Single-Line Stave Uses
- Notating instruments of indefinite pitch
- Notating sounds of indefinite pitch, ON notated instruments
- Notating vocal sounds of a non-specific pitch
- As an option to show approximate pitch
- Notating a cue line of rhythm
How much a clef should be indented by:
One Stave-Space or a little less
Instruments that use alto clef
Viola and alto trombone
Instruments that use tenor clef
Bassoon, trombone, cello, and occasionally double bass
Size of a clef change after the beginning of a system
two-thirds the size of the clef at the beginning of the stave
Before placing a clef change at the beginning of a system:
Place the clef change at the end of the last system AS WELL (2/3 of the size still applies)
Before what should clefs always appear
Before a bar line
Mid-bar clef changes:
- Before a beat and not in between a beat
- If between beats, change the clef after a rest, not before it
If an instrument goes through a period of rests for more than a system
Return it back to its most commonly used clef, by placing it at the end of a system in those rests (least disruptive)
Black Noteheads shape and size
Oval shaped with a diagonal slant away from the stem
White Noteheads shape and size
Oval shaped, with diagonal shading and slightly larger than black noteheads
Semibreve shape and size
No slant, but slight diagonal shading, and no tail
Noteheads on a space
Placed exactly within a space without going outside of the lines
Noteheads on a line
Exactly centered on the line,
Uses of the diamond-shaped notehead
- as harmonic notation (except piano)
- slightly depressed keys in piano music
- singing through a wind instrument
- indicate multi phonics
- unvoiced sounds in vocal writing
- option for falsetto
- differentiating notes of unconventional technique in winds
Triangular Noteheads
denotes the highest /lowest possible pitch, where
such a pitch cannot be specified
Stem placement of triangular noteheads
In the center of the flat side of the triangle
Stave placement of triangular noteheads
Triangular noteheads should be placed outside of the stave entirely
Where to not use triangular noteheads
on pitches that can be notated, like the lowest string…
(an example for D. Bass would be to release the tuning peg of the lowest string for a triangular notehead to make sense)
Stem thickness
Thinner than a stave-line but not too thin where it’s faint
Notes above center stave
Down stem
Notes below center stave
Up stem
Notes on the center stave-line
Requires context of surrounding notes
Standard length of a stem
an octave from the center of a notehead
