Download WANTED: MUSICAL DETAILS!

WANTED: MUSICAL DETAILS!
“Music is not just the black dots on the white paper. Music is what happens when
those black dots go into your heart, and come out again.” -Philip Smith
Music is full of details. It’s not enough for a musician to play “just the notes.”
Imagine going to see a play and the actors and actresses just stood there and read
the words to their script; you would quickly become bored. A musician is a
messenger or communicator of music. Your job is to “read around the notes” and
share the composer’s ideas with the audience. After all, why would a composer
write in a “sforzando” dynamic marking if he did want a dramatic change in volume?
The purpose of writing down music is to allow us to recreate a song that
someone hears in their imagination. To produce the song, every last detail is
important. We need to make our “physical instrument” create the sound that we
hear our “mental instrument” playing.
The guideline that follows will help you discover many of the details in your
music. It is through identifying and bringing to life these details that help us play
expressively.
Say this simple sentence three different ways: “I have to go to the mall.”
Maybe it’s just a statement that you’re going to the mall, maybe you’re irritated
that you have to go, or maybe you’re upset that you have to go. Listen to the
emphasis and inflection in your voice. It’s still the same 7 words each time you say
the sentence but the affect and meaning is very different. Think about this: there
are only 12 different sounding notes that composers can choose from - C, C#/Db,
D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, B. They have to create their songs
by arranging these notes in different octaves and setting them to different
rhythms and volumes.
Now get searching for those details and bring the composer’s thoughts to the
audience!
SPOTTING THE MUSICAL DETAILS!
CATEGORY
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Key Signature

Identify the sharps or flats.

What is the concert key?

What key is your instrument playing in?
Time Signature

How many beats are in the measure? Check the top number.

Which note gets the beat? Check the bottom number. 4 = quarter note, 2 =
half note, 8 = eighth note.
Tempo (Speed)

Presto (very fast), Allegro (fast), Moderato (medium), Andante (medium slow
or walking speed), Adagio (slow), Largo (very slow)

Rallentando or Ritardando (rall. or rit.- gradually get slower), Accelerando
(accel. - gradually get faster), A Tempo (return to the original speed)
Form (Road Map)

Repeat signs, 1. & 2. endings

D.C. (da capo - from the top), D.S. (dal segno - from the sign), Coda (ending),
D.C. al Fine (from the top and play to the end), D.S. al Coda (from the sign
and play to the coda)
Where do I need to look up and watch the conductor?

Tempo changes

During rests

Fermata (bird’s eye)

Caesura (railroad tracks)

Tricky spots

When I’m unsure
RHYTHM
Find the downbeats

Downbeats are the pillars or check points within the measure.
Look for patterns
Identify syncopation

Notes falling on a beat or subdivision that is not usually emphasized.
Look for pick up notes
NOTES
Recognize patterns that are based on scales (winds) or rudiments (percussion).

Major

Minor (natural, harmonic, melodic)

Blues (1, b3, 4, #4, 5, b7, 8)

Chromatic (half steps)

Rolls: long (open and closed), 5/7/9/-stroke; flam, drag, ruff, paradiddle
If you see a note you’re not familiar with, think about enharmonics to help quickly
identify the fingering.

Two notes that are spelled differently but sound the same.

e.g. A# = Bb, Gb = F#, Cb = B, Fb = E
Check for accidentals (naturals, flats, sharps that are not in the key signature)

Rule - Accidentals carry through the measure!

Beware - Accidentals can be tied over the barline into the next measure.
DYNAMICS
Can be written in words & symbols

cresc. = crescendo (get louder), decresc. = decrescendo & dim. = diminuendo
(get softer)

softest - pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff - strongest
Hint - Check the style: all dynamic levels are relative to the piece.
Can be sudden or gradual

subito = suddenly (subito piano = suddenly soft)

poco a poco = little by little (cres. poco a poco = get louder little by little)
Exaggerate so we can hear the differences!

Always have control of your tone and never play “blastissimo.” Remember,
“mp” does not stand for “mighty powerful.”
ARTICULATIONS
Where do you tongue and slur?

Tip - A repeated note under a slur is legato tongued.
Hint - Notice the style: all articulations are relative to the piece.
Special Markings

accent > (stronger attack to bring the note out, like an exclamation point!)

cap ^ (stronger,sharper accent)

staccato . (separated, detached)

tenuto _ (slight emphasis, full-length note)

legato (long, smooth)

sf (sforzando - forte/strong accent)

sfz (sforzato - very strong accent)

fp (fortepiano - strong attack, immediately get soft)
STYLE
Check the tempo and additional performance directions

Animato (animated), Bold, Cantabile (singing style), Dolce (sweetly), Con
Energico (with energy), Con Espressivo (with expression), Fuoco (energy, fire,
passion), Light, Maestoso (majestic), Simile (the same), Con Spirito (with
spirit), Vigor (vigerously)
Do you know this piece?

Background information? Historical context? Does it depict a character or
event (program music)?
Do you know the composer?

When he lived? Where he lived? What else he wrote?
PHRASING
Identify phrases to play with emotion.

A phrase is musical sentence.

Figure out a musically appropriate place to breathe before you play.

Breathe after a phrase.

Shape the phrase by finding the beginning, climax (high point), and ending.

Never breathe before the last note of a crescendo; it disrupts the energy of
the line.

Be gentle with the last note of a phrase in a legato section - taper it.

Listen closely to make sure you’re not chopping off the last note of a phrase.
Finish the phrase before you breathe.

Take care that high notes do not screech and low notes do not blat - cover
them.

If you’re playing a melody that has words, sing it! And think of them as you
play. This will help you shape the line and breathe in an appropriate spot.
HOW DO I MARK MY
MUSIC?
However it makes since
to you! To the right are
some standard ways to
mark music.

Circle or highlight words, articulations and dynamics. Use different colored
highlighters and colored pencils to color code markings. e.g. accelerando in
green and diminuendo in red.

DO NOT circle notes that have a sharp or flat in the key signature. Instead,
write in the symbol - flat, sharp or natural. Why? As you play more advanced
music you will have trouble remembering all of the accidentals and the reason
you circled a note.

No breath: Write “NB” between the measures and draw an arrow across the
measures to indicate, “Keep going  no breath!”

Breath mark: draw a ’ between notes

Cover this note so it doesn’t stick out: Draw a half circle over the note to “hold
down the volume.”

LOOK! Watch! Draw eye-glasses. Add eyeballs to make them fancy.

Tricky counting? Write in where the beats fall or put slashes over the
downbeats so they are easily spotted.

Musical term in a foreign language? Look it up and write in the definition.

Write in cues over a line so you know who you are playing with and you can
listen for them. e.g. “with clarinets” or “same rhythm as percussion”

Draw arrows when your part jumps around to guide your eyes or write (e.g.)
“go back to measure 9.”

Circle a group of notes that are tricky so you can work on them alone in a
small chunk. Include the downbeat of the next section.

Reminder - Always mark in pencil so you can erase things when you no
longer need the reminder. An erasable pen is not a pencil.

Questions? If you come across anything in your music that you’re not sure of
mark it so you remember to LOOK IT UP! Be curious and ask questions!
©2009 Kevin Donegan