Writing for beginner musicians

This article is a work in progress and may have some incomplete or missing content.

When writing for beginner musicians (by beginner, I am referring to the average elementary school age musicians, but also anyone else who has not been playing for long), there are many things to take into consideration. There are the obvious, such as range limitations on woodwind instruments, and the not-so-obvious, such as which keys are easier to sightread on different instruments.

This page is divided into sections on different instruments, but only the ones which people have contributed their knowledge on. If anyone plays a particular instrument, feel free to create a section on your instrument or improve an existing one.

Important note: The guidelines here are only guidelines, and abilities will vary with each teacher's teaching style (they all teach in different orders). If you are composing/arranging for a particular ensemble, it is best to talk to the conductor, musical director, or even the players themselves before doing so. It will save a lot of hassle later.

Woodwind

The woodwind section in general can be given faster music, with less consideration for tone (except in high registers), as these are less of a problem than on strings or brass. "Pitching" of notes is of a much smaller difficulty than brass, and fingering is a lot simpler than on strings.

In general woodwind are better in flat keys, for fingering simplicities, although this usually doesn't matter in the very high register (e.g. flute/piccolo 3rd octave), as fingering doesn't follow the simple put one more finger down and the tone lowers a note rule.

Piccolo

The piccolo is an uncommon instrument for new beginners, but many do pick it up. It can be easier in some respects than the flute for younger people, due to it's size, if the musician has the required embouchure and breath control (which can be taught).

Beginner piccolo players should be kept to the first two octaves. The top of the second octave is difficult to reach for long notes, and should not be hit cold (without some sort of lead-in or warm up on an easier section). The first octave (at least from A downwards) can be very weak and airy for inexperienced players, and notes from an F down can be quiet, although this problem is usually corrected reasonably quickly.

For preferred keys, see the Flute section, as fingering is identical (although the piccolo lacks the very bottom C and C# of the flute). Difficult note sequences are also covered there.

Flute

The flute is a very common starting instrument for many musicians, and is often started very early. You will often see young flute players with curved headjoints, where the lip-plate section of the head is bent around 180 degrees to make the keys closer, for kids with short arms. This looks similar to a bass flute, and has no effect on tone.

Range should be kept to the first two octaves, with a limit of second octave B or the C just above it (although new players might have intonation issues on that C). Notes in second octave can be quite difficult to hit cold, and notes from second octave A upwards can be difficult to hit cold as well as sustain. Bottom octave C and C# can be very weak and difficult, and teachers often don't teach them until players are more experienced.

Beginner flute players are very unlikely to be using flutes with a B foot, so bottom range should be considered to be middle C.

The best keys for a beginner flute (from both a sight-reading and playing perspective) would be F Major, C Major, and G Major (as well as their respective minor keys). Going into more than 1 sharp is difficult, as the C# fingering for all but bottom octave can be uncomfortable for new players. Bb Major is also possible, but Eb's are harder to sightread. Going any further flat than Bb is not recommended, as Ab confuses players (as the fingering appears to skip a key).

For faster or slurred/legato sections, sticking within a single octave is a good idea. Moving between octave breaks (e.g. first octave C and second octave D) can be cumbersome, as the positions of all but one finger are inverted. Moving between Bb and B can be cumbersome, as well as F# and E. Trills should only be done on Bb/B-A, G#-G, G-F, and D#-D. Other trills are possible, but the fingerings can be awkward until the hands are used to it. Don't expect tremolos between different notes, as they can be difficult to achieve.

Brass

In general, the brass section is capable of fully chromatic music, and has no difference between sharp and flat keys. They do however have a limited range on most instruments, mainly due to lip strain, and they should not be given extended passages in the high registers. Staccato high notes are usually playable well, as they don't require too much exertion.

Tenor Trombone

Note: The ranges given here are for a Bb Tenor Trombone notated at concert pitch on Bass Clef. The ranges will be the same for one notated in Bb on Treble Clef, but you will have to transpose them. Most players outside of brass bands don't learn Bb Treble Clef notation until much later.

The Tenor Trombone can be one of the more physically difficult instruments for young players, due to the length of the slide. As such, many young players should be limited to 4th or 5th position, which only has an effect in the lower register, and only on non trigger instruments.

Range should be kept from the bottom line of the stave (G, or Gb) up to the D or F above the stave. For trigger instruments, going down to the F below the stave and probably also E/Eb below that is fine. If the player is NOT using a trigger instrument (which is most beginner-level instruments), C (second gap of stave) and the B natural below it (but not the Bb) require 6th and 7th position, which as stated earlier, will not be possible for young players with short arms. The trigger basically moves the note that would be in 6th position up to 1st position.

Jumps are one of the more difficult things on a trombone, due to the fact both the slide has to be moved to the correct place and the mouth has to be "Pitched", which involves adjusting lip tension and air strength for the particular note. Jumps of a perfect fifth (anywhere in range) and a major third (from Bb just above the stave up) are particularly easy, as the slide stays in the same position. When writing chord movements, it can be useful to give these jumps to the trombones, as they can do them with little difficulty. Jumps to the semitone either side of a the above intervals are also easy, although not as much (e.g. a diminished/augmented fifth). Jumping in the bottom register is much more difficult, as you do not have as many partials, so more movement has to be done in the slide. Jumping from a second-line Bb (1st position) to a bottom-line Gb (5th position) can be very difficult to achieve quickly and in tune (with a trigger however, the Bb can be moved down to 3rd position, making it a lot easier).

Long chromatic passages are particularly easy, especially in the upper register, and can be achieved without much difficulty. Glissando's are also possible in many places, but the best ones are from second line Bb, fourth line F, or the Bb, D, then F just above the stave, down a maximum of 4/5 semitones (or the reverse, or anywhere within that range not necessarily using those end notes). With a trigger, you can also do them from below-the-stave F (although limit range down to E or Eb), or second gap C.

Best keys are flatter keys, if you want to utilise the whole range on any trombone anything from F major lower will work (since we can't reach B natural on second line). For easiest playing, limited to three Eb major is best, although Ab is quite common but can be harder if you use bottom-line G. Sharp keys should be avoided.

Bass Trombone

The bass trombone is a less common starting instrument, but many do. Most of the rules are identical to the Tenor Trombone, with the exception you are GUARANTEED a trigger. In some cases you may have two, however that is only common on professional models, so will not be discussed here.

Most of the important content here is covered in Tenor Trombone, so read that, but note the following differences.

The range of a beginner Bass Trombone player extends from the Bb just above the stave, to the Eb below it. Many players can slide (glissando) down from the F or Eb below the stave to even lower notes, sometimes down to Bb, if they have long enough arms, although usually Db is the limit.

The Bass Trombone's upper register can be VERY weak and thin-sounding in inexperienced musicians, and fourth line F and down is the best range. If you listen to the same notes on the Bass and Tenor trombones, the Bass sounds like it is a lower note (although it isn't), which can be for some interesting doubling effects, but can lead to players being confused if they read each others music and can't figure out why it doesn't sound the same.

Bass Trombonists may be able to get a pedal note, the Bb two ledger lines below the stave, if they have a big enough mouthpiece. Don't rely on this being either doable or loud, unless you know the players. Even if they can do it, it's unlikely to be that loud.

Strings

Strings can be one of the more difficult to start with, mainly due to intonation and difficulty of finding notes.

Beginner string players often have difficulty with the intonation on notes, especially difficult to reach notes, which will be documented below.

Also note that runs are quite difficult for new players, but leaps usually aren't (unless they cross two strings). Also note that playing jumps of a perfect fifth legato or slurred can be quite difficult, there will usually be a slight pause (this is ONLY for perfect fifths, not any other kind of fifth).

Violin

Probably the most common string instrument for young players, the Violin is also the easiest to play, especially for smaller hands and bodies.

The strings on a violin are, starting at the bottom of the range, G below the treble clef, G, D, A, then E (all a perfect fifth apart). The range should be considered to be the low G string till A on the E string (and NOT F, unless you want it out of tune)

The hardest notes to play in tune are those a semitone above the strings, e.g. G#, D#, A#, and F. This means, for beginner players, flat keys are a bad idea (right off you get Bb, or A#). C is also a bad idea, as on the E string, you would have to use the F natural which is one of these notes. You should also avoid the notes a semitone below the strings, which are normally played with the fourth (fifth for pianists) finger. These are Db, Ab, and Eb. They are playable by some people, but many new players haven't yet strengthened their little finger enough to play them properly.

For key choices, you need to take into account the difficult notes mentioned before, as well as the face that for sight-reading, flat keys are very annoying since in the mind, a string player allocates places on the staff to different strings, and if an open string note is flat, they will instinctively play it on that string, even though it should be with fourth finger on the string below it. Therefore, the best choice of key is G major, followed by D (even easier, but only if you don't use middle C, which would be a difficult note).

Double stopping is to be avoided, although is possible, but keep the intervals to always be a finger or two apart (e.g. A on G string and F# on D string). Chords across several strings are possible, if the fingerings are simple, but should only be done for all 4 strings, and only on a down bow. Leave a gap both before and after, for the player to adjust fingerings etc.

Viola

One of the less common starting string instruments, the Viola can be quite difficult to start on with small hands, so smaller size instruments are commonly used (often a Violin body with Viola strings). This has the disadvantage the low register can be very empty, and the high one sound a lot like a violin.

The strings on a viola are a fifth lower than the Violin, and are (starting from lowest) C, G, D, then A (all a perfect fifth apart). The range should be the low C string up to D on the A string. For small-handed players starting on a full-size instrument, the F on the C string can be quite difficult to reach quickly, although this gets easier as the player has more experience.

Same as the violin, the player has trouble with notes either a semitone above or below open strings, meaning the notes C#, Gb, G#, Db, D#, Ab, A#, and Eb are quite difficult. The low Gb is nearly impossible for players with small hands, whereas the others (like a violin) may be possible (but often not in tune).

Because of both the difficult notes above and the difficulty of sight-reading flat keys on string instruments mentioned in the Violin section, the best key for Viola players is G Major or C Major. F Major is also quite easy, and should be easy enough to sight-read, but Bb Major is not a good idea.

Double stops and chords are the same as the Violin.

For writing, the Viola is on Alto clef. DO NOT write any parts for beginner players in Treble, most cannot read it, and those that can (usually from other instruments) will often read in the wrong octave (taking middle C as the open C string).

Cello

The cello is the second most common starting instrument, but due to it's size (the the resultant fingering distances) requires larger players. You will often get a very reduced Cello section in any beginner group.

The strings and difficult notes on a cello are the same as a Viola, just an octave lower. However, the semitones below open strings are almost impossible in tune, and the ones a whole tone below an open string can be hard and/or out of tune (but they can be worked on with practice, so only avoid them in runs or fast sections).

Double stops are easier on a cello, and due to the fingering distances, there is no problem with using fingerings close together (except those exactly a perfect fifth apart, which would be almost impossible still). Chords are not recommended, but if so should be done only on down bows and ideally only if you have at least one, preferably two open strings.

The Cello should be written only on Bass clef. DO NOT write it in either Tenor or Alto clef, and especially not Treble. Players otherwise might end up reading completely the wrong notes, or not being able to read it at all (and even if they do, it's unlikely to be in the right octave).