Thanks, Sherry. May I also add:
- Re-order the staves in accepted order.
For some reason, Band-In-A-Box and other programs, as well as a lot of "found" midi files, order the instruments upside-down, starting with drums and moving down through melodies and soloists. An "accepted" (because nothing is carved in stone) order for orchestral work is:
- Woodwinds: flutes, then reeds starting with English horn and oboe down through bassoons.
- Brass: French horns, then trumpets through tubas
- Pitched Percussion: bells down through tympani
- Unpitched Percussion: claves through bass drum
- Vocals: SATB
- Keyboards: Piano/harpsichord, organ, celeste
- Harp
- Strings: violins through double bass
For stage (jazz) bands:
- Woodwinds: flutes, then reeds down by size
- Saxophones: by size
- Brass: French horns, if needed, then trumpets, etc. down by size
- Vocals: SATB
- Rhythm section: piano, organ, guitar, string/electric bass
- Pitched percussion
- Unpitched percussion (trap set here)
For
musique concrete, ambient, trip-hop, trance, dance, etc:
David
(And maybe that's all a little long for placing in your "concise" tips thread.)
