# Music Notation Symbol indentity.



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I am challenging myself by doing some VERY simple conversion of staff music to tab music.
I can't read and am trying to learn some of the basics.

What does this notation/symbol pointed out by the red arrow mean/indicate? I can't find a reference for it anywhere.

Many thanks in advance.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

That is the start of a repeated section. The mirror image is the end of the repeated section.

Follow instructions for 1st & 2nd endings, and how many times you repeat.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

I just checked out the lead sheet.

You've got a 3 beat pickup into the "A" section. Play the 8 bar phrase into the 1st time ending, and repeat back to the start repeat sign.

Play 8 bars again, but skip the 1st time ending, and play the 2nd ending.

Continue to the end of the sheet. 1 complete pass through that lead sheet is standard 32 bar form. Typically in a jazz group the form would be played through as written, then every soloist would play through the 32 bar form, then hopefully the group communicates well enough to get back into the tune when solos are done.

Clear as mud?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Paul M said:


> The mirror image is the end of the repeated section.


Thanks very much...I didn't realize the second one was a mirror image. Not that it would have helped me.
I love this melody.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Paul M said:


> Clear as mud?


Clear...Nope

Mud...Yep

I appreciate your attempt to help/educate me but I'm an EXTREMELY long way from even understanding the basics. 
Reading and notation does fascinate me. 
Unfortunately, I wasted my youth on wine, women and three chord songs while also trying to get an education.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Music is a language..... the " alphabet" of music is much more than the notes on a piano.

I assure you there are many other alphabets out there I don't know at all.

Do you have any Jamey Aerbersold jazz play-a-longs? I'm pretty sure Moanin' is in one of tge books.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I have to learn to play from sheet. I already know the hard part. I feel I am letting myself down.

Keep working it greco, it really isn't all the hard and once you get the fundamentals, you will find it falls into place rather swiftly.

I do commend your decision on the women and wine though


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Paul M said:


> Do you have any Jamey Aerbersold jazz play-a-longs? I'm pretty sure Moanin' is in one of tge books.


No...I don't have any of the Aerbersold instructional products.
I am arranging to take some lessons from Lukas Bouda, Kitchener (maybe you know of him?) and will see what direction he takes with me.
In all honesty, I fear that there will be an " old dog < > new tricks challenge for me. However, I owe it to myself to try.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Brunz said:


> I do commend your decision on the women and wine though


Thanks. Both were reasonably easy to pursue and extremely enjoyable...but VERY EXPENSIVE!


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I always thought that was the symbol for guitar players to turn way down.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

zztomato said:


> I always thought that was the symbol for guitar players to turn way down.


As opposed to standard notation in general?


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

It's amazing how much you retain, and also lose, from taking music in elementary and high school. I remember it being a repeat symbol, but being more hand drawn than printed music it looks like artistic freedom as well. Music to many is "simple" until you dive into the theory. HOLY CRAP it is far more than simple. I miss it, but I'll be honest, I'm not going to go and relearn or search it out. Good on you for broadening your musical horizons. I could read music once upon a time, but I played out of bass clef. I don't see me learning to read music for guitar now. Treble clef and way more notes than I ever had to play at one time on a wind instrument.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

The original sheet Greco posted was from one of the fake books. Most of the fake books were originally hand written. The later editions are more professionally printed. There are almost as many music notation fonts as there are roman alphabet fonts. 

The music we got in high school concert band.... that was always engraved in a more formal style.


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

Paul M said:


> The music we got in high school concert band.... that was always engraved in a more formal style.


I think the "craziest" music font we got in high school was when I played in the stage band (aka swing band). It was usually more jazzy in presentation (pun intended) since the music was more jazzy. Non orchestral or large band arrangements. It would have notation like Greco's illustration has. I actually miss stage band most of all high school.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

It’s a repeat sign (as noted above). That’s the main melody so you would play through the section and then go back to the beginning and do it again. This looks like it’s out of a Real Book. Does it say what recording this sheet is based on? When I was getting back into reading I found it helpful to listen to the tune as I followed along. That made some of the things I had forgotten since high school come back a little quicker.


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