Would love some critique on the engraving/notation for this~

Hey Kjell!

Thanks for the feedback!

-So for the slurs, the top slur denotes phrasing, and the ones inside denote articulations.

I'm pretty particular about my phrasing 😆, and slurs within slurs is not an uncommon thing (especially in traditional piano music).

Even with legato, I still play them this way and although very subtle, it's a slight difference that still can be heard.

-By sites, do you mean measures/bars? So 3-4 measures/bars per system?

-Bar 9 & similar, I initially only had fermata on the one hand, but the people over at r/composer reddit pointed out that for consistensy sake with timing, it's better to have on both staves. You may be right too though, I can't seem to find any reference on fermatas or pauses in "Behind Bars" by Elaine Gould, the main notation conventions book I'm using.

Bar 69: Do you mean the left hand part playing in treble? And to put it 8va? That's what I had initially too. But apparently, it's not convention to put 8va lines in bass. Only 8vb lines in bass.

What do you mean by chords above btw? Like lead sheet style?

And form signs is a great idea, I've been thinking of adding them too!

Thanks for the feedback by the way Kjell! Appreciate you responding and taking the time to write~

I may be wrong, but if there's some references involved from legit sources, I'd be happy to keep correcting and learning 😊

hey Edin, about the slurs: the long top one isn't just for phrasing, it's also for legato, smooth play, I guess that's overlooked here. So any double legato slur isn't needed. Even if you have no articulation at all on the notes, it's always meant to be played legato. In every piece. If not, it should be marked. Of course you can highlight it the way you'd like to and sometimes it's better to be niggling in notations (you could use text) but for the overall view, it's iritating. Sorry for my english: I meant 3-4 pages bar 9: well if you fermata one hand, it's also automatically slowed in the other hand, due to the fact you keep playing with both hands in bar 10 😃 (in time again) The reddit calls are maybe based to the playback in sibelius/musescore. by the way I noticed the slurs of the left hand in the great 3/4 timing articulation. legato / slur - staccato staccato. but it's not really possible to play it like that, right? too much range for one hand to bind something in there. But I guess you're work that out with the pedal. bar 69: I'd put the left hand in the bass clef. Alternative write it one octave higher and put a 8vb under the left hand. Or you can use a clef with a "8" above or below: Seen that ones before? pretty efficient to stay in system. Yeah some additional chords like leadsheet style. For me, this always works for a better reading. It's some extra work though of course. Oh, I don't have any sources, but ages of playing and reading traditional classic (Bach is always great about that, Chopin as well) and studying piano of course. Notation is like a language. There is always room for different interpretations and usage. Some use FF as fortissimo, that could be the same loudness as FFFFF in some notations 😁 some additional small text is helpful as well - if you have some particular playstyle wish. I remember the books of Bach had multiple pages about trill interpretations.. and don't ask the drummers :D there isn't even a standard for the bassdrum. Could be on several positions... I'm drifting off - looking forward hearing this one from you

Hey Kjell, thanks for the feedback again!

Yes, slurs denote legato and should be played legato, but they can also reprersent musical phrases (which doesn't necessarily mean played legato). I remember doing a huge research project on this. Herer's a reference of slurs within slurs:

https://steinberg.help/dorico/v3/en/dorico/topics/notation_reference/notation_reference_slurs/notation_reference_slurs_nested_c.html#:~:text=Nested%20slurs%20are%20two%20or,known%20as%20slurs%20within%20slurs%20.

That being said, I think you're right in terms of probably losing the top slurs. I just learned that apparently slurs within slurs or "nested slurs" are not really necessary (and more of a tradition from romantic era composers), since a seasoned musicians/pianists should be able to distinguish the different phrases anyway. I'll probably create another version down the line with it removed.

And the fermatas, I might remove just notate it "rit." then "a la tempo". The reddit calls are usually based on traditional notation convention. I make sure to always cross reference the feedback with verified notation sources.

Yea the slurs in the left hand are not actually able to be played a true legato, but it's more of the intention I wanted to convey! :)

Ah ok, yea chord and leadsheets are a great idea, and I especially want to that for my jazzier works! Any tips? I've never notated lead sheets before..

And good point about notation being like a language. I agree with many points like different composers intention with dynamics for example :)

It's also a skillset all by itself, which I'm finding quite fun to keep learning!

Thanks for the feedback Velislava!

Slurs within slurs are actually not uncommon (especially in piano music). The top slur denotes full phrases, whereas the ones inside denote articulations.

I'm very particular about my phrasing :)