violin music

[Chris Clemens]

Hi,

I am not sure how to transcribe some of the notations is the attached file.

1. In measure 0 and 1, there are small notes under the staff, is it a suggestion of playing different values for the same notes? Should I transcribe those small notes in footnote format?

2. In measure 3, there are dotted slurs which connect notes at different side of an in-chord. How should it be transcribed?

Thank you.

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[Chris Clemens]

1. You are correct; the small notes are editorial comments that should be given in a footnote.
2. You can use the "dotted-line slur" (dots 5, 456, 14) in Table 12 of the code. To be very clear, I would show it in both places: before the eighth notes in the upper part and after the half notes in the lower part. Be comforted by the fact that this marking will be as unusual to a sighted reader as to the braille reader.

Larry

[Chris Clemens]

I encountered another case, this time the dotted slur covers 6 notes, I assume that double slur opening sign (dots 5, 456, 14, 14) and double slur closing sign (dots 5, 456, 14) can be used. Will the editorial marking sign also work with bracket slur? (dots 5, 456, 56, 23) for opening and (dots 5, 456, 45, 23) for closing?

Example 27-13 on page 377, ("Introduction to Braille Music Transcription" book, , "A slur between in-accord parts" section) the slur sign is (dots 46, 456), but in Table 12, "slur from another in-accord part" sign is (dots 46, 456, 14). Are "a slur between in-accord parts" and "slur from another in-accord part" the same thing? Is there an example for "slur from another in-accord part"?

One more question, are octave marks needed at the beginning of measure 2, 3, and 4? because they follow an in-accord measure?

[Chris Clemens]

You can always use the opening and closing double slurs. There is no provision for a similar usage with bracket slurs.

Look out for that (B) part of Table 12; stay away from it. Those signs are not for current transcribers to use; they are there as a reference for readers who may encounter them in earlier formats.

Yes, an octave mark is needed for the first note of any measure that follows an in-accord measure.

Larry

[Chris Clemens]

Hi Larry,
In the attached file, there are 2 measures and how we transcribed them. We thought we followed the code, but we had a hard time to convert it back to the music scores. Did we do something wrong?
Thank you for your help

[Chris Clemens]

I think you transcribed the music correctly. The difficulty is that this heavily edited score includes some notation that is not standard music notation. The dotted slurs that do not agree with the rhythmic values, and the "=1" fingering indications are two good examples.

I have now changed my mind about how best to handle the dotted slurs, which are really the editor's recommended alternate bowing. I think they should be described in a TN and not included in the music line. I'd put an asterisk before the first note included in the slur (the half-note A), and put a TN at the bottom of the page that says "A dotted-line slur extends from the half-note A to the eighth-note D in the upper voice. A similar dotted-line slur extends from the half-note F to the eighth-note G. in measure 2 dotted slurs connect the half-note G to the sixteenth-note G and the half-note B to the sixteenth-note G." That way the notes and their values are not interrupted by the unwieldy special slur markings, and the interpretation of the slurs is left to the player, as it is in the print.

I believe the equal signs should be omitted from the fingerings (but the fingerings must be included in the music) because they simply indicate that the player is to substitute the first finger for the finger that is used for the previous (same) pitch.

This all brings up a very large dilemma. Bettye Krolick, who was a professional violinist, said flatly that string music of some degree of complexity should only be transcribed by a string player. The difficulty is that since Bettye is no longer able to transcribe music, I do not know of any certified transcriber who is also an advanced string player. We must not tell string players that they cannot get their music transcribed, so we must step in and do the best we can. As a composer, I studied string music notation fairly thoroughly, but only standard practices. If you can find a violin teacher to explain the things you do not recognize, that is the best way to proceed.

I do not recognize you from your email name but I may know you. Please email me off this website and perhaps I can give you some more personal help. My email address is published in the NBA Bulletin.

Larry

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