The methods, rules, and conventions for representing music visually.
8
votes
6answers
208 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
118 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
3answers
112 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!
-4
votes
1answer
51 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 ...
9
votes
2answers
130 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
131 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, ...
4
votes
3answers
96 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 ...
17
votes
4answers
693 views
Why do we need note names like B♭, D♭ etc.? Why not use only A♯, C♯ and so on?
The very same sharp/flat tones can be written in two ways:
C♯ is the same as D♭
D♯ is the same as E♭
…and so on
This is so confusing. What is the reason for it? ...
5
votes
2answers
221 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
118 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 ♭ ...
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♭?
8
votes
1answer
219 views
How do you play this tablature notation?
How do I play this on my guitar?
A side question, is there a reference site for checking music and tablature notation?
5
votes
2answers
72 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
65 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
70 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
75 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
77 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?
2
votes
1answer
222 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
4answers
110 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).
...
3
votes
3answers
114 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 ...
33
votes
4answers
8k views
How do you draw a quarter rest with a pen/pencil?
It seems to me that the quarter rest we see everywhere was drawn with a calligraphy pen. I don't have one of those - I have a sharpened/mechanical pencil or a ball-point pen. So usually when I try to ...
4
votes
3answers
103 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 ...
6
votes
3answers
119 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
291 views
On the piano, how should you play staccato with the pedal?
In some pieces, there is a pedal designation along with staccato. How should this be played?
3
votes
2answers
133 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 ...
9
votes
2answers
142 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
116 views
What does “1 x Tacet” mean?
What does 1xTacet mean?
Does it mean "play the following in 1st round only"?
11
votes
3answers
288 views
Why is a note sometimes a 4th and sometimes an 11th?
If I play the chord: GBDA, then this is considered a Gadd9. But if I play the 3rd above the 5th (GDB), it is not called a 10th.
Why don't we refer to all notes by 1-7, and is there a system to ...
3
votes
4answers
243 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
1answer
40 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?
8
votes
3answers
343 views
What is the the Nashville Numbers system?
Recently, a couple of my bandmates were talking about a technique they use called Nashville Numbers. It's similar to writing out chords, but instead uses numbers. These numbers are a pattern that ...
5
votes
2answers
144 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
135 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 ...
10
votes
2answers
759 views
What is the device used to draw 5-line staff (empty) with a pencil/pen?
I remember seeing something like that long ago but can't remember what it was called. It is basically a metal gadget that holds 5 pencils or only pencil led and you can draw by hand your own empty ...
11
votes
2answers
131 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 ...
23
votes
8answers
1k views
Key signature for writing in modes other than major and minor
I have trouble deciding what accidentals to put in the key signature for pieces in dorian, phrygian, lydian or mixolydian modes. There seem to be tradeoffs associated with each choice.
For example, ...
8
votes
3answers
162 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?
13
votes
5answers
901 views
Symbols “M”, “C”, “D”, and “P” in Guitar Tablature
I was reading a songbook by Richie Kotzen, and in the song "Shine" (which he played with Mr. Big), there's a rythm guitar part that goes like this:
What do the symbols M, C, D and P mean? I'm ...
6
votes
3answers
219 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 ...
6
votes
2answers
422 views
Lead sheets / fake sheets without score
Several of the groups of people I play music with use song sheets that are similar to lead sheets, but without the stave showing the melody line:
Note that unlike many chord sheets you can find ...
1
vote
1answer
142 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
70 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 ...
6
votes
3answers
635 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
708 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 ?
6
votes
2answers
174 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
348 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 ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
What is the difference between swing and shuffle?
I am learning piano from a book and I can't understand the difference between swing and shuffle. I have searched, but I still can't understand the difference. Could someone please iterate the ...
0
votes
2answers
325 views
The use of the root note in a scale
I found an article on Cyberfret.com showing how to play C major scale :
The Whole Guitar Neck Mapped Out
Ref. Pattern 3
Well, I can guess how to play the pattern number 3 but, what the purpose ...
1
vote
2answers
168 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 ...
8
votes
5answers
379 views
The same note on two staves
On rare occasions, I encounter the same note on two staves with overlapping durations. Attached is an example from an arragement of "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles (The note in question is ...
