GNU LilyPond Notation Reference: 2.3.1 Common notation for unfretted strings

### 2.3.1 Common notation for unfretted strings

There is little specialist notation for unfretted string instruments. The music is notated on a single staff, and usually only a single voice is required. Two voices might be required for some double-stopped or divisi passages.

#### References for unfretted strings

Most of the notation which is useful for orchestral strings and other bowed instruments is covered elsewhere:

- Textual indications such as “pizz.” and “arco” are added as simple text – see Text scripts.
- Fingerings, including the thumb indication, are described in Fingering instructions.
- Double stopping is normally indicated by writing a chord, see Chorded notes. Directives for playing chords may be added, see Arpeggio.
- A template for a string quartet can be found in String quartet. Others are shown in the snippets.

#### See also

Learning Manual: String quartet.

Notation Reference: Text scripts, Fingering instructions, Chorded notes, Arpeggio.

Snippets: Unfretted strings.

#### Bowing indications

Bowing indications are created as articulations, which are described in Articulations and ornamentations.

The bowing commands, `\upbow` and `\downbow`, are used with slurs as follows:

>     c4(\downbow d) e(\upbow f)

and the following example shows three ways in which an open A string on a violin might be indicated:

>     a4 \open
>     a^\markup { \teeny "II" }
>     a2^\markup { \small "sul A" }

#### Predefined commands

`\downbow`, `\upbow`, `\open`.

#### See also

Notation Reference: Articulations and ornamentations, Slurs.

#### Harmonics

Natural harmonics

Natural harmonics can be notated in several ways. A diamond-shaped note head generally means to touch the string where you would stop the note if it were not a diamond.

Note: Harmonics must be defined inside a chord construct even if there is only a single note.

Dotted harmonics indicated with `\harmonic` do not show the dots. The context property `harmonicDots` should be set if dots are required.

>     <d\harmonic>4 <e\harmonic>2.
>     \set harmonicDots = ##t
>     <d\harmonic>4 <e\harmonic>2.

Alternatively a normal note head is shown at the pitch to be sounded together with a small circle to indicate it should be played as a harmonic:

>     d2^\flageolet d_\flageolet

A smaller circle may be created, see the snippet list in References for unfretted strings.

Artificial harmonics

Artificial harmonics are notated with two notes, one with a normal note head indicating the stopped position and one with an open diamond note head to indicate the harmonic position.

>     <e a\harmonic>2  <c g'\harmonic>

#### See also

Music Glossary: harmonics.

Notation Reference: Special note heads, References for unfretted strings.

#### Snap (Bartók) pizzicato

#### Selected Snippets

Snap-pizzicato markup ("Bartok pizzicato")

A snap-pizzicato (also known as "Bartok pizzicato") is a "strong pizzicato where the string is plucked vertically by snapping and rebounds off the fingerboard of the instrument" (Wikipedia). It is denoted by a cicle with a vertical line going from the center upwards outside the circle. While Lilypond does not have a pre-defined command to created this markup, it is easy to create a definition and place it directly into the lilypond file.

>     #(define-markup-command (snappizz layout props) ()
>       (interpret-markup layout props
>         (markup #:stencil
>           (ly:stencil-translate-axis
>             (ly:stencil-add
>               (make-circle-stencil 0.7 0.1 #f)
>               (ly:make-stencil
>                 (list 'draw-line 0.1 0 0.1 0 1)
>                 '(-0.1 . 0.1) '(0.1 . 1)))
>             0.7 X))))

>     snapPizzicato = \markup \snappizz

>     % now it can be used as \snappizzicato after the note/chord
>     % Note that a direction (-, ^ or _) is required.
>     \relative c' {
>       c4^\snapPizzicato
>       % This does NOT work:
>       %<c e g>\snapPizzicato
>       <c' e g>-\snapPizzicato
>       <c' e g>^\snapPizzicato
>       <c, e g>_\snapPizzicato
>     }

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