The methods, rules, and conventions for representing music visually.
11
votes
1answer
155 views
Four dotted sixteenths in a triplet
The following excerpt is from a piece called Brincado by the Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomuceno from the collection 5 Little Pieces for the Left Hand (imslp)
How should I count this?
4
votes
3answers
153 views
Percussion notes in the vocals
This an excerpt from an arragment to the song "Hakuna Matata" from the movie "The Lion King":
Why are there percussion notes in the vocals?
3
votes
2answers
109 views
Different representation of consecutive sixteenth notes
These are two different bars from "John Thompson's Grade 3" arrangement "Hungarian Rhapsody no.2".
Is there a difference between the time value of the first F in the first picture and the first D in ...
2
votes
3answers
315 views
International notation system
I would like to know if there is a special order for notes in English and/or an international notation system.
In french, our order is Do Ré Mi Fa Sol La Si which is equivalent to C D E F G A B, what ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
What does a small x-like symbol before a note mean?
I've been playing piano by ear for a long time and now I am trying to learn the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata. I am a little confused about the meaning of a little cross placed right before a ...
2
votes
2answers
997 views
What exactly does a 3 mean over a quarter note and an 8th note?
There is an eighth note followed by a quarter note, and above them is a little overarching bracket with a little 3 in it. I know this has something to do with the timing, but I have no idea what.
...
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?
9
votes
1answer
202 views
Do accidentals on ornaments carry over to the other notes in the measure?
In the first measure from this section of Schubert's Serenade, does the accidental on the ornamental C at the beginning affect the "regular" C that follows?
1
vote
2answers
231 views
Notating Augmented Chords
When writing an Augmented chord, which inversion of the chord should I use?
The problem came up while I was composing (piano). I came to an augmented chord and couldn't think of which version to use ...
1
vote
1answer
743 views
Is there a difference between a slur and legato?
Are legato and slur one and the same? If the two are different, how do I tell which the piece is using? I know the gist of them (as opposed to staccato) but I need to know the specifics. They are ...
4
votes
3answers
315 views
Do accidentals in one staff apply to notes in other staffs?
For example, when reading piano music on a grand staff, I know that if there is an A# in the treble clef staff (where it's normally natural), it changes all of the A's in the rest of that measure to ...
0
votes
2answers
326 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 ...
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
4answers
543 views
Can a legato notes be played staccato?
I've been working on this piece by Sousa, and I came across this oddity:
Does this mean to play then notes somehow legato and staccato at the same time? If so, how would I play it? If not, what does ...
2
votes
1answer
163 views
How to play a #.1 in the guitar?
I play guitar using this scale....this is C major I think...(I don't know the name...but I follow the number on the music note, and it works. ):
But once I come across with this in one music notes:
...
5
votes
2answers
301 views
“Standard” drum notation alternatives
For the purpose of playing live, working through ("popular") songs involving verse, chorus, bridge, intro, outro, etc., is there a standard notation that drummers use to help them know what to play, ...
7
votes
2answers
880 views
How does the piano middle pedal work? Is there a standard symbol for it?
What are the mechanics behind the middle piano pedal? I have been using the middle pedal for a variety of music, it is wonderful, but I can't figure out how it works (I mean the mechanical process). ...
7
votes
2answers
287 views
Why does this note sound like it is not played?
I've been learning the second movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata 16 for a while. While I get most of the stuff memorized, some part of it just doesn't sound right comparing to recordings on YouTube ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Best way to notationally indicate that a solo phrase in an instrumental section should end
After writing "solo" over a part intended for one instrumentalist in a section, what's the best way to indicate that the the entire section should again begin playing?
2
votes
1answer
315 views
Visual representation of sound
Graphical sound visualization (as available in several music players, eg winamp) is mostly used for fun, to add some visuals to the music, related to it in some way ( pseudo spectrum analysers, ...
7
votes
1answer
294 views
Is there a specific name for Sheet music that uses numbers (二胡 Èrhú Sheet Music)?
I am searching for a software program (preferably opensource but not necessarily) that can create sheet music. However since I am a beginner at my instrument I still use a simplified notation. I play ...
2
votes
5answers
321 views
Trying to program a piano staff/stave. Is this what it's supposed to look like?
I'm currently writing a software application which creates notes on a staff, when a piano key is pressed. Unfortunately I have no background in music, and thus am finding it quite hard to get started.
...
5
votes
1answer
259 views
Is it a typo or how do I play it? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
The same note on two staves
I have put red arrows where I am in trouble. As I understand this, I should hit D but it is already pressed down. Do I misunderstand ...
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 ...
11
votes
2answers
263 views
With sheet music, what happens with sharps and double sharps that are already sharped in the key signature?
For example, let's say the key signature has an f sharp and then also an individual f note has a sharp next to it. Are they just emphasizing the f sharp or does that actually become a g?
Same ...
8
votes
2answers
191 views
Is assignment of notes to measures totally arbitrary?
I am beginning to learn piano. To pep up my practising, I downloaded some sheet music for Waltzing Matilda
Then I noticed, at the same place, this:
Obviously it is the same music but needs to be ...
2
votes
3answers
214 views
Are whole and half note rests supposed to only be written on specific lines?
I've always written the whole note rest on the 4th line of the staff and the half note rest on the 3rd. I always see it that way and never thought much about it until recently a musician with a lot ...
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?
1
vote
1answer
105 views
How to play given notes on the guitar
I'm sorry, if my question is not too generic, but I'm having trouble playing instrumental acoustic peace and would appreciate if you could help me out.
Here are the notes I have (sorry for scan ...
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 ...
5
votes
1answer
257 views
Deciphering the series of numbers shown for songs in a hymn book
Consider almost any song in a church hymn book. Either at the top just above the ledger lines or at the bottom near the credits is a series of numbers usually a set of four to six numbers such as 87 ...
6
votes
2answers
456 views
Need help with a measure within Mozart's 'Rondo alla Turca'
In the 21st measure of Mozart's Rondo alla Turca/Turkish March (3rd movement of K. 331), there's a trill in the treble clef that I can't quite get right. Would you be so kind to expand the measure as ...
1
vote
1answer
226 views
Must “first-time bars” and “second-time bars” appear together?
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeat_sign
When a repeat calls for a different ending, number brackets above the bars indicate which to played the first time (1), which to play the second time ...
4
votes
2answers
305 views
Is there any open source notation software for indian shrutis?
I would like to write down Shruti music but I wasn't able to find notation software for that.
Do you know any?
edit: Live Playback would be a great feature.
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 ...
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? ...
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, ...
7
votes
2answers
169 views
In chord progressions, how can I refer to a chord that's out of the scale?
I'm training a music that is most on the G Major scale.. But then there's a B chord. As B is not on the G Major scale, how can I refer to it when I'm writing the chord progression?
EDIT
My guess is ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
Why is C the base note of standard notation and keys?
Why is it that notes "start" with C? In key signatures, for example, C Major is the basis and accidentals are added for all other key signatures. I know that the musical alphabet starts with A and ...
19
votes
1answer
478 views
What is this : Half notes combined with thirty-second stems?
I want to play Also Sprach Zarathustra (IMSLP PDF), but there is something I don't understand there. In the first few bars there are 4 half notes beamed in pairs as thirty-second notes. Because the ...
7
votes
4answers
293 views
What should I do about composing 'soft' accents for piano?
When composing for the piano, I often find myself writing a lot of sudden soft notes. I need an accent mark that suddenly softens notes. From my knowledge (and searching the web), I can not find any ...
6
votes
3answers
292 views
Learning guitar via staff
I am learning guitar from my tutor and he is teaching me to read notes on a staff. However when I search for guitar music on internet it comes like:
A C♯m E Bm F♯m etc.
How do I convert these to a ...
1
vote
3answers
70 views
How to play these chords?
I'm trying to play the song here. What confuses me is when I see things like 0h2p0 and 0h2(x4). What are those, and how do you play them?
2
votes
1answer
312 views
What does the circle around a note mean in a guitar chord diagram?
I'm trying to play E/G#. I found this, but what is that symbol on the 4th string?
5
votes
3answers
149 views
How do I write good tablature?
Often, I hear a song that I would like to learn to play, but I can't find good tablature on the Internet. How do I write up my own tab quickly, so I can use it for reference in the future?
11
votes
8answers
224 views
Should I learn to read standard notation?
I've been playing guitar for the last two years, and never came in contact with pieces in standard notation. This is probably because I never had any lessons, and am self-taught.
But the thing I ...
8
votes
7answers
104 views
Are there some classical pieces that lend themselves well to guitar?
I would like to practice reading music on something other than notation written for guitar. Are there other pieces written for violin, for instance-or other instruments, that can be transposed easily ...
7
votes
1answer
311 views
“х” on tablature - how do I play it?
I'm learning "Last Christmas" arrangement for the acoustic guitar, and have encountered lots of notes marked as "x" in tablature.
--------------------------------0----------------
...
8
votes
3answers
344 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 ...
13
votes
5answers
902 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 ...
