Questions tagged [notation]
For questions about understanding notation and the use of it. If the question is about a specific type of notation like tablature, that should also be tagged. Questions about how to input specific notation are best served with the engraving tag.
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0answers
11 views
Are these Bansuri Notes all on the Low Octave (to me they are on Low and Middle)
As a newbie I am trying to play these notes of O RE PIYA
http://sargamnote.blogspot.com/
To my ear, all the notes belong in the Low and Middle Octave of this beginner Bansuri Fingering Chart (as ...
2
votes
1answer
31 views
Alto saxophone fingering for notes written below the staff
I am a beginner on the alto saxophone. I understand the fingering for playing notes on the staff but I do not understand the fingering for playing notes below the staff. Sometimes there are two extra ...
2
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2answers
40 views
Arpeggio Markings for Chord symbols
Is it common to denote a chord symbol with an arpeggio marking? How else would you indicate that the chord is to be played arpeggio?
2
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2answers
145 views
What are the diatonic extended chords of C major?
I saw this question about 9ths, but I'd like to know what the diatonic chords of 11ths and 13ths as well. This isn't strictly for jazz, I just want to know what the basic diatonic chords are.
I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
24 views
Scriabin Op.8, No.4: typo in measure #12?
From this score available on IMSLP, IMSLP69176-PMLP07375:
Editor: Konstantin Igumnov (1873-1948), Yakov Milstein (1911-1981)
Publisher Info: A.N. Skryabin: Polnoe sobranie sochinenii dlia fortepiano, ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Equivalency between Indian Classical Saptak and Western Notes
Can anyone tell me the equivalency between Indian Classical Saptak, i.e. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa and Western Notes, C D E F G A B
It is Sa ~ C, Re ~ D, Ga ~ E, etc, or is it something else.
Please ...
1
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1answer
83 views
Why does this note have two stems? [duplicate]
I think this is a normal note but I'm not sure. Why is this note like this? Can you explain it please?
15
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4answers
3k views
How to notate time signature switching consistently every measure
It seems my musical journey's always pushing me into left field territory when it comes to notation ... So this time I'd like to know what would be a good way to notate a consistent switching of time ...
7
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1answer
113 views
What does an arrow pointing up inside the staff mean?
This was in my audition music, and I can’t ask the person I got it from. It was written by the director at my high school.
Edit: Here’s the full music:
I’m not sure what style.
Also, I can ask my ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Secondary dominants/slash notation in Elton John
Please see the section labelled "chorus" in the screenshot below:
My textbook labels these same chords as follows:
I V(2-4)/IV vi7 V(6-5) I(6-4) V11 V I
I have questions regarding the second and ...
2
votes
1answer
297 views
Piano - What is the notation for two notes played simultaneously, where both notes are different lengths?
I was improvising on my piano, when I played a two notes simultaneously where one of the notes in it was longer than the other. I liked it, and wanted to implement it in the sheet music I write; The ...
4
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2answers
370 views
Arthur Somervell: 1000 Exercises - Meaning of this notation
Arthur Somervell's uses the following notation on his One Thousand Exercises
Is it a standard notation? What's the meaning?
5
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2answers
538 views
What do three bars across the stem of a note mean?
I am wondering how are to be understood the following notes and how to play them on the violin.
There is no indication of tremolo on the score. Nevertheless, should I understand this as tremolo on ...
0
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0answers
20 views
Violin - Notation for writing sliding fingers? [duplicate]
On the violin, you slide your fingers forward on a string (the D string as an example), and make a noise that sound something like this. What would be sheet music notation for writing that?
4
votes
1answer
36 views
Am I intepreting the repeat signs correctly?
So this is a pretty simple question, but I haven't found anything that looks exactly like the piece of music I'm trying to learn, so I have to ask. Am I interpreting the repeat signs in this image ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
What is a clear way to write a bar that has an extra beat?
If I have a simple 4/4 piece and at some point, for some reason, I delay the rhythm by 1 beat. How do I notate that particular irregularity on the staff?
I think having a bar with 5/4 without writing ...
4
votes
1answer
68 views
How writing a dominant 7 sus4 chord in RNA ( Vsus7 chord in the 1st inversion)
Maybe I’ve just a black out. But I wanted to notate a V7sus (inversion 1) writing a dominant 7 without the suspension of the 4th in RNA. No idea ...
g,c,d,f => c,d,f,g
7
votes
1answer
41 views
Duration of lexical directives like “dolce,” “espress.,” and “marcato?”
What is the duration of lexical directives like "dolce," "espress.," (espressivo) and "marcato" when they appear in a written score beneath a bar?
Is it until the end of the bar, for the remainder of ...
2
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5answers
121 views
Does this song have a tempo or time signature?
Does this song have a tempo or time signature ?
How do you write and play this kind of music ?
11
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1answer
384 views
Bartok - Syncopation (1): Meaning of notes in between Grand Staff
Bartok - Mikrokosmos Book 1 - 91)* Syncopation(1)
What's the meaning of the notes in between the Grand Staff?
2
votes
1answer
67 views
What is the name of the practice of rhythm being written as series of 2's and 3's?
I remember some time ago learning about traditional Irish music and how a lot of the music wasn't written with our modern time signature structure, but was instead written as a series of 2 beat / 3 ...
16
votes
1answer
1k views
What does this shorthand mean?
I was reading an article on the Internet and saw this notation:
3*3*3*3* – 4331 – tmp+3 – hp – cel/pno – cds (14/12/10/8/6)
Then, searching on Google, I could see that this is a shorthand for ...
17
votes
6answers
3k views
Why does standard notation not preserve intervals (visually)
(Disclaimer: I don't know much about music theory but ...)
The notes A, B are a whole step apart, and B, C are a semitone apart, yet their distance in standard notation is the same visually (from a ...
5
votes
2answers
333 views
Irrational meter - why the mark of a triplet in 4 half notes
Can someone please explain to me why the mark of a triplet in this 4 half notes? I understood how to play it but from what i read you can only write triplets on 3 notes like 3 eighths 3 quarters etc......
3
votes
1answer
495 views
What's the meaning of this extra rest? [duplicate]
This is the first bar of F. W. Mecham Op 92 - American Patrol
Semiquaver triplet + quaver + quaver rest + quarter rest
1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/4 = 2/4 + 1/8
...
17
votes
1answer
2k views
What does this 7 mean above the f flat
It seems to look like a fingering number but I don’t have 7 fingers and the note is already marked with a fingering number.
1
vote
4answers
271 views
Music terminology - why are seven letters used to name scale tones [duplicate]
Since the scale is logarithmic with each interval (half-step) being a constant multiple of the previous frequency, why didn't they just name the pitches A to F with each note having a half-step #/b in ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
What does this horizontal bar at the first measure mean?
I was looking at some sheet music when I came across something I am seeing for the first time. It looked like a horizontal bar on the first measure. Here is an image:
What does this bar tell you? ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
What is this type of notehead called?
I was looking through some sheet music when I came across a notehead that looked very odd. It looks like a whole note with two lines on both its sides. Here is an image of the notehead:
What is this ...
4
votes
1answer
80 views
Violin - Sheet music notation for playing the same note at the same time
On the violin you can play a double stop where you are playing 4th finger on the D string (A note) while playing the open A string. This means that you are playing the A note on both strings. How ...
3
votes
1answer
52 views
Extra beats per measure on one staff [duplicate]
I'm new to stack exchange, so here goes...
How is this possible: Some sheet music I'm trying to use, written in 6/4 time, is written for piano, and, of course, includes both treble and bass staffs. ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
What is the meaning of a broken tenuto mark? [duplicate]
A manuscript I have uses what seems to be a broken tenuto mark like this in a few places:
It's always on tremolo notes and always in a string part (violin & cello); the composer is 19th century ...
4
votes
3answers
521 views
Is divisi notation needed for brass or woodwind in an orchestra?
I'm composing for orchestra.
I've read that divisions [of parts] should be notated using divisi. (or div.) above the staff. But I'm wondering whether this notation is mandatory for all instruments.
...
-1
votes
1answer
76 views
Why is Bach's Cello Suite 1 written in 16th notes
I come from a blues/rock background and play some jazz too. Recently I started to learn Bach's cello suite 1 on bass guitar, and I am confused by the way I am supposed to feel the rhythm. If I were to ...
3
votes
1answer
45 views
Bansuri 1/2 open Ma vs full open Ma
In Bansuri notation, Ma is half open or fully open.
Which octave is half open Ma located and which octave is full open Ma located.
Or is full open Ma a special case?
Different places tell different ...
0
votes
1answer
107 views
Strange “x” in front of notehead [duplicate]
I was reading some piano sheet music and came across a type of note that looked like a sharp. Here is how it looked:
What is this type of note called? What is its pitch?
8
votes
2answers
368 views
what does the apostrophe mean in this notation?
Found this whilst reading some basic theory on wikipedia, but am trying to figure out what the supposed meaning is.
example: b-c' kleine secunde 16:15
source: Wikipedia link with interval table ( ...
6
votes
1answer
393 views
What is this musical symbol?
First I thought it was a weird flat sign, but when I played the score it sounded odd. It looks a bit like a natural sign.
Here's the whole measure:
0
votes
2answers
55 views
Nature 'composing' music? [closed]
Many of you may be familiar with the interesting musical piece, Birds on The Wires, created jointly by Jarbas Agnalli (arrangement), Paulo Pinto (photogrpaher), and birds (notes?) about 10 years ago.
...
12
votes
3answers
991 views
What's the “normal” opposite of flautando?
I'm writing a piece in which I need string instruments to switch regularly between flautando and normal timbre. How do I denote this? Basically, I need a word which means "normal" with regard to where ...
3
votes
4answers
239 views
What does a half note followed by three dots mean?
While I was reading some sheet music I had gotten, I crossed a half note with three dots after it. What is this called? How many beats does it get (4/4)?
19
votes
1answer
1k views
In Diabelli's “Duet in D” for piano, what are these brackets on chords that look like vertical slurs?
While working through 'Duet in D' for piano, by A. Diabelli, I came across this unfamiliar notation that looks like a slur between two notes of the same chord or some kind of bracket (see below). ...
5
votes
2answers
65 views
Notation for noise/random tempo changes
I'm working on a piece where I'd like the violins to play pizzicato notes as a background noise. However, I'd like to restrict the notes to Cm, but let chaos/noise arise through random durations and ...
6
votes
3answers
132 views
How should I play strikethrough notes?
I'm currently practicing Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor. In my Edition at the last page, in the sixth last bar, there are some strikethrough notes:
How should I play them? I have never seen them ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
How to play this on violin?
I'm not able to find clear answers to this on the internet. There are multiple slur marks on the notes. One slur for the first 7 notes. But another marking says to slur the first 14 notes. And yet ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
How do you denote a multi-bar repetition in one hand for piano in Musescore 3?
The title already gives my question away.
The background is as follows. Imagine having a 4 bar pattern with your left hand, which repeats through your entire song and your right hand does whatever it ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
How can I construct the E7 only with theory?
I have a hard time with the following description of what a E7 consists of:
What does the intervall relate to here? I try to apply it to the Notes (Töne) above it (E B d gis b e`) but that can't fit....
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Notes value surpass the time signature of 4/4
I'm playing on an acoustic guitar.
I've just started learning notes notation and I can't understand how this should be played, as the value of notes seems to be larger than the 4/4 rhythm.
From what ...
3
votes
1answer
55 views
Why do Coda and Segno has symbols, while the jumps to them is always spelled with letters?
Segno has the symbol 𝄋 and Coda has the symbol 𝄌. Ok, barely visible, but I thought it was funny that unicode symbols for these actually exist.
But as far as I know, there are no symbols for D.C., ...
2
votes
3answers
70 views
How to denote a volta that should only be used after jump back to Segno?
I have an arrangement which looks a bit like this:
It describes the idea. First is an intro, and then we play bar 2-5 twice and then jumps to bar 9. When we reach DS. al Coda, we jump back to Segno ...
