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I've occasionaly seen these arrows over numbers, but I don't know what they're called or exactly what they mean.

I'm assuming they have something to do with the motion, but I'm not sure.

Unknown arrows over numbers

RazerMoon
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1 Answers1

5

Chevron above Arabic number marks pitch of the notes with respect to the root of the key. In this case these notes are 6 and 5 in scale of the key.

There is one flat in key signature, so the key could be F major or D minor. In this case it must be F major, as D is 6 in F (it is interval of major sixth above F), and C is 5 in F.

user1079505
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  • This doesn't answer the question of what the chevrons ˆ mean in this notation. Are they just there to point from the number to the note, or do they convey any meaning? – Michael Seifert Dec 25 '21 at 14:10
  • @MichaelSeifert is it more clear now? – user1079505 Dec 25 '21 at 14:22
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    Thanks! Is there an official name for the symbol? Also, are there any similar ones, like one facing down etc.? – RazerMoon Dec 25 '21 at 14:36
  • It's most likely right, but there's nothing else it could mean. Not fingers, frets, strings, so seems little point in using the chevrons - to me. – Tim Dec 25 '21 at 14:47
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    These are commonly referred to as "scale-degree numbers." – Richard Dec 25 '21 at 14:58
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    @RazerMoon I don't know any other name. And it's the only use I'm aware of, when placed above an arabic number. Sadly, it's not easy to type on computer, so people typically write ^6 ^5. In sheet music notation, ^ above a note or v below a note means _marcato_ articulation. Also v above the note is used to notate bowing or picking upwards in string instruments. – user1079505 Dec 25 '21 at 15:07
  • @RazerMoon The symbol itself is called a [circumflex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumflex). It is also used as an accent in certain languages, like French and Esperanto. – TobyRush Dec 25 '21 at 23:08
  • @TobyRush - Wiki - Degree (music) refers to them as *carets*. (as well as cirumflex, more usually referenced to letters than numbers). – Tim Dec 26 '21 at 09:58
  • @Tim As I understand it, the [caret](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caret) is a technically different, freestanding character, but you're absolutely right that the terms are often used interchangeably. – TobyRush Dec 26 '21 at 16:09
  • @TobyRush I think typically music fonts use a larger hat symbol than a typical circumflex over a letter (ê). I think we touch a more general topic of musical symbols which were developed to look good and readable on music staff, rather than blend with text seamlessly. Similarly it's difficult to write nicely chord symbols using regular fonts, see https://music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3774/ https://music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3107/ If you want to write a nicely looking document about music you typically need a dedicated package with proper symbols and capabilities. – user1079505 Dec 26 '21 at 17:24
  • @user1079505 I think the lack of support for musical symbols in standard font packages is precisely the reason for the confusion. My theory textbooks are all in my office right now so I can't check, but for example on [this page](http://openmusictheory.com/scales.html), under "Scale degrees and solfège," the body text refers to and shows a caret symbol but the figure, which uses [Plantin Pro Roman](https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/plantin/pro/), uses circumflex symbols. For scale degrees I've always had to cobble the symbols together myself in Illustrator (for print) or CSS (for web). – TobyRush Dec 26 '21 at 20:03