Post by Hans AbergPost by DonMackHow does signify a direct repetition of several bars to reduce complexity?
For example, if a 2 bar lick is repeated twice I would like to have a
repetition mark instead of writing the lick twice since it makes it seem
like there is new information when there isn't.
One can have a bracket above marked with "bis" closest to the staff.
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The multi-bar repetition symbol is what I was looking for.
Yes, that is the "proper" way to notate it and it is very efficient,
but consider this:
From the short context of your post, I assume from the use of the word
"lick" that this is jazz or popular music of some sort. You, the
composer or arranger or person doing, in this case, the more academic
aspect of creating the music had to ask what symbol to use. You also
indicated that this might just be an occasionally repetition of a two
bar phrase.
This being the a likely scenero, why would you not write it out? You
mentioned simplicity. The simple solution is to write it out unless it
is like a very long repeat of the same thing and then in that case,
you should make sure to keep the phrasing very simple and in a visual
representation of the normal bar phrasing. ( lick, -/- -/- -/- type of
phrasiing) so that the players can still see at a glance where they
are in the music as they read their music.
In classical music, the music is usualy studied and learned, at least
to some extent, before performance. My experience in reading shows and
one night acts is that you don't have tiime to really study the music.
The formula was usuallly a three hour rehearsal for an hour or more
show and then the performance. Commercial recording dates are somewhat
the same.
When the musicians are sight reading a lot of music, they want to look
at the page and not be confused by short cuts. You did not have that
symbol on the tip of your tongue and you are the composer/arranger.
The musician is trying to play it right the first time. Simplicity is
better. A two bar lick that is played 4 or 8 times with one segment
written out and the rest of the common phrase using the -/- should be
alright. But if the -/- started on an even measure of the phrase, it
is likely to turn around the lick as the natural tendency is to keep
things in a 4 4 4 4 order.
In the "olden times" the copiest would keep all the pages with even
phrasing across ALL measures. The standard copiest convention was to
write them out and only have 4 measures on a line. It was considered
bad to have one line 5 or 6 or 7 measurs if the phrasing was 4 4 4.
So the -/- and its variations are correct, but that doesn't mean that
it should be used in music that is intendended to be sight read by
typical spot job musicians.
The copiest shoud always consider what the music is being used for and
who will be reading it and how the musicians on the job will be using
it and make what ever accomodation is necessary to insure that they
have the opportunity to think ONLY of getting the music played
correctly and not to be distracted by the way the music is written.
Just some thoughts from experience. When sight reading, the most
important thing during the rehearsal is to let the conductor know that
even if you miss a lick that you can keep your place. He knows from
experience that a missed lick is much better than a musician getting
lost, even for a short time. If the musican can keep his place during
the first sight reading, an experienced conductor will know that the
musician will know to look that lick over and see why he flubbed it
and will correct it on his own and the valuable rehearsal time will
not be lost and the performance will be the best that that particular
group of musicians can do in that situation.
Joey, nice link. It covers a lot of interesting things. Thanks.
LJS