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I provide music editing and proofreading services for publishers, composers, arrangers, academics, performers, music teachers and students. I can also typeset your music into Sibelius software to a very high standard.

Ivor Mcgrego - a trusted contractor for proofreading work

Publishers

Proofreading and copyediting services provided to publication level. As I regularly work for two main music publishers, I already speak your language and will quickly adapt to your house style. Fast and accurate turnover is assured and I always meet deadlines. For publishers outside the UK I can work using PDFs, marking up clearly and economically.

Composers and Arrangers

Whether you have a publisher or not, it’s always good to get that second pair of eyes looking over your work prior to a rehearsal, run-through or performance. The chances are that you are so close to your work that you can’t always spot errors or inconsistencies. As an objective editor, I can help you iron out the details you may have missed. And if you’re already past that stage, and self-publishing you might want work set to publication standard. I can help you with typography, formatting and general layout, as well as with the creation of parts. My experience over many years will help you present your music to a high professional standard.

Academics

Are you doing research and perhaps editing some music yourself? I can help provide practical editing guidance for your own critical editions of works. Good copyeditors always need an independent proofreader to check over their final edits. Like composers, copyeditors can get too close to their projects to be able to deal with final loose ends. An external observer can help take your work up to the next level.

Performers and Music Teachers

Many performers and teachers make their own arrangements for education projects, wedding background music, cadenzas for concertos or arrangements for school orchestras and ensembles. I’ve helped a number of performers polish their scores and get the parts into good shape. I am a performer and teacher too. For many years I have played violin in symphony, chamber, opera and ballet orchestras. I am no stranger to the problems that instrumentalists face when poorly edited music is presented at the stand. It takes time to sort these issues out, time that you may not have, so why not take the pressure off and let me assist?

Students

If you are a student composer, whatever your level, there’s always a lot to take on board when getting scores and parts ready. It’s all too tempting to assume that these amazing computer programmes can make pieces look presentable at the press of a button. I’m afraid they are only as practical as the person using them! Students understandably find notation challenging – it’s part of the learning process, after all. Let me help take the stress out of preparing your BA, MA or PhD composition portfolios. I will endeavour to explain some of the conventions of notation that you really need, so as to make your work as user-friendly as possible.

I can heartily recommend Ivor as an astute music proofreader and music editor. He has a thorough knowledge of orchestration and a lifetime of orchestral and ensemble playing, both of which feed into his editing and proofreading work. Ivor is renowned for spotting errors in the printed editions of many very famous repertoire works. He also brings his skills as a composer to the scores he works with: he is our Faber Music go-to person for checking a plethora of sources in meticulous detail.
Elaine Gould – Senior New Music Editor, Faber Music Ltd

 

Ivor McGregor, as a performer and composer himself, has more insight into the intricacies of orchestration and notation than any music editor I know. I’ve been lucky to have him look through my scores on many occasions, and have always been immensely grateful for his constructive approach. So often music editing confines itself to correcting the equivalent of spelling mistakes, but Ivor does much more than that, pointing out different ways to notate and even suggesting refinements of orchestration that I hadn’t thought of. He is an indispensable aide to composers and publishers alike.
Colin Matthews – Composer

 

I was extremely happy with the quality of Ivor’s work in proofing a large-scale ballet of mine. He has a great eye for detail and was punctual and efficient in getting the job done to a very high standard – the standard required for professional performances. For once in my life, I went into rehearsals not worrying about errors in the parts! I will gladly use his services again and thoroughly recommend him.
Matthew Hindson AM – Composer

 

Ivor proofed BBC Philharmonic’s 23/24 season brochure – he was meticulous and considered with an extremely high level of attention to detail. The proofing was done quickly (due to our tight timelines!) and Ivor was brilliant to deal with on it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.Beth Wells – Interim Director, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra