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In this article, I will describe five basic principles of composition/arranging, that will make your end result far more polished and professional. Whether you are writing a GCSE or A-Level composition or a commission for the London Symphony Orchestra, these principles will hold - and if you adhere to these general rules, you will produce a far better piece of music.
1. Know your instruments
It sounds simple, but this is one of the central principles of arranging for any ensemble of any size. If you have to write for a tenor trombone, for example, you should know that it is impractical to move quickly between the instrument's bottom Bb and the B or C above it; if writing for a violin, you should know that vibrato is not possible on the low G; if writing for a saxophone, you should know that the upper (altissimo) range of the horn has a very different tone quality to the rest of the instrument's range, and is far more difficult to control. If an instrument is unfamiliar, take some time to learn its intricacies - talk to a player of the instrument and find out what is possible and what is not. If your parts are well-written for the instruments in question, your players will like you a lot more and the piece will sound better.
2. Make sure that what you are writing is practical
Some things that might seem technically possible are too impractical to be worthwhile. For example: a brass instrument requires at least four bars at a medium tempo to change from one mute to open, and a further four bars to change to a different mute. A woodwind player requires a certain amount of time, which varies from instrument to instrument, to switch to a doubling instrument (such as oboe to cor anglais). Yes - you could bring an additional brass section to play the one impossible muted passage - but this is not a practical way of writing and therefore should be discouraged.
3. Avoid any vagueness
In the commercial music world, studio time is at a premium, and any vagueness in the parts will not be viewed kindly. Make sure that repeats, codas, and tempo changes are clearly marked. Any 'pencil-markings' made by the players should be editorial and not necessary.
4. Don't leave any information out
It's unrealistic to expect any musician to know exactly what you, the composer, wants, unless you tell them what it is. Make sure that you add dynamics, articulation, and phrasing where you want them. Any specialist information, for example saxophone subtone, brass plungers, strings col legno, must also not be omitted if you want it to actually happen.
5. Make what you are writing as easy to read as possible
If you've written a brilliant but illegible piece of music, it will never sound as good as it could. Make sure that your copying is as easy to read as possible - group beamings correctly, make sure nothing 'crosses over' anything else on the score and that there is no ambiguity whatsoever. Remember that musicians will naturally play better if they like what it is that they're playing: a musician will have a natural predisposition towards a part that they can read more easily than one covered in ink and near-illegible.
