Music Transcription Standard Notation and Dynamics 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A quintuplet bracket with the number '5' in a transcription means:
- Five notes played in the time of four (or three) (Correct answer)
- Five notes each lasting one beat
- A five-note arpeggio
- A measure in 5/4 time
Correct answer: Five notes played in the time of four (or three)
A quintuplet divides the beat or group into five equal parts where four (or three) would normally fit.
Question 2: Which notation correctly indicates a glissando from C4 to G4 on a piano transcription?
- A wavy or straight line connecting the two noteheads with 'gliss.' written above (Correct answer)
- A trill symbol between the two notes
- A slur over rapid 16th notes spelling out the scale
- A tremolo between the two notes
Correct answer: A wavy or straight line connecting the two noteheads with 'gliss.' written above
A glissando is notated with a straight or wavy line between two noteheads, often labeled 'gliss.' to distinguish it from a trill.
Question 3: The term 'poco a poco crescendo' written in a score tells the transcriber to notate:
- A very gradual, stepwise increase in volume over a long passage (Correct answer)
- A sudden jump to forte
- A single accent on the first note
- A decrescendo
Correct answer: A very gradual, stepwise increase in volume over a long passage
Poco a poco means 'little by little,' so the crescendo should build incrementally over an extended section.
Question 4: In a transcription, when two notes share a stem pointing upward and another stem pointing downward on the same staff, this technique is called:
- Voice separation (dividing into voice 1 and voice 2) (Correct answer)
- Cross-staff notation
- Unison doubling
- Ossia notation
Correct answer: Voice separation (dividing into voice 1 and voice 2)
Splitting notes onto up-stems and down-stems on the same staff is standard voice separation to show two independent melodic lines.
Question 5: What is the correct term for the thin double barline used to mark the beginning of a repeated section?
- Start repeat barline (thin-thin with forward-facing dots) (Correct answer)
- End repeat barline
- Double bar
- Section barline
Correct answer: Start repeat barline (thin-thin with forward-facing dots)
A start repeat barline consists of a thin and thick line with two dots facing right, indicating where the repeated section begins.
Question 6: When a passage is marked 'con sordino' in a transcription, the performer is instructed to:
- Play with a mute (damper) attached to reduce the instrument's volume and timbre (Correct answer)
- Play with the sustain pedal depressed throughout
- Play sul ponticello (near the bridge)
- Play using harmonics only
Correct answer: Play with a mute (damper) attached to reduce the instrument's volume and timbre
Con sordino means 'with mute,' directing string, brass, or piano performers to use a mute to alter tone and reduce volume.
Question 7: In music transcription, 'ossia' notation (a smaller auxiliary staff above the main staff) is used to:
- Provide an alternative, often easier, version of the same passage (Correct answer)
- Show a transposed version for a different instrument
- Indicate a cut in the score
- Mark a cadenza
Correct answer: Provide an alternative, often easier, version of the same passage
Ossia staves present an optional alternative reading of a passage, frequently a simplified version for less advanced performers.
Music Transcription Standard Notation and Dynamics 5
A quintuplet bracket with the number '5' in a transcription means: