Music Transcription Notation Standards and Tools 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the function of a 'courtesy accidental' (also called a 'cautionary accidental') in notation?
- To cancel an accidental from a previous measure as a reminder to the performer (Correct answer)
- To indicate a microtonal inflection
- To raise a note by a quarter tone
- To mark an editorial addition by the transcriber
Correct answer: To cancel an accidental from a previous measure as a reminder to the performer
A courtesy accidental reminds performers of the current pitch status of a note, especially after an accidental in a prior measure.
Question 2: In Finale and Sibelius, what does 'part extraction' refer to?
- Removing a section from the score
- Generating individual performer parts from a full orchestral score (Correct answer)
- Exporting the audio mixdown
- Splitting a score into two separate files
Correct answer: Generating individual performer parts from a full orchestral score
Part extraction automatically creates individual instrument parts from a full score, each showing only that instrument's music.
Question 3: Which time signature would be considered 'compound duple' meter?
- 2/4
- 3/4
- 6/8 (Correct answer)
- 4/4
Correct answer: 6/8
6/8 is compound duple because it has two main beats, each subdivided into three eighth notes.
Question 4: What does 'col legno' instruct a string player to do?
- Play with the wood of the bow rather than the hair (Correct answer)
- Use a wooden mute
- Play near the fingerboard
- Tap the body of the instrument
Correct answer: Play with the wood of the bow rather than the hair
Col legno (Italian for 'with the wood') instructs the player to strike the strings with the wooden stick of the bow.
Question 5: In standard notation, a fermata (𝄐) placed over a note indicates what?
- Play the note louder than marked
- Hold the note for longer than its written value at the performer's or conductor's discretion (Correct answer)
- Repeat the note
- Skip the note in performance
Correct answer: Hold the note for longer than its written value at the performer's or conductor's discretion
A fermata tells the performer to sustain the note beyond its notated value, with the exact duration left to musical judgment.
Question 6: What is the role of 'figured bass' notation in Baroque-era transcription?
- It specifies exact notes for the bass instrument only
- It provides numbers below a bass line indicating the intervals for improvised harmony above it (Correct answer)
- It marks the tempo for the bass section
- It indicates which string to use
Correct answer: It provides numbers below a bass line indicating the intervals for improvised harmony above it
Figured bass uses numbers below the bass line to indicate the harmonic intervals a keyboardist should realize above that pitch.
Question 7: Which of the following is a dedicated music notation software application?
- Adobe Audition
- Pro Tools
- MuseScore (Correct answer)
- Ableton Live
Correct answer: MuseScore
MuseScore is a free, open-source music notation software for writing and printing standard sheet music.
Music Transcription Notation Standards and Tools 4
What is the function of a 'courtesy accidental' (also called a 'cautionary accidental') in notation?