Using Highlighters as a Musician

You should write in your music more than you believe you should. I hearken back to my collegiate days with this belief. I had professors in Philosophy, English and History strongly advocating using pen in your books for many reasons. As a musician, you need more than just the odd definition here and there. You need LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Connecting important ideas and concepts in music is difficult as there are so many, so be highlighter friendly.

1. Use 1 colored highlighter to capture dynamics. Your eye is automatically drawn to bright color, so make yellow or pink stand out with a little line right over your sforzando. ESPECIALLY if you routinely miss dynamics, or forget to play that one in the middle of the music where there was a slight change. Yeah, that one. We all do that.
   
   
2. Give any tempo changes a pass with the old bright stick. Ritardandos and a Tempos are often not bold or obvious when dealing with unwieldy pieces. Make sure you meet those speeds accurately every time by highlighting them.
   
   
3. Notes you routinely miss should probably also be highlighted, not just circled a million times. Create that failsafe and let your tension free itself with a scribble over any note that is a problem causer.
   
   
4. Choose 1 specific color for finger numbers on notes you either miss, or use incorrect fingering on. Ensure that you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right finger always with this proven method.
   
   
5. If you're in a group, use a highlighter for lead-ins, extensive rests, or solos vs. tutti. You will need to distinguish these sections from others in a way that won't escape your concentration.
   
   
6. Never highlight ties, only slurs. Keep this in your back pocket by taking a pencil and putting an X through anything that is tied, and only reserving the highlighter for slurs that need extra attention to detail.
   
   
7. Clef changes can be easily missed if you fail to highlight them.
   
   
8. Staccato, accented, marcato, and tenutos that are important or missed can use a swipe with the stripe. Make sure you only use them when necessary on these. Over use can lead to carelessness or unwillingness to see the whole picture of music on a page.
   
   
9. Routinely missed repeat signs and/or endings should be highlighted. Do your endings in two different colors so your eyes can lead you to where you should be automatically.
   
   
10. Pedal Signs should never be ignored if they're in short supply on the piece you're playing. Random pedal at the end? Highlight. Random pedal in the middle? Highlight.
    
    

Highlighters are a musician's best friend in all these scenarios. Don't shy away from a colorful page that brings out the importance in the music that you may be missing or ignoring. Below is my suggestion for color coding your highlighters, but make your own list!

• Yellow - Pedal & 8va
• Pink - Dynamics and/or Tempos
• Orange - Notes & Finger numbers
• Green - Slurs
• Blue - Articulations
• Purple - Miscellaneous
  
  

Now here comes the catch: Don't use highlighters on everything. ONLY USE HIGHLIGHTERS WHEN you are legitimately struggling, or are missing important things. Don't be overzealous. Really. DON'T BE OVERZEALOUS! Be sparing. Use them as an advantageous way to capture the essence of the piece and what you are learning from it.