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3 votes

What is this notation that looks like a hat above the stave?

It's a 2-beat, minim rest, aka half rest. We're used to seeing it within the stave. I imagine a minim mouse sitting on the line to help me distinguish the rest from a whole (four beat) rest which ...
Brian THOMAS's user avatar
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3 votes
Accepted

Paganini's Cantabile for violin and guitar in D - clarification on the notation

Those are fermatas, and they indicate to hold the note longer than the given duration. There’s no defined length, but 1.5x the given duration is a frequently suggested rule of thumb. They create a ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
3 votes

How to make actually minimal page breaking in LilyPond

Spacing is an incredibly complex thing. If you look at your example you will see that it fits only because by a chance of luck the Lyrics do not collide with the stems above, so the systems can ...
Lazy's user avatar
  • 18.7k
11 votes

What does this flat symbol over a turn mean?

Accidental written above the turn symbol affects the upper note of the turn (which indeed is the first one for a regular turn), so (assuming the key of C major an no accidentals earlier in this ...
user1079505's user avatar
  • 15.9k
12 votes

Why do conductors use transposed scores vs. concert scores?

Why do conductors use transposed scores vs. concert scores? They don't always. They use what's available. Some pieces are published as transposing scores and others as concert pitch scores. I'm ...
phoog's user avatar
  • 20.4k
7 votes

Why do conductors use transposed scores vs. concert scores?

In this way, the conductor is looking at each individual part in the same way that instrument sees it. For a trained/experienced conductor, the transpositions become second nature.
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
2 votes

questions about some direction markings in Chopin's op 28 no 6, prelude in B minor

With the caveat that in Chopin most all markings are open to the performer's interpretation ... Sotto voce applies to the right hand, which should be quiet, as the left hand has the melody. The ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
7 votes

Strange cymbals notation in The Free Lance March

Note: this answer uses the ABC notation to show some examples, but there may be some browser issues (like this); try to force refresh the page (if you're on Chrome, use CtrlF5 or ⌘⇧R on macOS) to see ...
musicamante's user avatar
  • 6,013
2 votes

Strange cymbals notation in The Free Lance March

Assuming you're using a pair of cymbals. Where there is a tie across, crash on the first dot, let ring, then crash again on the tied note, thus giving an accent. Where there is simply a note with a ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 190k
2 votes

Strange cymbals notation in The Free Lance March

The part doesn't make a lot of sense, and it's nothing like what Sousa wrote. It's only a march and you can very probably get away with playing it something like Sousa's original (listen to the way ...
PiedPiper's user avatar
  • 19.5k
3 votes

Strange cymbals notation in The Free Lance March

The cymbal should be damped at the time of the first rest following the given note duration. "Ch." is used when the cymbal note is followed by another cymbal note rather than a rest, and the ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
4 votes

Why is my bass clef inverted?

That's common in old scores. I am quite sure I saw it on 19th century orchestra scores, although I cannot state one in particular. Wikipedia has the answer. Check Wikipedia's page on clefs, there is a ...
Jean-Armand Moroni's user avatar
2 votes

Can (Dal) Segno and (Dal) Segno Segno appear on the same bar?

Are you stuck with using Guitar Pro as your notation program? What you showed us is impossible to sightread. It could be acceptable as a 'reference guide' to a song where the player has previously ...
Laurence's user avatar
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2 votes
Accepted

Can (Dal) Segno and (Dal) Segno Segno appear on the same bar?

The double D.S. is confusing. The first thing the player sees at M.15 is "D.S.S. al coda". They take that and go to the coda, so they never reach the second D.S. See my answer to your ...
PiedPiper's user avatar
  • 19.5k
1 vote
Accepted

How to notate two nested repeat loops (||: and :||) that finish on the same repeat finish sign :||?

It's easy to write this in a way that a human player can read (and at least some notation programs, for example Finale). The repeat in measure 15 is ambiguous. Leave it out and write "2x D.S. (...
PiedPiper's user avatar
  • 19.5k
-1 votes

Can (Dal) Segno and (Dal) Segno Segno appear on the same bar?

This should be fine, especially once explained. Bar 15 should have a thin double barline for clarity.
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
0 votes

How to notate two nested repeat loops (||: and :||) that finish on the same repeat finish sign :||?

There is no way to unambiguously specify what you want without either adding text instructions or adding at least some more music to the score. You could add third and fourth time bars to the end of ...
Peter's user avatar
  • 1,231
1 vote

How to notate two nested repeat loops (||: and :||) that finish on the same repeat finish sign :||?

The simplest solution would be to include a note at the beginning of the A section to the effect of "Play A B A B A; take all repeats." However, since the score must work both written and ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
5 votes

Staff text positioning

According to the Schirmer Manual of Style ([bracketed] addition mine): Any text relating to tempo or its alteration goes above the staff (Allegro, ritard., freely, etc.). Bowing and mute indications ...
the-baby-is-you's user avatar
4 votes

Staff text positioning

Use staff text above the upper staff. That's the standard placement for this type of instruction.
Aaron's user avatar
  • 82.3k
0 votes

Is 5/4 simple or compound?

Simple VS Compound simply refers to whether what is considered a beat in the time signature has a dot or not. Seeing as both 5 time and 7 time has beats without dots it would be simple time. If you ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
  • 14.8k
0 votes

Is 5/4 simple or compound?

Perhaps the easiest way to think about meters - 5/4 or any other - is, that there "is no meter". If you haven't downvoted already and you are still with me let me explain: music happens in a ...
bakunin's user avatar
  • 307
1 vote

What is the best way get rhythm section notation (rhythmic notation, kicks over time, and slash notation) to display in LilyPond / Frescobaldi?

One more way to get rhythmic slash notation is to use \improvisationOn toml4 toml toml toml \improvisationOff What remains here is to remove the stems using \hide Stem (or perhaps there is an easier ...
Alen Siljak's user avatar
  • 1,174
1 vote
Accepted

Standard notation for left hand bars/barres on guitar when playing natural harmonics in a single fret and using a single left hand finger

Unfortunately, I have impression that notation of classical guitar harmonics is not very well standardized. In particular, reading artificial harmonics is sometimes a bit of a riddle. But I don't see ...
user1079505's user avatar
  • 15.9k
0 votes

Why transpose at the octave?

This seems terribly confusing. Why not use another clef symbol, one that unambiguously indicates the correct octave? This is only your opinion, or guess. What you are proposing is replacing one set ...
Kaz's user avatar
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