Sheet Music What Does This Musical Notation Mark Represent ?

[rhysonsax]

Here is a nice recording by Canadian Brass (quintet) of an arrangement of St Louis Blues, done for them by Luther Henderson. It has the score on screen and it seems to be aimed at "classical" musicians, in that the swing is written out (dotted eighth note and sixteenth note) and there are way more articulation markings than jazz musicians would usually see.

One mark in particular appears a few times and I am not sure what it is called or what it means. It is a sort of up and down zig zag between two notes of the same pitch, for instance in the first full bar of the trumpet 2 part.

View: https://youtu.be/UyFuzD_SO-w?si=8Cytft0e2Pcvt0h8


It looks a bit like a "turn" but isn't played that way. It seems to be played as a slight scoop up to the second note. I have seen that type of thing in jazz scores marked with a "U" mark between the two notes or a "scoop" line up to the second note.

Rhys

 

[Pete Effamy]

It’s as you describe - 2nd note being scooped. Never seen the symbol before: I think it has been used because the arranger thinks it looks descriptive.

 

[Taragot]

...never seen that symbol either. Seems to indicate something like " add crazy bendings, scoops, flattertounge, whatever, make it sound like this jazzy jungle sound you've propably read before"

 

[Pete Thomas]

I have seen that type of thing in jazz scores marked with a "U" mark between the two notes

I would notate something like that, a U shape but shallower. Often you'd also have mute wah wah.

It's not a great score in that the accents with tenuto marks are unnecessary clutter. They are in fact long accents, ie a V on its side > . This implies tenuto so the tenuto mark _ is not needed. But the notes aren't accented anyway so what the ...?

Also the actual mute needed for the trumpet should be specified. OTOH if you are trumpet player familiar with the genre you'd know the tune and wouldn't need to read it so even if the mute was specified, the mute is in fact moot.

 

[rhysonsax]

And then there is the double articulation marking on two instruments at letter A where players are instructed to play both short (dot) and long (horizontal line). This one is seen quite often in some scores but always confuses me. I call it "shlong" which at least amuses me.

Rhys

 

[Tenor Viol]

And then there is the double articulation marking on two instruments at letter A where players are instructed to play both short (dot) and long (horizontal line). This one is seen quite often in some scores but always confuses me. I call it "shlong" which at least amuses me.

Rhys

It's a very "C20th" mark which Elgar was fond of aka tenuto-staccato. What it's saying is "I want some daylight between the notes but don't shorten too much", i.e. not by the amount you would for a standard staccato.

 

[hedgehog]

the mute is in fact moot.

 

[rhysonsax]

It's a very "C20th" mark which Elgar was fond of aka tenuto-staccato. What it's saying is "I want some daylight between the notes but don't shorten too much", i.e. not by the amount you would for a standard staccato.

Interesting - how would that differ from a note with no marking at all ?

Rhys

 

[Taragot]

It is somehow more special than a note without any markings.
But I am guilty of using this combination of tenuto and staccato before, too.
As a kind of a soft accent or so.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Interesting - how would that differ from a note with no marking at all ?

Rhys

With no markings notes should sound articulated but have no discernible gap. Legato tongued.
I take the dot under a tenuto merely to mean that notes are given a little space between them, unlike staccato which would usually mean 50% sound and 50% silence of the written note values.

 

[rhysonsax]

With no markings notes should sound articulated but have no discernible gap. Legato tongued.
I take the dot under a tenuto merely to mean that notes are given a little space between them, unlike staccato which would usually mean 50% sound and 50% silence of the written note values.

This is probably a silly question, but in terms of sound duration what %age of the time value would one interpret ?

• Dot (staccato) alone
• Dot and tenuto line
• No marking
• Tenuto line alone

And do the dot and/or tenuto line mean anything in terms of attack / emphasis ?

Presumably these questions should have an agreed answer, as there must be rules (or at least conventions) for computers to interpret notation (e.g. Midi or sample playback of scores).

Rhys

 

[Pete Thomas]

This is probably a silly question, but in terms of sound duration what %age of the time value would one interpret ?

Not as silly as the way some of these markings get used. This is my take:

• Dot (staccato) alone - approx half the length of the written note.
• Dot and tenuto line - a but longer than staccato but shorter than full length. Pointless in some cases e.g. on a 1/16 note.
• No marking - full length.
• Tenuto line alone - full length (a bit pointless if you ask me)