Anglo printed music - real pitch or octave low?

[gcoover]

Ok, I've further updated the previous example to include how the 19th century Anglo tutors showed the music - all on one single treble clef. And I must say I could get used to the way it looks, especially if the stem directions are in different directions and the resulting measures don't get too cluttered.

 

Let's dispense with all the theory - I'd most like to hear from folks who regularly play harmonic Anglo from printed music!

 

Thanks!

 

Gary

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by gcoover

[Little John]

Sorry Gary, I know I'm not your target audience, but for me the 19th century method has it all: true pitch, clear separation of the two hands (by use of the stems) and showing the relationship between all the notes clearly. What do a few ledger lines matter when you've got the button numbers to help you? The shape of the tune is still clear.

 

LJ

[Kelteglow]

  Sorry my Mistake

Edited June 16, 2020 by Kelteglow
Non Appropriate to the subject

[Don Taylor]

Just to muddy the waters a bit more:  how about using 8va and 8vb lines to get over the excess ledger lines problem.

 

See: https://pianotels.com/what-does-8va-and-8vb-mean-in-music/

[David Barnert]

On 6/15/2020 at 8:23 AM, adrian brown said:

MIke (and David will correct me if I am wrong here) I don’t think it's the upper range of the tune that indicates plagal or authentic here, rather how low the tune generally sits under the tonic.

 

On 6/15/2020 at 8:23 AM, adrian brown said:

As David says, most tunes were written within a range of one and a half octaves from D - presumably to avoid too many ledger lines and to keep most of the tune within the stave, but was the choice of key signature generally otherwise arbitrary?

 

11 hours ago, gcoover said:

Let's dispense with all the theory

 

I have taken this part of the conversation to a different thread. But (staying on topic) I would remind you that if you were less averse to thinking about music in a theoretical sense (ie., how the different notes of a scale relate to each other, the expectations they set up, how they are resolved) you might be less plagued by questions like the one that started this thread. For instance, your Shepherd's Hey notation has an F# where there should be a D in the last bar. See https://themorrisring.org/sites/default/files/sheetmusic/longboroughShepherdsHey.pdf

[Stephen Mills]

13 hours ago, gcoover said:

Let's dispense with all the theory - I'd most like to hear from folks who regularly play harmonic Anglo from printed music!

 

I presume the preferences of Anglo players is indeed a distribution based on experience rather than theoretical concerns.  For example, after 40 years of playing from classical guitar scores, I am comfortable playing Anglo while reading a single treble clef (across the limits of the guitar fretboard - I do have a slight hesitation on encountering even higher notes on the Anglo which take a couple of times through to hone in on).  With either of the other 2 notations (especially with bass clef),  I often find myself using a pencil converting them to the single treble clef notation.  Players with prior experience on piano or other instruments would probably have different preferences.  So my preference is different from the two much better Anglo players you mention.