What does the L-shaped symbol attached to C5 and G4 on the top staff mean?

Question

I am trying to learn "Kiss The Rain" by Yiruma, and I am learning from a score published on musescore. Source: https://musescore.com/user/27057308/scores/4838600

I was confused by the L-shaped line attached to some notes, but couldn't find the symbol on wikipedia's list of musical symbols https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols.

Aaron · Accepted Answer · 2022-05-09 16:27:11Z

23

This is a bracket indicating with which hand to play a note.

The └ (L-shaped bracket) means that you should play that note with your right hand.

The ┌ (upside-down-L bracket) means, play that note with your left hand.

answered Aug 1, 2020 at 7:00

Aaron

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Thank you! But what is the point of including the right hand indication when it should be self evident since it is on the top staff? And couldn't the left hand note be written on the bottom staff?
– kekulayyy
Aug 1, 2020 at 14:42
3

@kekulayyy, well, the ┌ is there exactly to warn you that you should play it with your left hand, so no, it should not be written in the bottom staff. And the previous indication is there to warn you that the little phrase C-G that needs to feel as one phrase needs to be divided between the hands. (I also think that you put too much stress on the staff in which the notes are written. You can just play any note with any hand you see fit. Sometimes it's good to play even very low notes with your right hand or vice versa.)
– Ramillies
Aug 1, 2020 at 14:51
16

So the L means Right and the R means left! haha
– chasly - supports Monica
Aug 1, 2020 at 15:26
3

@kekulayyy You'll note that the bracket for the right hand groups the note(s) visually with the upper staff, and that for the left with the lower.
– chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic-
Aug 1, 2020 at 17:53

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