CHAPTERI GENERAL NOTATIONAL MATERIAL

2M7
DURATION

The problem of notation has reçeived consderable attent1on trom con-

temporary composers, with the result that numroua ays tems have developed.
Each of.these systems, dependent upon a musical ""style," best expresses
that stylë. This is not to say that each system is mútually, exclusive of
:'i-
every other system, but that certain musica1 techníques" f i t nórfe' easily in
some systems, than others. Perhaps.for.this reagon, these syatëms tend not
to be absolutely uniforn, but shäre elements i t h other syst ems .

In most of these systems a tine value is given to a spatial unit. This

value 1s attained by assigndng a speed to a measured distan ;" for iistance,
one inch of
'score equalsoñesecond, or tlhe matefial between two arrowheads
1s to be played at, such a 'spééd ds to last six seconds: 4 . *
Another method is/to indicate units similar to measures and show their dura-
tion by placing traditional note values above them with a metronome markinng
at the beginning of thé piece, such as N 21''

The following examples

cal material into various
are
approximatè transcriptions of the same musi-
notational systems. Example I 1s rendered in tra-
ditional notation without bar 1ines or metr. Note that the spacing ot the
noteheade: always approxinates the desired rhythm; this is so even in the tra-
ditionally notated phrase.

Bcamp le I

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* * * *

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P PS
Pitard
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PP
PP

a tempo
 ***
* *

2
General Notational Material
Duration (cont'd):

According to the Shape. of the Notehead

LLP Play
the
as fast as possible,
notehead the louder the sound.
the largeer
116-E

A long duration that is to be

to the next held
sign. The dots in the
centers indicate the dynamic 116-E
leyel1.

Sustain the until the sound has

note

edaway. The dot in the center

idicates the dynamic level of the
note.
116-E

Hold t he note until the sound has

faded to the dynamic level indicated
by the narrow end of the sign. 116-E
t.

Ercanp le II

moderately

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b
E
General Notational Material

Duration: Notehead Shape (cont 'd):

The note signs at the left are approxi -

mate ly equal to the notes on the right.
The larger the"note sign, the louder
the tone is to be played. 30

1, 0

The triangular notes on the left are

equal to the duration of one note of
the triplet the
on
right. 30

Eaxcmple III

60

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vib
4
Generat Notational Material
Duration: Notehead Shape (cont'd):

A.
S , B.
A
A
relatively long tone.
relatively short tone.
C. A very short tone. 97-A

A. A very
, B.
long
One half as
tone
long as 'A.'
C. One quarter as long as 'A.' 12-C

A. Three seconds
, , B. Two seconds
long8
C.
long.
One second
long. 76

Indeterminate values. The durations

decrease from left to right. These
signs are
usually used to denote
freer passages within
notated phrases or
traditionally
pieces. 2-A

A. A tone of
long duration.
B. A tone of short
duration.
C. A t
one of very short duration .
25-A

The different-sized signs indicate

relative periods of. duration. The
larger the sign, the longer the
duration of the sound.
64

Within traditional notation, this, type

of note indicates a sound of indeter-
minate duration.
96-D

A. Long duration.
B. Medium duration.
C. Short duration.
28

A note that is to be played as fast as

possible. 42-A

A note whose duration 1s one-half to

two seconds long.
42-A
 5
General Notational Material

Duration (cont'd):

Proportional Notation
of the notcs
In the following notational ays tem the speed and rhyt hm
are determined by the amount of space that separates each notehead In
general, traditional note values are used for longer, durations : d, d,o, Jo
t 18 also common to find extended beaming, extended notehead s , or slurs

to indicate the durations of such values.

fast and short duration. 51-B

Very

and short duration with the

Very fast
rhythm varied according to the space
between the noteheads. 51-B, 57-D, 68

Short durations ; the rhythm is deter-

mined by the spacing. Play nervously. 51-D

To be played in the rhyt hm indicated

by the spacing, but in the time span
of the bracket below the beam. 16-A

105-D

Exap le TV

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PP

nP
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PP

PP

PP
 6
General Notational Material
Durat i on (cont 'd):

Traditional Type Beaming

The use ot
beaming in the traditional
here t he du:it ions
manner is quite conmon; but
are determined only in relation to the notes them
selvesS short, very short, etc. The more beams a note has, the
shorter the durat i
on of the note. Rhythm is determined by the spacing
ofth ntheds, 1 in the previous
system of notation.

Fast notes: very short dura-

tion. 56

, F Not too fast short duration. 56

Y, m Moderate speed and duration. 56

A held note.
56

Evanpl e V

moderately
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PP

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General Notational Maierial

Duration (cont'd) :

Traditional Beaming Variants

Example VI uses a system of beaming that closely resembles trad1-

tional notation, but the durational values are only approximate and the

beaming i s drawn through the first few stems of cach 1note}roup

inuous as possible. 10-FA

As fused and as cont

10-A
, As fast as possible.

Very fast. 10-A

10-A
FTT Moderately fast.

TT Moderately slow. 10-A

Hold until the next note or sign. 10-A

Eramp le VI

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pPt
PP P PP
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b
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PP

PP

-
8 General Notational Material

Duration (cont 'd):

Beaming Systems: Variants

Rather than multiplying flags or beams, the system below makes use
of a single flag. The durational value is shown by the direction of the
flag and its position on tlhe stem.

Notes of various durations, going from

P fast to slow (fastest on the left andd
slowest on the right). 85

A note sequence that is to be played

in even tempo as fast as 85
possible.

The arrows indicate a prolongat ion of

the duration of the tone. 85

Ecaple VII

moderately Hp

pft
PP
* * * * * * * *

-
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PP

PP

PP
mp
General Notational Material
9
Duration: Beaming Systems: Variants (cont'd):

Though the system in Example VIII 'uses traditional beaming, the

beaming does not indicate absolute durational values. The stemless
notes that are shown also signify approximate values, but always of
longer durations..

As fast as
possible. 37-A

Almost as fast as possible . 37-A

Very fast. 37-A

Fast, but not as fast as the small
notes
with the slash marks (the
three examples above).
37-A
Moderate duration. 37-A
A little longer duration than above. 37-A
A long duration.
37-A
A very long durationa.
37-A
A dotted eighth note. 75

Eramp le VIII

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PP PR

vib
P PP

PP m

- --

m P

PP P
mp mf
10 General Notational Material

Duration (cont 'd):

Beaming Systems: Extended Noteheads

The problems of most durational values are solved by
extend ing the
notehead into a horizontal line.
Problems do arise with very fast no tes;
then traditional
beaming is used to denote the
speed. Rhyt hm is shown
by traditional beaming or by the spacing of the noteheads.

The duration of the note is indicated

by the leng th of the horízontal line

that extends from the notehead.
O- 121; 90-A; 14-B, 87-C; 104-A

As above, except that the horizontal

line itself has replaced the notehead. 72-B

The rhyt hm is shown in the traditional

way, but extended noteheads here sho
that some notes are slurred together. 90-C

AF A The exact duration and cut-off of

each note is shown by a horizontal
line.
52-A
Two clusters of long duration. The
duration is shown by the horizontal
line and arrow. 87-E, 72-A
A long duratlon that is extended very
briefly into the next bar or time unit. 121
With sustaining instruments, the per-
former decides the duration. Non-sus-
taining instruments remain vibrating. 72-B

Escannp le IX 6
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PP

4 PP

******* ***

PP
PP
General Notational Material
11
Duration (cont 'd) :

Extended Beamss

In this
system of notation, the beams are extended into horizontal
1ines which cont inue for the duration of the note. Notes of short dura-
tion are represented as
notes with short beams; very
represented either with the traditional
s hort notes are
beams or without stems. beaming, o r as notes
wit hout
heads.
Rhyt hm is indicated by the spacing of the note

The extended beam indicates the dura-

tion of each note. 5, 10-G, 73, 44, 96-E

Since the beams of these notes are

connected, the notes are played
legato. 5, 73, 44

A very short note. 10-G, 44, 96-E

Eacamp le X

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12
General Notatiomal Material
Duration (cont'd):

Extended Beams:
Variations
A variation of the system of
XI, below. Here the extended beaming is seen in
but also the beaming indicates not Examp le
dynamic value. A thin line only the durational value,
thick line signif ies a soft tone, and a
signifies a loud tone. Crescendos
shown by and decrescendos are
wedge-shaped beams.

The duration 1s indicated by the beam-

ng. The open noteheads have no sig-
nificance. 67-A

Very short notes. The rhyt hm is ind i-

or f cated by the spacing of the noteheads.
67-A, 73
The durat ion of the sound i8
left to
the discretion of the
performer.
Continue the sound for the duration of
the beam:
A. Four seconds.
B. Two seconds.
7-B
The duration as well as the
dynamics
are indicated by the extended beam.
The thicker the
_beam, the louder the
sound.
6-A, 109

Earcample XI

-| -I -
1-ca1sec.
-

slowly, calmly
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- I- - -I-
General Notational Material 13

Duration (cont'd)

Slurs
Slurs may be used to notate the length of longer notes by extend ing
them for the desired duration. Shorter notes are notated in the trad1
tional manner Rhythm is indicated by the spacing of the noteheads or
by the use of traditional beaming.

The duration of the tone is extended

E into the tine of the rest for the
of a grace note. 40
durat ion
The tone is sustained until the end
of the slur
sign 56
The note is held until and/or tied
to the following note. 10-G

The note is held until the slur sign

is closed. A broken slur is used
rather than a complete slur. 100-D

When the stems are connected by a

slur, the 8ound is to sustain until
the end of the slur. 116-A

Exanp le KII

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PP

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PP
 14
General Notational Material
Duration (cont ' d):

Superimposed Indicators
Superimposed temporal numbers
or signs
duration of
groups of notes, may be used to indicate the
used for longer phrases,
durations and are
or
single notes. They are usually
sapes within
traditionally commonly found in more flexible pas
notated pieces.
The duration of the
is indicated
bracketed notes
by the tied notes above
the staff. The rhythm of the stem-
less notes is in
proportion to their
spacin8. 34-A
Once unit or beat has been estab-
a

1ished, the sign determines the note

ete
value in relation to that
beat.
A. Note
equals 1/2 beat.
B. Note equals
1/3 beat. 128-B
The note or rest is equal to 2/3 of
triplet of 1/16 notes. The r e -
a

maining part of the triplet may be

overlapping ano ther beat. 23-D
The number indicates, in seconds or
beats, the duration of the note.
128-A, 12-B
A number is
assigned to the fastestt
impul se chosen by the performer. The
,, other numbers indicate
relationships
to that
number (1 fastest
or beat.) impulse
Ecamp le XIII 93

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PP PP P rilard
12.
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a tempo
m PP
PR
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General No tational Material 15

Duration (cont'd):

Superimposed Indicators: Multiple Usage

The following groups of symbols may be used with various notational

of flexibility to the
systems. They are designed to add a greater degree
values of both notes and rests.

Equals circa

30

A tone or rest of
A. Very short duration .
B. Semi-short duration.

f.i.i.t. C.
D.
E.
Medium duration.
Long duration.
Maxinmal duration. 21-C

A plus sign indicates a prolonging of

+++ the rest. A double plus indicates a
8reater prolongat ion, etc. 15-B

A plus áfter a note also indicates a

prolongation of the duration. 72-B, AA

The slur indicates that the note or

rest is to be held longer than the
duration otherwise would be. 72-B, A

Hold the indicated tone for as long

as possible. One bow, or one whole
breath 96-E