6

I was looking at a piece of music when I came across the symbol pictured below (the sharp, curved line between the tenuto and accent).

Mark like "mountain peak", between notes

Can anyone help me identify it?

For reference, the piece that I saw this is was "Four On Six" written by Wes Montgomery and arranged by Mike Tomaro. Here's a link to the score and a recording of the piece. The symbol appears mainly throughout the alto and tenor sax parts.

2
  • It's not immediately obvious. Can you post a bigger picture with more context? Feb 10 at 20:48
  • @AndyBonner I added a link to the full score in my question.
    – Arvo Ju
    Feb 10 at 21:11

2 Answers 2

8

It's called a "flip" or a "turn", and in jazz charts, that's a standard notation for it. It's played by adding two "grace notes" just before the following "main" note. In the specific case posted, it would be played as shown below, with the B preceded by E and D grace notes.

"Flip" as played

In a tune as fast as "Four on Six", it's nearly indistinguishable from an upper mordent. The difference is more clear at a lower tempo. A mordent occurs on the beat at the beginning of the affected note, while a flip precedes its note "in between" beats.

3
  • Can you provide an image of the flip/turn symbol that doesn't look hand drawn? Feb 11 at 3:36
  • 1
    @ElementsinSpace Actually, no. That is how the symbol appears in the more-or-less standard jazz font.
    – Aaron
    Feb 11 at 3:38
  • No mordent is ever played at the end of a note, so I would definitely identify this as a shorthand for grace notes whose pitches depend on the previous pitch. Feb 11 at 18:07
4

Sounds to me like an upper mordant. Play the written note, play the note above, come back to the original note again.

Somewhat like a guitarist would play a hammer on and pull off.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.