Time Value for Chord Symbols

[rrayner]

Originally Posted by Sherry C

Hi Ralph,
Would it be suitable to write the staff as a percussion staff, using one of the "other" notehead types? I've seen that used occasionally, though not as often as the slash-rhythm that you're referring to. The notes would need to have a velocity of 0.
Sherry

Hi Sherry and All,

I have been wrestling with this topic for a long time. Finally, something Sherry mentioned popped into my head, referring to "other" noteheads in a percussion staff. In the attached 8-measure sample, I am still using the piano staff instead of a percussion staff, but I have put quarter notes (note velocity = 1) where I want the slashes, and then shown four different noteheads (2 measures apiece) that I might use to instead of text slashes. I also tried the x notehead, but that really made the piano part look like a drum part, so I tried the other four.

For those of you who, in a performance situation, have ever read handwritten parts for piano, bass or guitar that had chord symbols with slashes under them to indicate how many beats a particular chord gets, would you please weigh in with your opinion on which substitute notehead you would think best (or least distracting) to replace slashes in this situation?

Note: One MAJOR benefit to using this approach is that measures containing this kind of notation do not get compressed when compressing measures of rest (qcmr command). Measures with text slashes and hidden rests look AWFUL when compressed.

Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks!

Ralph Rayner

[Sherry C]

Hi Ralph,

For myself as a bass and guitar player who has to improv over chords and have used the "timed slashes", I think I would find the triangle heads the easiest to go with. There is no mistaking them for a "regular" open head note (half-note), and they don't have the "I wonder if that's supposed to be hammer-on or other percussive technique?" feel to them like the + or the x has in my mind.

YMMV

ttfn,
Sherry

[rrayner]

Thanks, Sherry. I see your point. I had been leaning toward the box notehead, but that looks like a square half-note and there are places within piano, bass and guitar parts that I write that will have "play as written" sections, so it will probably be a good idea to avoid the box notehead. Thanks for weighing in.

Ralph