I’m in the middle of my annual (well, almost annual…thanks, 2020) speed-writing of 30-40 band arrangements for a Cabaret performance our choirs present. I’m doing it for the first time in Dorico, which is costing my some speed at the beginning, but I think will lead to better looking and sounding charts in the end.
And it strikes me that it’s always true that our effective speed ramps up over time. I might take 45 minutes to write a chart today; in a week, I’ll be doing one in 15-20. The same relative change is true for learning new music in my ensembles over the course of the year, laying new tile in a bathroom, or any number of other challenges. You get faster as you do it more, if you pay attention as you go.