Re: Stopped note heads.

[Giancarlo Niccolai]

Alle 00:51, lunedì 21 febbraio 2005, hai scritto:
> On 20-Feb-05, at 12:35 PM, Giancarlo Niccolai wrote:
> > Alle 21:23, domenica 20 febbraio 2005, Han-Wen Nienhuys ha scritto:
> >> address@hidden writes:
> >>> Lilypond has an easy way to put the "stopped" articulation above the
> >>> note; however, this is actually used in orchestral music. Guitar
> >>> music
> >>> (both electric and classical music, i.e. from late'800 up to date)
> >>> marks
> >>> the "stopped" note with an X note head (identical to the rythm staff
> >>> X
> >>> note head,
> >>
> >> Aha. The "stopped" articulation actually refers to something
> >> completely different. It's a French Horn technique, where the hand is
> >> used to close the bell completely, rendering a penetrant brassy
> >> sound.
> >
> > Ok, I found it:
> >
> > \override Staff.NoteHead  #'style = #'cross
> >
> > and then,
> >
> > \override Staff.NoteHead  #'style = #'default
> >
> > to turn it off...
> >
> > Putting this in a command as \harmonic or at least putting it in the
> > manual
> > would be quite useful.
>
> Adding it to the manual is certainly possible, but I'm not entirely
> clear
> about exactly what instrument this is for.  Could you select the place
> in
> the manual this info should go, and write a few sentences to explain it?

DESCRIPTION:

Stopped (X) note heads are used in guitar music to signal a place where the
guitarist must play a certain note or chord, but with its fingers just
touching the strings instead of fully pressing them. This gives the sound a
percussive noise-like sound that anyhow maintains part of the original pitch
to the ear. It's actually a partly percussive and partly melodic sound.

Finger stopped technique is extremely important both for rythm and rock-heavy
metal guitarists; the firsts often uses barré based stopped chords to
intermix harmony with rythm, the latters use finger stopping to mute power
chords, or charge them with more expression in close-tied power chord stums.

It is also used (even if rarely) in classic guitar music, generally in the
melodic line, to provide some rithmic pattern right in the melody.

------------

IMHO it should go in guitar music section, below the harmonic description.
AFAIK, finger stopped technique is not used in any other string instrument,
including the electric bass.

However, (at least here in Italy), (X) note heads are also used in the voice
line to express "parlato" (spoken) sections where the singer must follow a
certain rythm, instead of just freely speak.

The finger stop technique contrasts with the palm stop technique, that is
touching the strings with the right hand near (or even exactly above) the
guitar bridge. This mutes a series of strings (even all), but gives a more
melodic/harmonic sound and is meant to just "cut short" the naturally long
string sound. Consider the palm-stop technique the reverse of the piano
dumper pedal; it is meant to minimize the lenght of the notes (and yes, gives
it a little percussive feeling), but it does not strips them of melody or
harmony, while the finger stopping does.

Palm stopping is used only in modern music (jazz, heavy metal, partially
 rock) and is indicated with a roman "P.S.-----|" sign and a bracket similar
 to the 8va sign.

Gian.