Music Staff Paper

[SquareRecord]

Hello all! I'm rather new to FPN and FP's in general. I primarily use them for note-taking (grad student) but even more importantly, music writing. Yes, as in music notation on staff paper. I'm currently using a Franklin-Christoph music nib in a Jinhao 750, Noodler's black ink, but am testing a bunch of archival-quality inks so that will change. Enough introduction...

 

I've emailed 7 different FP sellers to find some specific music paper. I'm looking for music staff paper that's around US tabloid size or similar, something where I can write music for a large ensemble. For example, orchestra, concert band, etc. Currently, Carta and similar manufacturers have large size paper that has room for 18+ different parts on each page, and I enjoy the size as well as handwriting my music, but the paper is NOT FP friendly. Does anyone know of any FP friendly large music paper sources?

[Karmachanic]

delete

 

[Karmachanic]

1 minute ago, Karmachanic said:

 

 

 

https://www.clairefontaine.com/subcategory-en-031032-music-song.html

[arcfide]

You might also consider sourcing your own paper and paying to have someone print the rulings or draw the rulings yourself with a staff nib. 

[SquareRecord]

I've got some Clairefontaine in A4, and I like it a lot,  but I'm looking for A3 or bigger. As far as drawing my own, I'm looking into that.  There's something called a rolling rastrum (a "Stravigor") but they're rare and the quality ones are vintage only. New ones (plastic ones) draw larger staves than I'm looking for, usually 8mm or larger

[arcfide]

1 hour ago, SquareRecord said:

I've got some Clairefontaine in A4, and I like it a lot,  but I'm looking for A3 or bigger. As far as drawing my own, I'm looking into that.  There's something called a rolling rastrum (a "Stravigor") but they're rare and the quality ones are vintage only. New ones (plastic ones) draw larger staves than I'm looking for, usually 8mm or larger

 

There's a Braus Music Staff nib you could look at, as well as an automatic pen version. I'm not sure who makes the best A3 sized paper. 

[Michael Jennings]

I buy my Music Staff paper ( 8.5"x 11").  ARCHIVE  [X10S- Xerographic] From the web store "Sheet Music Plus". It is very fountain pen friendly and punched for a three ring binder.

 

[ I usual notate with a fine or medium  CI/stub nib. Haven't found the need for a "Music Nib". Seems like an "Architect" ground nib might be useful for notation as well.]

 

SORRY! I didn't notice your paper size requirements, but you may want to check the web store for a possible source for your requirements]

[OCArt]

Why not print your own on good paper? I did a Google search for "template to print music staff" and found a lot of free entries including this one.

[SquareRecord]

I've done some professional engraving and I publish through sheet music plus, so I'm fairly familiar with that stuff. Printing my own could be a headache and laser printing at a major printing place could be the same... but yeah it's looking like I'm going to have to go that route. Oh well 🤷‍♂️ maybe I can get the friends I know who write with fountain pens to go in with me on a big order!

 

Quote

I usual notate with a fine or medium  CI/stub nib. Haven't found the need for a "Music Nib". Seems like an "Architect" ground nib might be useful for notation as well.

Yeah the architect grind sounds good. The music nib was fairly reasonable and a family member got it from an online wishlist. It's alright, I'll upload a sample. It's most definitely NOT flexible. Plus I've had some trouble with getting line variation between the extremes so things can end up... messy. Which is definitely user error lol.

 

I've also been trying an old osmiroid 65 with a broad italic on my latest piece (children's choir). After that piece is done I'll upload for comparison maybe?

[SquareRecord]

On 12/16/2021 at 8:05 PM, arcfide said:

 

There's a Braus Music Staff nib you could look at, as well as an automatic pen version. I'm not sure who makes the best A3 sized paper. 

And oh yes, sorry for the double post, I'm checking that out!

[FLZapped]

Doesn't your college or university have any? The last time I bought such a thing was at Sam Ash Music.....but that was decades ago. I think they have gone by the wayside with the rise of computer programs that do all this, like Muse Score, Sibelius, etc..

 

I need to add that Tabloid is 11x17 inches aka size B drawing paper, so any large format printer would be able to churn out blank staff pages from one of the many available software programs.

[inkstainedruth]

My choir director uses some sort of software (I forget which one she has -- we all chipped in and got it for her one Twefth Night, just like we all chip in and get stuff for the woman who hosts rehearsals).  Of course she's also not using the size paper that you're looking for, SquareRecord, because she's doing it on regular 8-1/2"x11" paper, so when we do concerts (well, back before COVID when we DID do concerts) we'd use regular black binders with the front sleeve window and have artwork that she designed and printed off so we'd look semi-professional (for some concerts we'd also wear stuff the same colors, even if the style didn't match, in the colors for the local SCA chapter we're in (yeah, black and gold, probably the two WORST possible colors for my skin tone... -- I often cheat and wear grey with the black surcote, although a friend made me a yellow brocade surcote fo those summer concerts, when black velveteen is just too hot to wear....

One of these days I'll get myself some black linen and make a dress to wear under the yellow surcote....  That would just involve finding someplace that had lightweight black linen in stock, unearthing my cutting table, etc., etc....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Wolverine1]

I studied classical saxophone in college. While most my writing on music staff paper was written with a pencil, I did use my pen a bit too. I had good results with staff paper  that came in pads that were sold under the "Alfred's" brand. However, I was in college in the mid to late 1990s, the Alfred's brand may have changed the quality of the paper the now sell.  I go to the School of Music pretty regularly, and I have yet to see a student or professor writing on staff paper with anything other than a pencil or a few folks using a ballpoint pen, usually a cheap BIC!!!:):)

[Karmachanic]

1 hour ago, Wolverine1 said:

I studied classical saxophone in college.

 

 

Coleman Hawkins?  😜

[Wolverine1]

Karmachanic- well we did play some Coleman Hawkins pieces that he wrote when I played in jazz groups. However, we studied the "real classical" stuff as the profs used to call it, and we played a lot of stuff by late 20th century composers.