NOTATIO

Nothing prevents you from writing what you like in a text expression. If you have many different annotations, you might store them in a separate category which makes them easier to erase later on.

FWIW I use text expressions for that, mostly query marks for something to come back to. These are easily obliterated when you are done with them, as opposed to text boxes.

Maybe it’s not a question of dynamic only, as you said “ warmer mp”. What about espr. or poco espr. ? espr. adds something to the character like 'warmth' or 'intensity', and as a rule also to the dynamic level. Fx p espr. practically always is louder than just p , sometimes rather much in fact.

If I'm not wrong, the only indication that has to be plural is Bassi in older scores, for violoncelli and contrabbassi sharing the same notes on the same staff.

Just a thought about the 8va thing. I'm not sure having seen the 8va symbol in older editions (because I'm not that familiar with them), but then it must surely have been an abbreviation of ottava , not of ottava alta as in modern notation programs? Gould uses 8va alta and 8va bassa in cues, a writi...

Good points, John. Actually my point about the beams was another, but since it's probably a bit idiosyncratic there's no point in repeating it.

Still, I can easily switch between accepting flat beams in concave note movements, and sloping beams following the trend of the notes. It's like walking in and out of rooms - in some of them you have to wear a jacket and a tie, in others you can come in a baggy sweater. I appreciate both possibiliti...

By no means! BTW I've found this, and the other forum truly educational. One tiny example: I was perfectly happy with the 8va and 8vb symbols until you pointed out that they were a creation by notation programs and had no substantiation in good old editions. So acceptance changed into rejection. And...

One point could be that not just experimenting with different approaches, but trying to get used to them, or even to like them could be beneficial in one way or other.

FWIW when experimenting with different beam appearances, flat, a little sloping, or more sloping, I've noticed that the eye quickly adapts to what is at hand. If you use flat beams (as in the example shown above), the eye, well my eye, takes it more or less for granted. If you use another approach, ...