The methods, rules, and conventions for representing music visually.
-2
votes
1answer
100 views
Really confused about x's on a note?
So on the sheet music I was playing there were these notes with x's on top of them. Like on the stem. What am I supposed to do? Do I just not play them? This is for the piano by the way.
0
votes
5answers
110 views
Why transpose at the octave?
If an instrument has a range too high or too low for composers to easily write its music on bass or treble clef, the music may be written either an octave higher or an octave lower than it sounds, ...
8
votes
2answers
61 views
How can I force LilyPond to repeat a chord symbol (relates to alternate endings)?
In chordmode, LilyPond chooses not to display chord symbols when they are the same as the preceding symbol, which is usually the right behavior. However, this behavior gets weird in the context of ...
2
votes
3answers
105 views
Same note in two staves [duplicate]
I have only just started to learn (on my own) to read music and play the piano at the grand old age of 64! Please can someone tell me how to play the same note on two staves? I keep being asked to ...
4
votes
3answers
150 views
Music sheet notation explanation (Alto sax)
I just got some new sheet-music for alto sax and wonder how to play this notation:
For example in these contexts:
Thanks for every helpful answer!
8
votes
6answers
236 views
Sound spectrum to notes software
I'm looking for software that can graphically assist in translating a sound frequency to notes.
Closest example of what I had in mind is FL Studio's Wave Candy plugin:
Hovering cursor above a ...
4
votes
4answers
165 views
Transcribing a Standard MIDI File to sheet music
I have a couple of nice guitar midi files that I would like the scores for; is there any software out there that can do this sort of conversion, and output it as a PDF file?
Thanks
-4
votes
1answer
58 views
Complete list of common musical terms [closed]
I am looking for an easy to read list of common musical terms. My band director is always talking about how she is going to give us a quiz sometime soon on the musical terms that are found in our ...
5
votes
3answers
100 views
Does anyone know a good site to share guitar and bass tabs? [closed]
I know I can search in Google and get a lot of good tabs but I would like to use some wiki where I can keep the tabs I like and everyone can improve and share the tabs.
I searched but did not found ...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
How are sharps and flats written in the nashville numbering system?
How are sharps and flats written in the Nashville numbering system. 5♯ or 5♭?
4
votes
2answers
129 views
Why note B is marked with H in Scandinavia and Germany?
At least in Scandinavia and Germany two notes are marked differently than in most other countries:
B -> H
B♭ -> B
I have heard that this is due to mistake in interpreting messy sheet notes, as ♭ ...
5
votes
2answers
78 views
What is the standard closed hi hat hit notation?
So far I've been able to find standard notation for the hi hat hit and hi hat pedal hit but it its not clear to me what is the closed hi hat notation. As i understand, normal hi hat hit is on the G2 ...
5
votes
2answers
76 views
Arbitrary length full-measure rests in Lilypond
In Lilypond one can make long full-measure rests with:
\compressFullBarRests
R1*12
which outputs:
Is there an engraver I can turn off, or some other way to remove the number from above ...
3
votes
1answer
72 views
Notation on Schubert's Op.94, D760, piece 6
I was practicing the 6th moment musicaux of Schubert's Op. 94 using a Henle edition (which is in public domain in imslp, Here) and I encountered something I have never seen before.
Over the bars 30, ...
5
votes
1answer
80 views
Learning standard notation without succombing to simply remembering songs?
I'm in a tricky position. I've been playing guitar for around ten years and am fairly good at improvising and tinkering around on a piano, too. I understand sheet music, I can decipher it, but I can't ...
2
votes
3answers
84 views
The origin of “Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father” [closed]
The order of the flats is given by the mnemonic "*B*attle *E*nds *A*nd *D*own *G*oes *C*harles' *F*ather". What is the history behind this strange phrase?
3
votes
3answers
118 views
How many bars can a clarinet sustain?
Apologies if the question is too silly (my profile might explain why I don't know the answer).
I am writing a piece and at some point I want a clarinet to hold a note until the performer runs out of ...
6
votes
4answers
121 views
What are the various ways of vocalizing rhythmic figures?
I know of the standard western technique where the beats (quarter notes) are numbered and eighths are vocalized as 'and' and sixteenths are vocalized as 'ee' and 'uh' (One-ee-and-uh Two-ee-and-uh).
...
6
votes
3answers
126 views
What do multiple l's and r's beneath a note mean?
I do a tad of drumming, but not enough at all to call myself a drummer (or anything close). I understand what a R or a L means under a note, but i'm not sure what two or three under each note means. I ...
4
votes
3answers
108 views
Temporarily Changing Keys - Which accidentals to use?
I've was taught that whenever you write a run of notes going up, you should use sharps instead of flats; And whenever you go downwards, you should generally write flats instead of sharps. My question ...
9
votes
2answers
149 views
What does a duplicated note in a chord mean?
While reading the score of Misty (Burke, Garner, arranged by Roed), I encountered the following chord notation (it's on the bass clef in bar 32, and the signature is E-flat major):
What does the ...
6
votes
1answer
150 views
Sources for sight-reading exercises that focus on subdivisions (emphasis on drums)
As is the case for all drummers, for me, it's a great fun to find weird rhythmic patterns and to practice over basic beats to create some tension in the straight sections of various songs. However, ...
9
votes
2answers
138 views
Small natural above C in G Major
Here is a picture of the sheet music (Eine Klein Nachtmusik, movement 1). The odd accidental has a red freehand circle around it.
What does this natural sign mean? As you can see, the key is G ...
3
votes
1answer
128 views
What does “1 x Tacet” mean?
What does 1xTacet mean?
Does it mean "play the following in 1st round only"?
2
votes
1answer
47 views
How to make nonstandard scales on Finale?
I'm trying to use the scale:
A,C,F#,A
And then:
A,B,C#,D#,F,G,A
But I'll need to input a nonstandard key signature. How can I do that?
3
votes
2answers
138 views
Arpeggio vs. Acciaccatura
(When writing notation for piano)
Scenario: I would like the player to play the chord G (G3, B3, D4, G4), in a "spreaded" way. That is, not hit all keys at once, but start with the bottom G and end ...
8
votes
3answers
173 views
Why are some measures separated by double lines?
I play piano. Sometimes, measures in pieces are separated by a double vertical line instead of a single one. What does this signify?
11
votes
2answers
135 views
How do I read this text-only musical notation from Wikipedia
I have practically no music notation experience, so please consider me a dummie when answering.
I am reading this Wikipedia article, about the clave rhythm. They use a text only notation looking ...
5
votes
2answers
151 views
Chopin op. 28 no. 2 - bar 16 symbols
There are two symbols I do not recognise below the stretto in this excerpt:
What are these symbols?
And also, form what I read the stretto here should be interpreted as an accelerando, am I ...
3
votes
2answers
134 views
Is that a hemiola or what?
I found myself listening to Mumford and Sons' Babel, and my friend and I couldn't quite agree on how to describe the rhythm. I won that battle since my way led to groups of four figures, whereas his ...
5
votes
2answers
247 views
Four dots over tremolo minim (half note with slash)
I'm working on National Emblem by E. E. Bagley. In the second strain, there is a minim with the tremolo mark. Above it are four dots. What do they mean?
Here is a picture. The mark in question is ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
Metric modulation, ordering of the notes around the equals sign
I could find some references stating that the old note value is placed on the left while the new one is placed on the right.
For example: "dotted eigth = quarter" means that the tempo just got ...
4
votes
1answer
863 views
What does “NC” mean?
On some tabs, I sometimes see a "NC" text on top of the tab.
What does it mean ?
How should it be played or interpreted ?
2
votes
1answer
233 views
What does “Doubletime feel” mean?
I'm working a new cover song in my band (Volbeat - Sad Man's Tongue), the tab being a PDF file.
As I like working with Guitar Pro, I'm copying the tab in that sofware.
But when the distortion comes ...
6
votes
3answers
735 views
How many (major and minor) keys are there? Why?
I am wondering about how many major and minor keys there are and why.
Here are some suggestions:
24 keys
One could argue that there should be one major and one relative minor key for each of the 12 ...
2
votes
2answers
372 views
Right hand in top stave?
I'm learning the song shown. How are these chords meant to be played? Are the chords shown in the middle stave (treble clef) meant to be played by the left hand? How does one tell this from the ...
1
vote
2answers
180 views
Why is the last semiquaver outside the last triplet of the measure?
The following measure is from "Clair De Lune ~ Adagio Sostenuto de la Sonata Op. 27 N. 2 De Beethoven", guitar sheet music .
Correct me if I'm wrong but the last semiquaver isn't going to be ...
5
votes
2answers
132 views
Musical notation/tablature for isomorphic instruments
I've started playing the harpejji, a 16-stringed instrument with an isomorphic fretboard.
Due to its very nature, there are several different frets for a given pitch. Has there been an attempt to ...
1
vote
1answer
143 views
What note(s) are a diminished 3rd above D-flat?
In
What is the interval between Db and D#
some of the comments indicate that the interval Db->Eb can be considered as a diminished third. I would think that Fbb (double-flatted F) is a diminished ...
1
vote
2answers
65 views
Accidental in Chopin Opus. 69 No. 2
This is an excerpt from Opus. 69 No. 2 by Chopin from the Henle Urtext:
In the last bar seen in the excerpt, there is a sharp on the A in bass line. Since A is already "sharped" in the key ...
7
votes
3answers
129 views
Is there a special way to notate a repeat for the right (treble) hand but not the left (bass) hand?
I'm working with a section of music where the right hand (treble clef) plays the same thing twice, but the left hand (bass clef) differs the second time round.
Usually I would just rewrite out the ...
6
votes
2answers
175 views
Physiological basis for note durations?
For some reason (probably read something like this a long time ago), I have it in my head that there was some sort of physiological basis for some note durations.
This may have been something like, a ...
6
votes
3answers
238 views
how do you choose the correct stem length for notes on a beam?
Stems are supposed to be 3.5 stave spaces tall. When the notehead is on the 2nd line outside the staff or beyond, the stem should extend to touch the center line. When the 3rd flag (or beam) is added ...
10
votes
4answers
207 views
What does 'on' mean in chord notation?
For example, Em(onD) and Em(onC♯). I found these in a Japanese guitar tab book I bought.
15
votes
1answer
931 views
3
votes
4answers
252 views
What are some interesting ways notes and chords are spelled in cultures outside of the U.S.?
I've heard that German musicians spell the seventh note of the C major scale with an "H" where an American musician would use a "B". And, for the fourth note of the F major scale, where an American ...
2
votes
3answers
109 views
Is there a proper musical term for a piece's “roadmap”?
Band directors and other teachers will colloquially refer to a piece's "roadmap": the flow control commands denoted by repeats, repeat endings, D.C.s, D.S.es, codas, etc.
Is there a proper word for ...
-1
votes
2answers
144 views
Why is the note name “a” not on any important scale position? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why is C the base note of standard notation and keys?
The note names are derived from the alphabet, which starts with "a".
But why is our note "a" not on any important ...
2
votes
3answers
132 views
Should “Ooh” be sung as “oo” or “oh”?
In my last choir rehearsal, while going over a new piece, after I said, "Let's go back to the beginning and go over the 'oo's", my lead tenor, whom I respect immensely as a musician, responded "Uh, ...
2
votes
4answers
146 views
Does an implied tie exist
Is there such a thing as an implied tie? Like some kind of symbol or notation that would specify to hold a note through the duration of all the notes on a pitch as if they were tied together.
Edit: ...
