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Topic: A question about sheet music! (Read 4976 times) previous topic - next topic

A question about sheet music!

I know this isn't a Noteworthy problem specifically, but it concerns midi-sequencing in general, and I'm sure some NWC users have been in the same position. I'm creating files from sheet music on a daily basis, all types, and from music that's often dozens of years old! I'm having quite a lot of trouble being able to differentiate "tie" marks from "slur" marks when the 2 notes are the same pitch. This happens more than you think, and because I've seen a few pieces of music under different publishers, I know the notation differs by printer/publisher. How can I tell what was intended, if it's a piece I've not heard before? Thanks.

Re: A question about sheet music!

Reply #1 –
Well... a slur for 2 notes that are of the same pitch is found in choral music, mostly? If so, the lyrics will tell you what is a slur and what is a tie. Having said that, sometimes the verses (or translations!) do not agree on the number of syllables, so that a half for verse 1 corresponds to two quarters in the second verse!

Don't know about the tie/slur difference (if it exists or not) in orchestral music.

Re: A question about sheet music!

Reply #2 –
In orchestral works, I generally read (and notate) them as ties.

Tina

Re: A question about sheet music!

Reply #3 –
I'm not sure it makes much difference.  In music for wind instruments, it's safe to interpret the two notes as being tied.  The slur indicates a smooth transition from one note to the other.  If the pitch doesn't change, there's no reason to hear the entry of the second note.  A legato marking or something similar will show where the composer wants the second note entry to be heard, and generally that would be merely a breath pulse.

The reason the notes are written this way is to assist the musician to read the sycnopation.  When a sustained note crosses the secondary pulse of a measure, writing it as two tied notes shows where the beat lies.

Re: A question about sheet music!

Reply #4 –
A tie should begin at the end of the first note and end at the beginning of the second note.
A slur should begin at the beginning of the first note and end at the end of the second note.  It should be higher than a tie.
I've often come across two notes of the same pitch slurred together for wind instruments, usually when (say) the first and third horns actually do change pitch but the second and fourth do not.  The slur (in the second and fourth) indicates to match the articulation of the first and third players.