Big dot, little doc

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Pat Fox
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Post by Pat Fox » Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:30 pm

Can an one tell me what this is. Every time I think I know something. Something new shows up. This is a piece for violin.
Big notes little notes.jpeg
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Peter Thomsen
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Post by Peter Thomsen » Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:38 pm

The small noteheads are optional.
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Pat Fox
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Post by Pat Fox » Fri Jun 25, 2021 10:07 pm

Like grace notes?

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miker
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Post by miker » Fri Jun 25, 2021 10:25 pm

No, they are alternative notes. The easiest way to do it is to enter both notes on the stem, and use JW Change to resize the lower ones. You could also use the resize noteheads utility, but that would be one at a time.

Peter, could that be played as a double stop, or is it one or the other?
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bkshepard
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Post by bkshepard » Fri Jun 25, 2021 10:54 pm

Typically, when you see something like that, the large noteheads represent the notes the composer actually wants and the small ones are optional notes in case the actual notes are too difficult or out of range. Those upper notes could be pretty difficult, not to mention hard to tune, for a less-experienced player. The lower notes are much easier. You will also see this sort of thing with instruments that might have different ranges, depending on how they are built. For example, While all contrabasses can play a low E, some have an extension that allows them to go down to a low C. There are a few other instruments that have similar range differences. In the case of the contrabass, some composers write the alternate (higher) notes while other composers just assume the player will simply play the too-low notes an octave higher. Some people also put the alternate notes in parentheses or indicate that they are "ossia" notes.

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David Ward
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Post by David Ward » Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:14 am

miker wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 10:25 pm
… … … Peter, could that be played as a double stop, or is it one or the other?
It can be played as double stops by a good player. At a glance that's how I interpret it.

One quite often sees that kind of thing in solo parts. Indeed I've written exactly that way for optional double stopped lower octaves in my own concerti etc.
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zuill
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Post by zuill » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:20 pm

If the picture showed where the doubled notes start, we might have a clearer idea about what the score indicates.

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Pat Fox
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Post by Pat Fox » Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:00 pm

I hope this is what you want.
image0Big note 2.jpeg
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zuill
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Post by zuill » Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:30 pm

I think if it would be double stops, there would have been an indication. Possibly a bracket at the beginning of the double notes. And, I don't think they would have been smaller on the bottom.

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bkshepard
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Post by bkshepard » Sun Jun 27, 2021 3:29 am

That's a pretty nasty lick if it's double-stops. As Zuill said, the bottom notes would probably not be smaller if it were meant to be double stops. I really think in this case it's an alternate version that's easier to play.

Pat Fox
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Post by Pat Fox » Sun Jun 27, 2021 5:40 am

I thank you for your opinions and for adding to my knowledge. Thanks.

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