Re: [Finale] slurs needed over tremolos?
On Jun 30, 2010, at 6:24 PM, Ryan wrote: I'm waffling back and forth over the need for slurs over fingered tremolos in strings. Example: Whole note C, whole note A, three tremolo beams in between. My familiarity with the music tells me that a slur is somewhat implied, but I wonder if a slur would help the sight reader. There are a lot of tremolos like this in this piece, ranging from the whole note level down to the eighth note level. A pair of whole notes linked by tremolo does not require a slur. This is per Ted Ross, whom I agree with on this point. Ross also notes there is a trend toward notating a whole note worth of tremolo not as two whole notes connected by three beams, but rather two pairs of half notes each connected by three beams (ie, looks like pairs of beamed 32nd notes, but with open note heads). If your purpose is to enhance readability for a sight reader, I recommend this practice. In this case you do need a slur, because you have two pairs which you are linking as a single tremolo. Basic rule is if it's a single pair you don't need a slur, but if it's more than a pair you do. Caveat: My experience is with piano music, including piano reductions of orchestra, but not with string parts. mdl ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
Re: [Finale] slurs needed over tremolos?
At 11:43 PM -0700 6/30/10, Mark D Lew wrote: On Jun 30, 2010, at 6:24 PM, Ryan wrote: I'm waffling back and forth over the need for slurs over fingered tremolos in strings. Example: Whole note C, whole note A, three tremolo beams in between. My familiarity with the music tells me that a slur is somewhat implied, but I wonder if a slur would help the sight reader. There are a lot of tremolos like this in this piece, ranging from the whole note level down to the eighth note level. A pair of whole notes linked by tremolo does not require a slur. This is per Ted Ross, whom I agree with on this point. Ross also notes there is a trend toward notating a whole note worth of tremolo not as two whole notes connected by three beams, but rather two pairs of half notes each connected by three beams (ie, looks like pairs of beamed 32nd notes, but with open note heads). If your purpose is to enhance readability for a sight reader, I recommend this practice. In this case you do need a slur, because you have two pairs which you are linking as a single tremolo. Basic rule is if it's a single pair you don't need a slur, but if it's more than a pair you do. Caveat: My experience is with piano music, including piano reductions of orchestra, but not with string parts. Interestingly enough, Roemer disagrees. He shows them with slurs regardless of the note values. But he does give this note: Also, traditionally, the slur is not always used [in engraved music], whereas in manuscript writing it is. He also uses the term tremolando for the fingered tremolo, which is one I had not run into, and it's handy to have a term for it. But my previous comment is still valid. Slurs (and ties) are BOWING instructions for string players (and breath instructions for wind players), and should be used on tremolandos for those specific purposes, and not just because they're tremolandos. (And pianists don't have to worry about either bowing or breathing!) Roemer does show one strange example of a 2-bar whole-note tremolando with dual ties--the first notes of each measure tied and the second notes of each measure tied, and I would not write it that way. I would stretch a single tie (or actually a slur) from the first note of the figure to the last (4th) note as being more clear. John -- John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music Virginia Tech Department of Music College of Liberal Arts Human Sciences Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:john.how...@vt.edu) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html We never play anything the same way once. Shelly Manne's definition of jazz musicians. ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
[Finale] slurs needed over tremolos?
I'm waffling back and forth over the need for slurs over fingered tremolos in strings. Example: Whole note C, whole note A, three tremolo beams in between. My familiarity with the music tells me that a slur is somewhat implied, but I wonder if a slur would help the sight reader. There are a lot of tremolos like this in this piece, ranging from the whole note level down to the eighth note level. In addition to your own insight, can someone tell me what Stone, Read, et al say about this, if anything? My copies are at my office and I'm working from home tonight. Thanks for your help Ryan ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
Re: [Finale] slurs needed over tremolos?
At 6:24 PM -0700 6/30/10, Ryan wrote: I'm waffling back and forth over the need for slurs over fingered tremolos in strings. Example: Whole note C, whole note A, three tremolo beams in between. My familiarity with the music tells me that a slur is somewhat implied, but I wonder if a slur would help the sight reader. There are a lot of tremolos like this in this piece, ranging from the whole note level down to the eighth note level. In addition to your own insight, can someone tell me what Stone, Read, et al say about this, if anything? My copies are at my office and I'm working from home tonight. Thanks for your help Ryan A bowed tremolo keeps the bow in the same place. But you're talking about a fingered tremolo, which means the bow travels. And that means that it's a good idea to include bowings (slurs) telling the player when to change bows. That will change depending on whether the dynamic is soft (more notes to a bow, gentle bowing) or loud (fewer notes to a bow, heavier bowing). If you want to send an example, I could give you a better opinion. John -- John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music Virginia Tech Department of Music College of Liberal Arts Human Sciences Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:john.how...@vt.edu) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html We never play anything the same way once. Shelly Manne's definition of jazz musicians. ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
