Acciaccatura main note off beat
I guess this is bordering on being a feature request, but playback of acciaccaturas is currently the same as that of appoggiaturas in that the grace notes occur on the beat instead of before the beat (as it should).
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Both are supposed to occur on the beat according to standard musical practice. The difference is in *length* - appogiaturas are suppsoed to (and do) take half the value of the main note, while acciaccaturas are suppsoed to be played "as fast as possible" - simultaneously, in fact, for instruments like piano that support this.
But there is indeed already a feature request to provide an option to allow for less standard playback behavior of acciaccaturas where they start ahead of the beat.
In reply to Both are supposed to occur on by Marc Sabatella
I have to say that I completely disagree. In many, if not most scenarios the main note is required to land on the beat (for example to match up with other instruments that also play on the beat but don't have any preceding grace notes), and as such in situations when you can't 'crush' the acciaccaturas one must play them before the beat. Quote wikipedia (most trustworthy source, I know): "The acciaccatura in the Classical period is usually performed before the beat and the emphasis is on the main note not the grace note."
This is how I was taught and indeed how I've usually played them.
Furthermore, I also just thought about written out turns http://i.stack.imgur.com/u3OIQ.jpg . You'd be crazy to play these on the beat.
My point is, it is very very standard to play grace notes before the beat. As a long time flautist and pianist who has played an awful lot of music with varying genres I cannot count the number of times I have had to play grace notes before the beat.
Loved reunion btw :)
In reply to I have to say that I by Edward Buckland
Actually just realised the latest update of Musescore has 'grace notes after' to support written out turns. Sorry about that, I haven't used Musescore much since I last updated. But anyway my point still holds.
In reply to I have to say that I by Edward Buckland
It is true that most people play acciacaturas before the beat. If for no other reasons because it is much easier that way. But there is far from unanimity on this question. I have been taught both ways by violin teachers and various chamber music coaches. Personally I lean towards the on-the-beat school: It generates a tiny burst of dissonance which spices up the music very nicely. (example: the acciaccaturas in the last movement of Beethoven's violin sonata op. 30/3 in G-Major). But there are also situations where the before-the-beat practice seems more appropriate. I have come to distrust dogmatism on those sorts of questions in general.
In reply to It is true that most people by azumbrunn
Indeed, while I generally lean towards being before-the-beat I agree that there is often variation in the interpretation of acciaccaturas. But that is my point: before-the-beat acciaccaturas are just as standard (or to my personal belief even more standard) than on-the-beat acciaccaturas and should surely be supported too.
In reply to I have to say that I by Edward Buckland
It might be "very very standard" to play grace notes before the beat, but it is most definitely *less* standard than playing them on the beat. The Wikipedia article you cite makes it clear that they are referring only to "the Classical period", which doesn't mean all music, nor does it even mean all the music we colloquially refer to as "classical" music - it specifically means the Classical period as opposed to Baroque, Romantic, or the century+ of performance practice since then. And in any event, Wikipedia is not really the most authoritative source on musicological matters. See for instance the New Harvard Dictionary of Music and pretty much any similar source. The word itself (derived from the Italian word for "crush" also carries the implication that the acciaccatura is to played simulatenously with the harmonic tones - indeed, the very situation you describe. New Harvard in particular makes that explicitly clear. That is whole point to create the "crush" of the non-harmonic acciaccatura sounding simultaneously with the harmonic tones played with other fingers (on keyboard instruments) or in other instruments (in ensemble music).
I'm curious how the composer of the music you played made it clear that you "had to" play grace notes before the beat. My guess is that you or your instructor *assumed* this was correct, but in fact if you consulted the composer, you might well ahve found this assumption was incorrect much of the time.
Anyhow, I'd certainly favor an option for this less standard behavior, but the default should remain the more standard behavior we implement currently.
Turns are a totally different thing. And thanks for the compliment on "Reunion" :-)