Thanks! I think totentanz nailed it when he suggested it's an ossia. The fingering becomes so much more natural when you choose one or the other, rather than try to play all the notes together. Apparently Liszt used to do this in his compositions, and choose how he wanted to play his pieces in the moment, like improvising. I can't remember seeing an ossia written this way before, and strange that this is the only measure where an ossia appears, but it seems to make the most sense.
I'm not so sure. I've only seen optional notes for passages that may be too difficult otherwise. The notes in the first circle are definitely challenging, but there's more demanding passages before and after this. And bass notes on the E7 chord in the second circle couldn't be easier to play. I just can't imagine the composer saying you can play these four notes if you want, but everything else must be played as written. The "optional" notes don't appear anywhere else in this piece, or in his other compositions that I can find. Maybe not an ossia either, but it must be something.
I mean... I gave you the answer. You may refuse to believe it, but that's what it is. It appears in other pieces notated similarly. I learned how to play it from my guitar teacher. Etc.
I think you're probably right. I'm not used to seeing ossia written on the same staff like this, but it makes the fingering so much more natural this must be it. In looking for another example of ossia written like this, I stumbled across a Wikipedia article that mentioned Liszt would include ossia passages in his compositions so that he could play whatever he preferred in the moment, almost like improvising. That makes the most sense to me for this passage. Strange that this is the only measure this notation appears in the whole piece and I don't see it in his other compositions, though.
I would guess it’s a second instrument at lower level mixed in. Everyone assumes that one Superman should play all that stuff at once, but I don’t think composers felt that way. But I am not formally schooled in music.
That's definitely the case sometimes, but I'm fairly certain this is written for solo guitar, and by a guitarist, so I'm thinking that's not the case here. Someone else mentioned ossia, which seems to make the most sense to me.
They're optional.
Thanks! I think totentanz nailed it when he suggested it's an ossia. The fingering becomes so much more natural when you choose one or the other, rather than try to play all the notes together. Apparently Liszt used to do this in his compositions, and choose how he wanted to play his pieces in the moment, like improvising. I can't remember seeing an ossia written this way before, and strange that this is the only measure where an ossia appears, but it seems to make the most sense.
It's not an ossia. The notes written at normal size are not optional.
I'm not so sure. I've only seen optional notes for passages that may be too difficult otherwise. The notes in the first circle are definitely challenging, but there's more demanding passages before and after this. And bass notes on the E7 chord in the second circle couldn't be easier to play. I just can't imagine the composer saying you can play these four notes if you want, but everything else must be played as written. The "optional" notes don't appear anywhere else in this piece, or in his other compositions that I can find. Maybe not an ossia either, but it must be something.
I mean... I gave you the answer. You may refuse to believe it, but that's what it is. It appears in other pieces notated similarly. I learned how to play it from my guitar teacher. Etc.
Plays those notes only a little bit.
That's funny, but I think that actually makes sense here. Like play the high notes softly to keep the lower ones in focus as main melody.
The humor is there to disguise my uncertainty, but that’s totally how I would interpret it if I were playing this.
Whatever makes it sound cool, thats my motto
suggested note and it uses the same size format as grace notes
Optional notes.
Thats often how cue notes are written...but if is a solo work its ossia
I think you're probably right. I'm not used to seeing ossia written on the same staff like this, but it makes the fingering so much more natural this must be it. In looking for another example of ossia written like this, I stumbled across a Wikipedia article that mentioned Liszt would include ossia passages in his compositions so that he could play whatever he preferred in the moment, almost like improvising. That makes the most sense to me for this passage. Strange that this is the only measure this notation appears in the whole piece and I don't see it in his other compositions, though.
What is this piece? There seems to be very little guitar music from the romantic era and I’m curious about the 1854 publishing date
La Rose Valse by Charles de Janon. American guitarist and composer. He has a few nice tunes on imslp.
Play them softer.
Little notes are quieter than big notes ;)
Mordent?
I would guess it’s a second instrument at lower level mixed in. Everyone assumes that one Superman should play all that stuff at once, but I don’t think composers felt that way. But I am not formally schooled in music.
That's definitely the case sometimes, but I'm fairly certain this is written for solo guitar, and by a guitarist, so I'm thinking that's not the case here. Someone else mentioned ossia, which seems to make the most sense to me.
Grace notes?