Instruction Manual

759
Chords and Marks
Notation and Lyrics
Adding Expression Marks
Expression marks tell a performer how to interpret the notes and durations
on the page. They provide a necessary supplement to simple notation, in
which notes have only pitch and duration, but no hint of how loudly, softly,
or smoothly, they are to be played. Dynamic marks—from ppp (pianissimo)
for “very, very softly” through fff (fortissimo) for “very, very forcefully”—allow
notation to convey volume instructions. Expression marks are also needed
to specify other aspects of performance, such as whether a passage is to
be played legato or staccato. Finally, expression marks can be used to
convey to the performer the composer's suggestions or requirements as to
how a passage should be interpreted. In such cases the language used can
leave much to the imagination, as in with majesty or abrasively.
Expression marks do not change the underlying MIDI data. They only
provide information to the reader on how a piece should be performed.
If the track is split into treble/bass staves, expression marks are allowed
only below the treble staff.
When entering an expression mark, you can leave a dangling hyphen at the
end of an expression mark to insert automatic spaced hyphens until the
next expression mark. For example:
cresc. - - - ff
It is often desirable to terminate such a series of hyphens with a blank
expression mark. For example:
accel. - - -
Expression text is italicized in the Staff view. Standard dynamic markings
also appear bold.
To Add an Expression Mark
1. Click the Draw tool .
2. Select the Expression tool .
3. Position the pointer below the lowest note in the staff. (The pointer
changes to a pencil when you are in a legal position.)
4. Click to open an insertion box.
5. Type the expression mark text. Press Esc to abort the operation.
6. Press Enter, or press Tab or Shift-Tab to move to the next or previous
mark, respectively.
SONAR inserts the new expression mark below the staff.