Is there an articulation symbol for a delayed attack of a note?
Hi all: Frequently, a measure of notes I want played needs to start off quietly ... as a delayed attack. It can be a horn or string or even a piano note. Currently, I have to place a quiet "pp" dynamic onto the first note, then a short crescendo hairpin for 1 or two notes, then the normal dynamic ("p" or "mp", etc.) onto note 3 or 4. Like this:
Is there an articulation symbol in MuseScore I can attach to the first note in the measure to indicate it is to be played more quietly?
Comments
I don't think what you wrote there is delayed attack. It is a crescendo and that does not affect the timing of the attack. A delayed attack would imply that the note starts after the beat not on it and therefore would need a rest on the beat with a shorter note after it.
If you want a horn to play a note starting quietly and then increasing in volume, the notation you have in your example is the way to tell the player to do that. However a piano can not crescendo on a single note. Once the string has been hit by the hammer, there is only one way the loudness is going to go and that is in the direction of quieter.
In reply to I don't think what you wrote… by SteveBlower
Steve: Yep, you're right in all regards. My mistake. What I am seeking is a quieter starting note. I thought there might be an articulation accent symbol or something else to indicate a note is to be played quieter. If not, there should be. If there is an articulation to play a note louder (>), there should be one to play a note softer. Just my two cents, but ...
So, I assume there is no such articulation?
In reply to Steve: Yep, you're right in… by fsgregs
Not that I am aware of. You could invent one (< perhaps) and add a note to the score to explain what it means.
Or don't put any marks and leave it to the musiciality of the player how to attack the note.
In reply to Steve: Yep, you're right in… by fsgregs
And remember that an accent (>) is about more than just volume. It's also about how the note starts. That little extra punch. MuseScore can only do the volume part of it.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but why not simply put in the dynamic marking you want, instead of putting in a dynamic marking you don't want then inventing an articulation to say "play it more quietly than the dynamic marking says to"? In other words, dynamics are the way to say how loud you want it, so just add the dynamic you want.
BTW, piano cannot play what you wrote above, of course :-)
In reply to Maybe I'm misunderstanding,… by Marc Sabatella
Marc:
If I want a violin or horn to start off quietly in a big piece with 20 voices/instruments, then build in volume on notes 2 or 3 inside the same measure, I understand I can insert a quiet dynamic (pp or ppp) to all the first notes playing on each stave, then add a hairpin, then add a new dynamic to restore the volume to "normal". That is 3 insertions for every dimming effect on every stave. What I am seeking instead is a single articulation on the 1st note that does not change the overall volume of the measure, but just dims the st note the articulation in on for that one note.
No problem if music does not have such a symbol. I'll do it the other way, but ...
In reply to Marc: If I want a violin or… by fsgregs
Music does have such a symbol - it’s called pp. Or ppp. Or n. Or whatever dynamic you want. I still don’t understand the distinction you are making —why you’d rather click in the articulations palette rather than in the dynamics palette. Either way, it’s just one click. Of course you still need to add the crescendo and the final dynamic, but you would have need tot do that whether you started with a dynamic marking or an articulation.
Unless you thinking there might be a single symbol that says “start at the dynamic I am imagining, then crescendo, and end at the dynamic I am also imagining”. But no, there is no symbol that allows musicians to read you mind about the specific start and end dynamic you would like. You need to write them.
In reply to Music does have such a… by Marc Sabatella
Marc:
If I use a single (>) accent symbol above a note, it boosts that note only to a louder sound. The next note played is regular volume, so I don't have to use a hairpin or a new dynamic ... a single accent works to make things louder for just a moment. I asked if there is a symbol to make a single note softer, then the next note in the measure is played at normal volume (perhaps a (<) symbol). Apparently not! That's all I asked.
In reply to Marc: If I use a single (>)… by fsgregs
Yes, but an accent is not a crescendo, or a diminuendo - just a single note played louder. What you asked if three times more complicated. If all you want is a single note played quieter, that’s “kind of” a thing - the “unstress” articulation (which you can find in the palette). Not known by 99% of musicians because it was only invented during the lifetime of some living musicians, but, it does exist. Still, that’s not what you asked about, which involves actual crescendo, and is thus nothing like an accent.
In reply to Yes, but an accent is not a… by Marc Sabatella
Marc: Thanks as always for your kind patience. I was not aware of the "de-stress" articulation nor the "fade in" symbol. I tried both of them in my score to see if either changed the volume in any way of my first note, and neither worked. There was no change in the volume or note length, and I could not change the "time stretch" in the Inspector from 0.1 to some other number. Assuming MuseScore has them in the palette to be used, will either one placed above my first note, play that note quieter? If so, how do edit them in the inspector?
In reply to Marc: Thanks as always for… by fsgregs
The unstress does not currently have a default playback behavior - it's as unaware of the meaning of the symbol as most musicians. You can use the velocity in the Inspector (a negative offset) to get MuseScore to play quieter, but again - very few musicians will understand it. And again, even the "official" definition (to the extent there is one; most books on music notation don't mention this symbol at all) wouldn't do what you want - there is no crescendo. It's just a quieter note.
So, there is absolutely no advantage to using this non-standard symbol that doesn't even do what you want, versus using ordinary dynamic markings which work perfectly in MuseScoee and are understood by all musicians. Much much much much much better to stick to standard notation unless you are trying to create an effect that standard notation cannot handle. Nothing about what you are suggesting is remotely in that category. it's just plain and simple dynamics. No need to invent new notations; the existing ones are perfect for this.
You wrote:
...a measure of notes I want played needs to start off quietly... as a delayed attack. It can be a horn or string...
and:
What I am seeking is a quieter starting note.
Single note dynamics - a great (and relatively new) feature - can help in such a situation.
Listen to the effect when measure 16 has its crescendo interrupted by the mfp in measure 17.
Have a listen:
https://musescore.com/user/29450452/scores/5865865#
In reply to You wrote: ...a measure of… by Jm6stringer
I never encountered an "mfp" dynamic before. Is it just a combination of an "mf" + a "p"? If so, how could I create a custom dynamic that is something like "ppp+mp" or "pp+p"? Can I do that? If so, would inserting it onto the 1st note of a 4 note measure play the 1st note quietly, then immediately restore the volume of the measure to "mp" or "p" for the remaining 3 notes (without needing a hairpin)? If so, that is what I am after. Could you help me with this?