Music copyists create individual scores for different instrumentalists.
A music copyist is a person who reproduces and prints musical notes of songs and instrumental arrangements on paper for composers. The transcription process is also commonly known as sheet music preparation. Music copyists are usually given a sheet of music, an arrangement containing the notes of various instruments, which they separate and copy onto individual sheets for all instrumentalists.
Historically, music copyists drew musical notes by hand.
Traditional musical scores were assembled by a composer who created a copy of the musical notes by hand on paper with horizontal lines. A music copyist would review the original musical score, draw the notes by hand, and make as many copies of the score as needed. This process used to be painstaking and required copyists to be artistic and musical. In the 19th century, copyists began using typewriters formatted with musical notes, rather than letters and numbers, to recreate sheet music and shorten preparation time.
Starting in the late 20th century, computer programs for music copyists began to be produced. These programs, also known as sheet music writers, significantly shortened the time it took for a music copyist to transcribe sheet music. While the exact functions of sheet music writers depend on the specific program, they often work similar to word processing software, but with musical notes instead of other characters.
A music copyist will typically work for aspiring individual musicians who want their original sheet music reproduced to give to band members or just to be safe; however, this work is often done on a freelance or contract basis rather than full-time. He or she may work full time for record companies to copy arrangements for established musicians. Copyists may also find steady employment at production studios that provide film or television soundtracks.
The work environment for music copyists tends to be more individual than team projects. Even with the use of sheet music creation programs, the copying process can be tedious and requires great attention to detail, as any incorrect notes or locations can negatively alter the musical score. The people who are most successful as music copyists tend to be introverts who don’t mind working alone and can maintain tight time constraints with little supervision. Although the need for artistic skill is less required with the use of computer programs, copyists will often need to have a background in music theory or composition to fully understand the arrangements and make them as accurate as possible.