Piano music bar numbers

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Hector Pascal
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Post by Hector Pascal » Mon Nov 04, 2019 5:08 am

Regarding solo piano music, and from a publishing point of view, is it the 'norm' to NOT include bar numbers?

I am thinking of not using them. When I looked in Gould, I see that she recommends them for scores with multiple instruments. From memory, I think most of the piano music I have seen in the past omits them.

Do you have a penchant for using them or omitting them in solo piano music?

Cheers,
Hector.


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motet
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Post by motet » Mon Nov 04, 2019 6:23 am

They're useful when two people want to talk to each other about the music (such as a teacher and pupil). Put them only at the beginning of each system, and they're not too intrusive.

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David Ward
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Post by David Ward » Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:49 am

I agree with Motet. You can make them quite small, but they can still be a useful reference point - eg if a pianist wanted to check something with you by e-mail &c &c.
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John Ruggero
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Post by John Ruggero » Mon Nov 04, 2019 11:56 pm

I agree with motet and David Ward. All scholarly and urtext editions of piano music (and everything else) now have them, and it is nothing but helpful. As suggested, they can be placed inconspicuously above the beginning of the upper staff. They don't even have to be that small. One used to see them between the clefs, but that system runs into issues if the staves have to be very close together. And there was style that placed them at the point of the piano brace. That eats up the margin, especially as the numbers run into three figures.
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