A score is a set of instructions for performing a piece of music written in music notation or other symbols and gestures. Most scores employ a variety of traditional symbols and words to convey the pitch, duration, volume, and attack with which notes are created, allowing a piece of music to be performed with a degree of similarity by ensembles from all cultures and backgrounds.
The following are some musical score conventions:
• A conductor’s score shows the entire scope of the piece, whereas individual player scores, known as parts, show only their individual lines, sometimes with cues, which are bits of music from other players given to help the performer identify what is going on while he is not playing, especially after a long period of rests.
• A score’s main focus is a set of musical staves made up of five horizontal lines and the spaces between them that represent specific pitches that vary depending on which clef is used — usually treble, bass, alto, and tenor. A note placed higher on the musical staff or stave has a higher pitch, while a note placed lower on the staff has a lower pitch. In order to show very high and very low pitches, ledger lines are used to extend beyond the five lines of the staff.
• A key signature is usually placed at the start of the staff to indicate the scale (or set of notes) that will be used in the piece. In a piece that does not adhere to a specific major or minor scale, the key signature can change throughout the piece or be omitted entirely. Furthermore, accidentals can be used to shift individual notes to include pitches that are not in the key signature’s scale.
• At the start of the first staff, a time signature indicating the piece’s meter — how many beats are in a bar and which note duration gets one beat — is usually placed. The time signature, like the key signature, can change throughout the piece.
• At the start of the score, a tempo indication indicates the speed at which the piece should be performed. The tempo, like the key signature and time signature, can change.
• When necessary, notes for sounds and rests for silence are combined on the staff. They’re made with symbols that represent various time periods, and while the symbols are fairly universally recognized, the names for them differ in American and British English.
• Words, abbreviations, and a variety of lines are used to indicate dynamics above and below the notes. They instruct the performer on how loud the notes should be played. In most scores, the dynamics change frequently.
• The entire score is organized with time flowing from left to right and the staves of all instruments playing at a given time grouped into a system on a conductor’s score. You can see what each instrument is doing at any given time by looking from the top to the bottom of the score. Looking from left to right along the staff of one instrument allows you to see what that instrument does throughout the piece.
• The order of instruments in a conductor’s score is also traditional, but it varies depending on the ensemble and whether or not there are soloists or vocalists. The woodwinds are the top grouping in a standard orchestral score. The brass is next, followed by the percussion, and finally the strings are placed at the bottom of the score.
Despite the fact that these conventions are adapted and altered as needed, their widespread use ensures that anyone picking up a score immediately understands how to interpret it.