What does a little checkmark mean?

[stephenpaulharper]

After much procrastinating, I'm intent on honing my my sight-reading skills on keyboard. I've got tons of sheet music from my university days, but I keep running across this little checkmark - over the treble staff - in what would appear to be a breath point ( ' ) on music for piano and vocals. What is this? I don't know if I've forgotten or if I ever knew. I keep thinking I need to do something when I see it, but I've no idea what.

Thanks

Steve

[Meffy]

If it's string music you're reading, a "V" above shows the note is to be played on the up bow (or the pick's upstroke). A smaller down-pointing triangular mark, solid rather than V-shaped, means a very very short staccato.

[edit] I wasn't able to tell whether you're reading vocal and piano parts, or whether you meant the mark in question would be found in vocal and piano music. If the former, then I don't know; might have some personal meaning to whoever wrote it that isn't recognized in the wider musical world, or just in a limited group of musicians.

[kara]

In vocal parts the breath point is indicated as a real comma as in ',' above the staf

k

[jupiter8]

So you have breathing points notated ? So if you screw up and forget to add them someone could actually die ?
That's some responsibility.

[stephenpaulharper]

Nope, this isn't a bow mark or breath mark, but a checkmark like "OK" or "thumbs-up". It's on printed score, so I don't think it's anyone's personal thing:

http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... arkuu5.jpg


Jupiter8

You're silly - the person would pass-out and then start breathing again. I guess we'd need a drop-dead symbol.

Steve

[Meffy]

Never seen one like that. It's over a space between notes, which is weird. Inhaling is the only thing I can think of that would make sense in that position, but putting one in the middle of a sentence doesn't seem right either... though there is a comma there. Might mean an audible pause or break between words. Or getting up and switching chairs with the person to your immediate right.

[stephenpaulharper]

Never seen one like that. It's over a space between notes, which is weird. Inhaling is the only thing I can think of that would make sense in that position, but putting one in the middle of a sentence doesn't seem right either... though there is a comma there. Might mean an audible pause or break between words. Or getting up and switching chairs with the person to your immediate right.

You're right that it seems coincidental that it falls between syllables and notes.

Somebody has to know, but I guess I don't need to worry about it.

Thanks for the replies.

Steve

[kara]

Hmm I see, i 'could' be a representation of a 'v' above the staff, which means 'marcatto' or accented in english

[stephenpaulharper]

Hmm I see, i 'could' be a representation of a 'v' above the staff, which means 'marcatto' or accented in english

Yeah, but I equate marcato with string articulations. This is over a Soprano I line.

[C00kie]

Probably it's this sentence:

Pleasure it is to hear, I wis, the birdes' song ...

so me thinks the ✓ marks an appropriate point to breathe indeed.

[stephenpaulharper]

I can name that tune in 4 notes/syllables. Good job. I'm doing this with my teenaged neices for a Xmas present. They are both stellar and well-trained singers. Gonna trick it up with a buncha medieval/renaissance instruments, in addition to the harp (piano) part.

Seems like if it was a breath point though, they'd use the standard one - ' or high comma if you prefer.

Steve

[C00kie]

I can name that tune in 4 notes/syllables. Good job.

Well, credits due to Google

Seems like if it was a breath point though, they'd use the standard one - ' or high comma if you prefer.

Apostrophe

Maybe the typographer / publisher found this unconventional symbol more appropriate.