Albrecht-Sebastian
In the same was as the advice here (thank you, everyone!) is to measure the time actually playing.
Thanks! That’s an excellent idea.
It goes without saying that Dorico etc can make instruments do anything in this regard. I need to make it all achievable.
bearing in mind dynamics…
There is general information here on orchestration matters at Orchestration on-line (Thomas Goss). On this topic:
Note durations and breathing
Another thought, perhaps you could use dotted ties between notes (or similar), to imply your intention and leave it to the player.
Many thanks, @arco !
Yes, I can see - it’s almost as much an art as a science.
Thanks for there link.
I feel a lot further forward now - thanks to everyone’s suggestions.
I was once told by a conductor who was doing the premiere of one of my pieces: “It doesn’t matter what you put on paper. String players will bow when they want to. Wind players will breathe when they want to. Don’t sweat how you write it. They’ll ignore it in any event, and so will I.”
One thing I often do in long phrases for solo wind instruments such as oboe or clarinet is to break the phrase up between the woodwind pair. To the listener it all sounds like one instrument, and the performers love me for looking out for them, and they like making it sound like a single solo as well.
Thanks, @L3B - I can relate to that.
My aim is to put as few (unconscious) obstacles as possible in the way of performance, regardless of what seems pleasing to me!
In my experience as a student with Tuba through high school, Tuba takes a ton more air for the lowest notes, versus minor comfortable effort for the same length at mid range. I suppose it’s an extreme, but there was a somewhat similar relationship for me with playing bari-sax. Loose lip equals a comparative flood of air…
Most classically trained musicians have common sense regarding phrasing. Less is more insofar as editing parts is concerned.