n" in music dynamics font standing for "niente." So there's no "standard" for indicating that.

The stagger bowing is pretty common practice for sustained notes and slow passages; it will be done unless you specify that it should all be in one bow.

Necropost, but I don't want that left unsaid.

ooks ok, but I might have a question about the cellos. Are they two divisi, each playing a fourth? Might be clearer in the violas. But maybe not a problem.ask a cellist