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.
1,280
questions
4
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1answer
73 views
What does /17 mean on a guitar tablature?
The song (or at least the 1st melody part) goes like this:
D|-------------|-------------|-------------|/15----------|
A|-------------|-13----------|/17------13--|-------------|
F|---------12--|---...
7
votes
2answers
272 views
Bracket symbol added to G clef
What does the symbol mean that is added to the clef in the Tenor voice in Poulenc’s Mass in G Major? It has a similar shape to an old C clef, but it is added to the existing G clef.
4
votes
3answers
265 views
Are extended chords assumed to have each extended interval below it and a 7th? [duplicate]
For instance, is a 13th chord assumed to have an 11th, 9th, 7th, 5th and 3rd along with it unless otherwise noted? And a 9th is assumed to have a 7th along with the triad, an 11th is assumed to have a ...
1
vote
3answers
60 views
Ties over some notes in beamed group, and stems in both directions
I am having trouble interpreting the ties in the following picture. It looks like the first four notes in the left hand are just playing eighth notes G, F, C, D. Why do we need ties and those weird ...
21
votes
3answers
3k views
What do these three diagonal lines that cross through three measures and both staves mean, and what are they called?
I think they indicate that you repeat the previous three measures, but I'm not entirely sure.
6
votes
2answers
128 views
Letters m, n and v above roman numerals in functional harmony notation
I'm reading a functional harmony textbook and found the notation in the following passage confusing:
Consecutive VI and VII degrees in melody are harmonised with chords IV-VII6 (in minor: IVm-VII6) ...
2
votes
0answers
76 views
Rehearsal Letters: Skipping I, J, O?
Sometimes in orchestral scores, rehearsal letters I, J, or O may be skipped. For example, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 does not have a rehearsal letter J. What is the reason?
3
votes
3answers
91 views
Is there a way to notate octaves for chords?
Say I wanted someone to play a C major triad in the 4th octave at one point in a song I've written, while I wanted them to play the same chord (a C major triad) in the 5th octave instead of the 4th at ...
0
votes
3answers
134 views
Formula for finding relative chords/scales of the same notes
Is there a way to quickly calculate relative/enharmonic chords or scales that are based off the same notes as another, like you can with the notes themselves, i.e. C being equivalent to A minor? For ...
3
votes
3answers
89 views
Markings and symbols in Paganini violin compositions
In a lot of Paganini's violin compositions, there are bolded but sometimes not bolded capital letters like A, B, and C. I look at the note that it is above and it doesn't click for me. In Nel cor piu ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
Identifying piano notation symbol in Chopin Mazurka
I'm trying to identify what this symbol is (circled in pencil) in the sheet music for Mazurka no.4 op.17 by Chopin. It looks like two connected diamond shapes, and I can't find an explanation of it ...
5
votes
1answer
738 views
How do I use efficient repeats in sheets for pop music?
I'm transcribing some music with the following structure:
Intro AB AC AB AC Outro
How in the world can I notate this with repeats and codas? Do I just have to write it all out? I'm using Musescore.
4
votes
1answer
84 views
What was the shortest note length commonly used during baroque period?
Eighth and sixteenth notes were obviously common enough. I've also seen some examples of 1/32 and 1/64 (link). Were 1/32 and 1/64 used frequently? And what was the shortest note length commonly used ...
4
votes
1answer
70 views
What does a small slash through a line on the staff mean?
The slash mark is shown multiple times in the piece, and it’s not just shown on the top line. The slash goes between notes and on any of the staff lines. I just want to know what it signifies.
1
vote
2answers
100 views
Is 1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a timing notation commonly used and understood?
I've found "1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a" notation is often used to describe ballroom step timing, but I've not found any authoritative source for it. It even looks like a recent invention for the ...
14
votes
1answer
2k views
What do these symbols mean?
This is part of Hasse's "Mea Tormenta, Properate".
I think the one on the second staff is some sort of repeat sign, from the research I've been able to do, but I have no idea what the one on the ...
3
votes
3answers
90 views
Do I change the key signature or add accidentals for a section in a different key?
I am composing a piano piece that starts out in G# minor (which is the set key) and later on I have a section that goes into E major. For that section, do I simply just change the key signature, or ...
4
votes
4answers
84 views
5/7b in figured bass
What does 5/7b mean in figured bass?
If it is just a 7th chord in root position, then why is it not just 7b?
In other places in the same score, 7 or 7b are used to denote a 7th chord.
Here is the ...
6
votes
2answers
72 views
Would an accidental in a mordant still be effective for the whole measure?
This is from Bach's Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue:
This would obviously be played D, C#, D. Let's say that there was a C on the same octave later in that measure. Would the C be sharp?
7
votes
3answers
354 views
Accidentals and ties [duplicate]
There are two specific situations I'm interested in.
note with accidental tied into next bar (G♯ say, in key C) and in the next bar the ♯ is repeated on the note at the end of the tie. ...
3
votes
2answers
56 views
Figured bass and ties
How does one play figured bass when the bass line contains ties?
For example, here are the first three measures of Vivaldi's "Filiae maestae Jerusalem" (sheet music source).
Do I understand ...
8
votes
1answer
672 views
Why use cross notes in sheet music for hip hop tracks?
This is an excerpt from the sheet music for a song by Eminem. What do the cross notes mean, and what is their purpose? Why not use normal notes? (I see this frequently in hip-hop sheet music.)
5
votes
2answers
86 views
What is the point of repeating the same dynamic mark?
See this video
The audio is the orchestral version of Shosty 7, but the video shows a two piano arrangement, which is what the question is about. If you look at 1:06:...
4
votes
2answers
82 views
Notation for strumming piano strings
At this piece of mine, I have the pianist (at an upright piano, with the front lid removed) at a certain point holding down a chord with his left hand and with his right hand strumming the strings of ...
3
votes
1answer
78 views
Quintuplet over 3/16th
For quintuplets over 4/16th notes I can use 16th note quintuplet. For quintuplets over 2/16th notes I can use 32nd note quintuplet.
Is there any notation for quintuplets over 3/16th notes?
Imagine ...
3
votes
3answers
80 views
Rhythm non-standard notation
I have read this paragraph a couple of times, but I haven't really had a light bulb moment.
My interpretation is that the upper example wants one to play
In bar 1: four beats of ones own choosing
...
3
votes
4answers
114 views
Are there any simple ways to improve the sound quality of songs I made in MuseScore?
I have composed several tracks using MuseScore. I exported these as MIDIs and played them on my phone to my friend. His comment was: "It sounds like the music from an old computer game like Super ...
8
votes
2answers
105 views
Piano Pedal Notation P, Pw, with and without *
I'm transcribing a piano reduction of Suppé's Light Cavalry into MuseScore.
This particular score has pedal notation P. *, Pw. *, and then some parts where there's no *. I'm assuming (perhaps ...
2
votes
0answers
27 views
How do you play the triplets in Chopin's prelude no 4 in e minor? [duplicate]
I'm learning Chopin's prelude no 4 in e minor and have a question about the sheet music:
In the first and seventh measure in the picture, there is a 3 under the c and e respectively. Previously I ...
4
votes
1answer
49 views
How to transition between notes in Bansuri
Ok, at this point, I am teaching myself Bansuri (A Scale) by playing simple tunes 10-15 min a day (totally swamped nowadays)
Playing Om Jai Jagdish Hare it quite straightforward (plus I am familiar ...
2
votes
2answers
91 views
Why is there a natural symbol on the second note? [duplicate]
Just begining to learn to read musical scores. I don't understand why there is a natural on the second note of the 9th measure, since there is no previous sharp or flat?
I assume the natural in the ...
8
votes
2answers
413 views
Rests in pickup measure (anacrusis)
Which of the following examples is correct?
I know that in regular measures you can use the whole rest to indicate a complete measure of rest in any time signature, but does that also apply to a ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
GuitarPro Notes Displaying One Octave Too Low
I have been using the software GuitarPro, and the file I am working in has suddenly begin displaying the notes one octave too low. In short, it acts as if 8va is on, even though it isn't.
Everything ...
3
votes
0answers
54 views
What is a good app, software or other efficient method to type out staff notations? [closed]
I’m asking for suggestions and recommendations from music theory educators who often need to prepare music lesson notes and set tests that will require a lot of staff notation images, for e.g. an ...
7
votes
0answers
68 views
Baroque notation question
Here's a snippet from a 1624 facsimile of Juan Arañés' "Libro Segundo de Tonos y Villancicos".
This is a rather syncopated, lively song, with a time signature of C3.
Note values seem to be ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
The metre/rhythm of classical guitar piece “Recuerdos de la Alhambra”
In all sheets I can find the famous piece "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" for classical guitar (see these search results) is written in 3/4. But in some way I hear it most of the time as a 4/4 with a 2/4; ...
24
votes
7answers
4k views
Is it true that cut time means “play twice as fast as written”?
I was just reading an e-book and saw this sentence which really confused me:
"Played twice as fast as written" - This isn't what cut time actually means right, or are there situations where cut time ...
2
votes
1answer
45 views
Grace notes at beginning of “A Media Luz”
I'm trying to transcribe some part of "A media luz" from this video.
Here it is what I did:
I'm wondering if there is an alternative way to notate the first four notes. Could I use graces notes or ...
5
votes
1answer
117 views
What are the notes on this instrument? [duplicate]
I happen to have what I believe is called a bansuri. It seems to be of Chinese or Indian origin from what I can find out on Google, but I don't seem to be able to find note equivalents for it in a ...
3
votes
4answers
152 views
How does the staff work above/below the main lines?
With a G clef the pattern seems to be A B C D E F G repeated. Does it repeat for all octaves above/below the main lines as well? Is it the same pattern of semitones added recursively or how does it ...
13
votes
2answers
913 views
What does this 'x' mean on the stem of the voice's note, above the notehead?
I was looking at the score for Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire (On Youtube), and on the voice staff none of the notes are connected with each other and they have this x or * on their stem:
What ...
7
votes
2answers
805 views
What's the name for when you write multiple voices on same staff? And are there any cons?
When I transcribe music for piano I always use the grand staff and notate the left hand (which often is the bass voice) on the lower staff, everything else on the upper one. When I do it for a guitar ...
1
vote
2answers
115 views
Guiro part notation using cross notes
Here's a picture of a Guiro part in drum notation:
In a Guiro part, what does it mean when there are cross notes? I've seen other Guiro parts elsewhere that use the same line placement but with ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Should these notes be played as a chord or one after another?
A fairly basic sight reading question coming up... Are these notes (highlighted) intended to be played as a single chord or one after the other? They are so close together that they could be played as ...
1
vote
3answers
97 views
Quick conversion between concert pitch and written notes
I've always been intrigued/annoyed/interested by the nature of transposing instruments, and specifically, recently I've been getting into discussions with my saxophonist friends. Lately, I've found ...
4
votes
1answer
122 views
Is it common to combine multiple voices in one piano staff, even if they don't fit the time signature?
I'm a beginner/intermediate sheet reader and struggling a bit with a current piano piece ("He sleeps" from Pretty Woman). The only arrangement I could find uses a notation which makes it hard to ...
0
votes
0answers
69 views
A repeat barline in the middle of a tie
How would I play a tie when a barline is in the middle of it? Here is an example:
In the picture, there is a tie, which has a repeat sign in the middle. When I play the repeat inside of the repeat, ...
3
votes
2answers
170 views
Understanding ties
I'm rather new to playing the piano and reading sheet music. Because of this fact I want make sure that I understand this correctly and have been doing it right.
Does the tie in the second measure ...
2
votes
1answer
45 views
Is there a naming convention for open chords?
I am studying a guitar piece where an F# minor chord is spelled as F# / C# / A (R / P5 / m3) over strings 5, 3 and 2.
I found out that chords spanning over more than a octave are called open chords (...
15
votes
1answer
2k views
What does this wavy downward arrow preceding a piano chord mean?
I started to play this piece today, & I came across this symbol (wavy arrow pointing downwards in treble clef). I have never seen it before in any piece, nor did I read about it in music theory so ...
