Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [accent]

An accent is a note that stands out from the rest of the notes surrounding it. It does not have a definitive volume, it is relative to the current dynamic level.

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What is this beat and why is it so popular

In many concert etudes, along with several rock songs, there is an accented pattern that often serves as a link to a new section of the music. It also works as a great fill. It usually comes from the drummer, but I have heard it on other instruments…
Cody Guldner
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End Accents in Other Cultures

Disclaimer: It's difficult mixing terminology between Western and non-Western musics, but I'll try to make my question as clear as possible. Western Classical music most often has an accent at the start of a given metrical unit; we call it the…
Richard
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What is the difference between accent and sforzando?

In particular, on cello. I got the impression that both are strong (either by pressure or speed) at the beginning of the note, followed by quick release of pressure/speed. What is the difference between the two?
Leonard AB
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Perfecting accents in Chopin's Impromptu

I'm having a little difficulty in perfecting the following accents in Chopin's Impromptu. (Here's the sheet music I'm referencing for those interested. ) If you look at the following picture, you'll notice how the acccents are placed at on the…
codedude
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Importance of placement of accents for chords (Chopin mazurka, op 59, no 3)

Consider the placement of accents for chords that are split between the bass and treble (Chopin Mazurka op. 59, no 3, bar 34) : and bar 101: I suddenly became unsure if the accent for the second case (bar 101) is only for the treble chord (Ciss…
Håkon Hægland
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Question about beats and their inheritance of accents on the rhythm

I see that I've created a lot of confusion with my original question, so I have decided to send the author of "How to read Music in 30 Days, English 2022 Ed." a detailed question that should clearly state my concern. As it contains quite a lot of…
iwab
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Note Accentuation (Dynamic) - When should/shouldn't you apply accentuation?

I am having some concern over whether it is appropriate or not to apply accentuation to every part of the song, apart from of course the drums, It's innately intuitive that these beats should be accentuated to give a sense of dynamic rhythm. The…
user108262
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Slight emphasis on a note (soft accent)

The attached image is the first couple of bars from the James Bond theme – No Time to Die: The notes in yellow sound to me like they are played with a slight accent/emphasis, and I'm trying to find the correct way to mark this. Also, the notes in…
Ukfff12345
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How to play accents at beginning for measure on piano?

According to what I know, the first beat has an accent on it. What if the score indicates explicitly an accent? Is that note supposed to be much more accentuated than usual?
Paul92
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Which chord should be accented?

I was looking at the Liszt transcription for Beethoven's 7th symphony for solo piano, and in the second movement there seems to be no accent on the first chord of every measure (75-98), yet when listening to the orchestral version, Katsaris's…
Ammar Aldawood
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What is the difference between a marcato and an accent?

I hear a few people refer to what looks like an accent as a marcato. Is a marcato a different name for accent, or is it a different way of playing the accent?
xilpex
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How to play accents on short notes on the violin

The technique I generally use to play an accent on my violin is to press down the bow before executing the note. So that creates the necessary impact. This video demonstrates it well: This technique works really well with minims or crotchets. but…
Sazid Ahmad
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Is sforzando on two beats sensible? Are there alternatives?

For a piano piece, I want a sforzando (which I interpret as a strong accent on every note in that beat) to be applied to two beats. Until now I have notated it like this, with sffz between the notes: I think this is understandable, if admittedly…
KeizerHarm
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Are anti-accents used for the piano?

According to wikipedia, anti-accents: accents that tell you to play a note softer than the surrounding notes, which are indicated by a breve (slightly softer), parentheses (significantly softer) and brackets (much softer), are used in percussion…
Stallmp
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How are varying degrees of accent notated?

Most music notation give very binary accents for beats (either there or not), but there are many "degrees" of accenting a beat. One bar of 4 4 time, "one two three four", is equivalent to two bars of 2 4 time, "one two one two." What makes the…
N.D.H.
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