Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation by Elaine Gould

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section I: General Conventions 7 Tuplets The tuning mechanism Stave allocation for woodwind and brass
Definition Note-spelling Stave allocation for percussion
1 Ground Rules The tuplet numeral Pedal settings Divided string section layout
The stave The tuplet bracket Playing style of chords Playing score
Clefs Placing tuplet indications Glissandos WIND AND BRASS BAND: SCORE LAYOUT
Noteheads Rhythmic alignment Tremolos and bisbigliando AND PART EXTRACTION
Stems Note-value of the tuplet Damping and laissez vibrer Wind band
Tails Stating the tuplet ratio in full Harmonics Brass band
Beams Degree of note division within tuplets Plucking ORCHESTRAL REDUCTION
Ledger Lines Rests within a tuplet Scordatura Layout
Octave signs Tuplet beaming Percussive sounds on body of instrument Materials to include
Using ledger lines or octave signs Tuplets within tuplets Indicating instrumentation
Rest symbols Tuplet repetition 13 Classical Guitar Enharmonic spellings
Barlines General notation
Rhythmic spacing 8 Repeat Signs String designation 18 Part Preparation
Spacing symbols TREMOLOS Right-hand fingering Preparation
Principles of repeated-note abbreviation Left-hand fingering Labelling the part
2 Chords – Dotted notes – Ties Tremolo definition Left-hand tenchniques Page-turns
CHORDS Single-note tremolos Right-hand tenchniques Clefs, ocatve signs and time signatures
Single-stemmed chords Two-note tremolos Area of the string on which to play Multiple rests
Adjacent-note chords REPEAT-BEAT AND REPEAT-BAR Sustaining and damping Providing cues
Chords with single-stemmed unison notes ABBREVIATIONS Harmonics Cue notation
Double-stemmed writing REPEATED SECTIONS Scordatura Cue stave
Da Capo and Dal Segno layouts Repeated bars
DOTTED NOTED
14 Strings Tacet
Double stems
Dotted unisons
Section II: General Conventions Clefs Accidentals
String designation Combined-instrument parts
9 Woodwind and Brass Open strings Percussion
TIES
GENERAL TOPICS Fingering
Tie design
Articulation Double-stopping 19 Electroacoustic Music
Tie direction for single notes
Microtones Triple- and quadruple-stopping Introduction
Tie direction on single-stemmed chords
Glissandos Use of two staves Equipment
Tie direction in double-stemmed writing
Special techniques Bowing definitions Amount and type of notation for the score
Tied unisons
Transposition Bowing techniques Notation and co-ordination
Tie direction for single-stemmed moving
chords WOODWIND Area of the string on which to bow Layout of the electronic component
Open ties Clefs Pizzicato Dynamics for electronic sounds
Techniques Left-hand finger work Co-ordination with pre-recorded material
3 Accidentals and Key Signatures Percussive sounds (mixed media)
ACCIDENTALS BRASS Harmonics Sampled sounds
Design Clefs, transposition and key signatures Scordatura Delay lines
Placing Mutes Technical instructions Program changes
Using accidentals Techniques Divided string ensemble Continuous controllers
Use of accidentals in an atonal context
Arranging accidentals for chords 10 Percussion 15 Vocal Music 20 Freedom and Choice
Accidentals in double-stemmed writing Allocating instruments to players Clefs RHYTHMIC INDEPENDENCE AND
Player number allocation Placing dynamics, expression marks and SYNCHROMISATION
KEY SIGNATURES Listing instruments and specifications technical instructions Barlines and time signatures
Placing and order of accidentals Labelling Beaming Cadenzas and solo ad libitum passages
Spacing Tuned percussion Syllabic slurs Unmeasured bars (Music without metre)
Key changes Instruments of indefinite pitch Phrasing and breathing points Independent parts within an ensemble
Key signatures in non-tonal or polytonal Layout of instruments of definite and Placing tuplets Indicating synchronization (Unmeasured
music indefinite pitch for one player Enharmonic spelling bars and independent ensemble)
Two players on one stave Text Independent repetition
MICROTONES
Note duration Word division Placing material freely within a defined
Quarter-tones
Damping Extenders time-span
Other microtones
Sticks, beaters and mallets Hyphens Proportional spacing (time-space notation)
Cancelling microtonal alteration
Tremolos, rolls and trills Alternative text underlay Notation options
Beating spots (striking points) Qualifying text sounds Score layout
4 Dynamics and Articulation
Timpani Falsetto Defining time-units
DYNAMICS
Drum notation Speech notation Cues in instrumental parts
ARTICULATION
Cymbals Voiced and unvoiced sounds OPTIONS TO SHOW APPROXIMATE PITCH
Slurs
Symbols to express special techniques Vocal sounds from instrumentalists On the stave
Articulation marks
CHORAL WRITING On a line or grid
11 Keyboard Two-stave SATB layout ALTERNATIVES (CHOICES)
5 Grace Notes, Arpeggiated Chords, Trills,
GENERAL TOPICS Layout with characters (Stage works) Performance conditions
Glissandos and Vibrato
The system and clefs CHORAL REDUCTION Layout principles
Grace notes
Distributing notes between the hands Alternative material
Arpeggiated chords
Trills
Voice-leading between staves Section III: Layout and Presentation Alternative sequences of events
Unisons Defining limits of choice
Glissandos 16 Preparaing Materials
Ties between staves Optional additional material
Vibrato Introduction
Fingering Inserts
Part-writing Page sizes and formats
6 Metre Stave sizes
Common beam for both hands
Introduction Pagination
Single-line passage-work
Time signatures Bar numbers
Placing tuplet indications
Beaming according to the metre Rehearsal marks
Placing slurs
Grouping inner beams Indentation and layout between movements
Placing dynamics
Horizontal position of rests Casting off
Octave signs
Grouping rests according to the metre Vertical alignment
Glissandos
Beaming across rests Performance instructions
Note clusters
Sustaining notes across beats Use of ‘solo’ and ‘soli’
Stave layouts
Beaming to reflect musical structure Optional cuts
PIANO NOTATION
Syncopation The ossia
Pedalling
Cross rhythm
Silently depressed keys
Interchanging simple- & compound-time 17 Score Layout
Effects produced inside the piano
metres What is included in a full score
The prepared piano
Polymetre Score transposition
ORGAN NOTATION
Metres of variable stress Instrument labelling
Page format
Mixed metres (Alternating time signatures) Score order of instruments
System layout
Denominator as any division of the Score brackets and barlines
Manuals
semibreve Enlarging time-signature symbols
Registration
Denominator as notehead Placing tempo and rehearsal marks
Pedal markings
Tempo indications Page layout
Keys held down with wedges or weights
Tempo equations Minimizing vertical space requirements
Pauses Stave sharing
12 Harp
Silent bars (G.P.)
General notation