what does this mean?

[supersoul]

I'm working on "No. 2" by Denis Apivor, and bar 4 has this notation:

what does the little x on top of the note stem mean? The piece is for solo guitar.
I tried looking it up and it doesn't seem to mean one thing. It could be tapping (nahhh!), or a percussion strike of some sort. Perhaps I snap the string on those notes?
And for that matter, what does "sim" mean?

[mr. beaumont]

sim is "in a similar way" meaning play in a similar fashion to the previous bar.

Definitely seems to indicate a muted or percussive sound...any recordings of this piece?

[supersoul]

sim is "in a similar way" meaning play in a similar fashion to the previous bar.

Definitely seems to indicate a muted or percussive sound...any recordings of this piece?

That's what I know "sim" to mean as well, but the previous bar is just eighth notes without the x marking.

I haven't found any recordings yet, although Rob MacKillop might have some somewhere.

[Mick-7]

The > accent beneath the note means to strike the string hard, so I presume the x means a muted note... so a loud mute.

"Jeez, someone please put a muffler on that mime, he's much too loud!"

[supersoul]

The > accent beneath the note means to strike the string hard, so I presume the x means a muted note... so a loud mute.

"Jeez, someone please put a muffler on that mime, he's much too loud!"

Maybe it's like metal chuga chuga but for classical guitar.

[jazzshrink]

My two cents:

diminuendo/decrescendo. A gradual decrease in volume. Can be extended under many notes to indicate that the volume steadily decreases during the passage.



double sharp. A double sharp raises the pitch of a note by two semitones.

[James W]

From a piece in Charles Ramirez's book Technical Development For Guitarists -

[Mick-7]

From a piece in Charles Ramirez's book Technical Development For Guitarists

That makes sense, I figured it meant some sort of percussive attack, and as I said, the > beneath the note means to accent it.

[James W]

Nah, not a double sharp, it's not placed above the note and wouldn't make sense in this context. As I said, it's likely an accented muted/ghost note.

See my post above, which would appear to have solved the mystery.

As a side note, it's not great when an edition of music doesn't explain a comparatively rare notational device.

edit - I see you deleted this post.

[RJVB]

As a side note, it's not great when an edition of music doesn't explain a comparatively rare notational device.

Indeed! Or when a video course comes with interpretations and a score based off that interpretation, and it contains x-heads where you really can't tell how the guy plays them differently.

Even a > above/under a note doesn't always mean a sharp accent as I think someone said above. I just finished a Mertz nocturne where this *could* make sense (it's very much sturm und drang) but doesn't unless you want to turn the piece into a caricature. In one of the movement it's enough to play the melody notes with rest strokes when they're marked that way, in the other the accents are more the notes to "arc towards to and away from".

[ragman1]

The x is a tambora sound, i.e. striking the strings near the bridge. It's a percussive effect.

Attachment 119120

https://acousticguitar.com/playing-tambor/

[supersoul]

For the example I showed, it means to use my thumb to strike the individual string in order to play the G, B, and C?
These things are sprinkled throughout the piece, often in the middle of eighth note sequences. If indeed I need to strike each note by the bridge and then return to regular plucking, well, I have a new technique to practice.

[Jonah]

Even a > above/under a note doesn't always mean a sharp accent as I think someone said above. I just finished a Mertz nocturne where this *could* make sense (it's very much sturm und drang) but doesn't unless you want to turn the piece into a caricature. In one of the movement it's enough to play the melody notes with rest strokes when they're marked that way, in the other the accents are more the notes to "arc towards to and away from".

I already saw somewhere the discussion about this sign used specifically by Mertz.

Though in some cases it is very clear, in the others it seems strange. It also seems like he means different things with it.
In some cases it is just a semantic accent (which would probably sound more like a sforzando), in others it and an accent on the off beat, in one of the Nocturnes is I remember correctly he puts everywhere where the melody resolves on the 2nd beat though I think no extra accent is needed there, it will work out naturally because of the resolution

[ragman1]

I see that in some sources the tambora effect is sometimes described as a golpe. This is inaccurate. A golpe is when the body of the guitar is struck and is used in Flamenco, usually during a strumming pattern. That's not at all the same as striking the strings at the bridge.

[Mick-7]

Even a > above/under a note doesn't always mean a sharp accent as I think someone said above. I just finished a Mertz nocturne where this *could* make sense (it's very much sturm und drang) but doesn't unless you want to turn the piece into a caricature. In one of the movement it's enough to play the melody notes with rest strokes when they're marked that way, in the other the accents are more the notes to "arc towards to and away from".

I don't know what your statement in bold means, the > is also used to mean crescendo or decrescendo.

[Jonah]

I don't know what your statement in bold means, the > is also used to mean crescendo or decrescendo.

The accent sign and diminuendo (decrescendo) signs are clearly to different signs.

The accent sign is more liek a 'check/tick mark', it is indeed visually an accent sign - the idea is similar to the various accent sign used in some languges - the accent sign is momentary. Sharp end (the point) is its idea.

But the decreschedo sign is a clear representation of a process. It covers certain time lapse, long lines gradually coming together represent the sound going to nothingness (even if it is used under one long note).

Besides normally on guitar or piano it is used under consequent line of notes as it is impossible to make diminueno on a single note (thogh in some cases I saw 'semantic diminuendo' sign even for guitar or piano.. that is phisycally you cannot do anything but the composer just puts it there for the character (as if he tells you 'try to sing it and then make it softer').

As for this

n the other the accents are more the notes to "arc towards to and away from".

I believe it is about phrasing, so it is an accent to which you approach and go away from... like in a speach you can put an accent on some word (not a phonetic accent, but the semantic one)

Using sound volume (loud/soft) can be used for making an accent but the signs are definitely different)

[pauln]

https://digital.library.adelaide.edu...d24084/content

From
The Idiophonic Guitar: A Taxonomy and
Performance Guide to Percussive Effects in the
Classical Guitar’s Solo Repertoire.
A Portfolio of Recordings and Exegesis

See page 55...