sfz

[Hector Pascal]

Hi all,

I use these accents ">" quite a lot, and I now wish to occasionally use sfz or sffz for extra emphasis.

Gould p.115 suggests that the sfz and sffz etc. replaces the accent, so consequently I plan to delete the accents where I have sfz or sffz. The idea being that one should not have an accented sfz or an accented sffz...

Am I understanding Gould correctly? Just wanted to consult the brains trust!

Thanks,
Hector.

[David Ward]

Although one does sometimes see both at the same time, it's not necessary and is probably technically incorrect. Apart from anything else, on some instruments (maybe not on the piano though) these accents may be articulated differently. eg Scroll down viewtopic.php?f=5&t=20375 and you'll see my scan of a chart from Walter Piston's Orchestration illustrating the different ways orchestral players may articulate > as against sf &c.

[ebiggs1]

I generally, right or wrong and perhaps wrong more often than not, write music and consider my target market. If getting my ideas across requires something, I do it and don't worry about it. Concepts that a professional musician will understand is not the same as others.

BTW, if I remember correctly those markings do not have a sound associated with them in Finale, so you will need to supply one if playback is required.

[Hector Pascal]

Thanks David and ebiggs1

I've taken the ">" off my sfz notes and it is looking less cluttered now. The sfz's are in a piano part and wood wind parts. Regarding playback of sfz, that seems be be functioning, maybe it's something to do with my HP settings. On with the polishing....

Cheers and many thanks,
Hector.

[Hector Pascal]

Just a final quick follow-up question:

Given that sfz is considered more an articulation than a dynamic, should I attach sfz to the right hand and left hand notes or is one sfz between the grand stave enough? I want both hands to apply the sfz. so I am thinking I need two.

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hp.

[ebiggs1]

My thought and the way I do it is in the middle because it usually means both notes, or hands, are doing the same thing. However, if it pertains to just one of the notes, or hands, I put them below each note or as closely as possible. But I am not the one to ask since I do things the way I think it makes more readable sense even if it isn't the correct standard.