Fortissimo flute in a crescendo, how to fix that?
I wished that Musescore could recognize the note velocity of other instruments when I just put in a series of sforzandos in 1 instrument followed by forte to recognize that it needs to do a crescendo. But it can't, not with dynamic range being part(which is what I need in case there are spots where 1 instrument is forte and in the same measure another is piano). And this leads me to a problem.
I am working on a score of Beethoven's 5th symphony, the first theme to be specific. I have finished the strings(most of it after the violins and violas was putting in cello notes and copying and pasting those into the bass staff) and just got started with the woodwinds, putting in dynamics for the first flute.
But I have a problem. There is no way there would be a fortissimo flute in a syncronized crescendo to forte in an orchestra. And yet because of Musescore, that is exactly what I will be getting if I don't fix it.
The sheet music doesn't help because that doesn't show dynamics or crescendos with no notes just to clarify that this spot is when the orchestra does a crescendo.
Here is the sheet music for the symphony I am working on:
http://ks.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/0/0c/IMSLP52624-PMLP01586-Beet…
The second orchestral staff on the 8th page of the pdf and the first orchestral staff on the 9th page of the pdf is where the crescendo is. The first orchestral staff on the 8th page is where the fortissimo i mentioned earlier is.
Here are the methods I can think of to make sure the flute isn't fortissimo during the sforzandos:
Note Velocity Method
I could adjust the note velocity of each individual sforzando but then I would need to know the note velocity of the first note in every measure where a sforzando is before the forte and that requires knowing how long the crescendo is and the note velocity of piano and forte. Then I would know the rate at which the note velocity is changing per quarter note.
Courtesy dynamics and crescendo
This is the second method I can think of, where I just put a piano dynamic near the sforzandos and a crescendo up to the forte. You know, like how courtesy accidentals are added just to make sure that the instruments play the right notes. But will this sound right?
Here is the musescore file of what I have so far, the first flute and the strings.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Symphony No. 5 First Movement.mscz | 10.17 KB |
Comments
Would be it possible to create and post a simplified example showing the problem in just a few measures with just a handful of instruments?
Generally what people do if they want to tweak the playback is change the velocity in Inspector or adding invisible dynamics. A simplified example would help us in suggesting which of these approaches would be best for you, or if something else would be better.
Here is the simplified example where I just copied the flute and strings from the beginning of the creschendo to the forte. I put piano dynamics in the measure before the strings start the creschendo and a fortissimo dynamic in the flute before the sforzandos.
I can clearly hear that the flute is louder than the strings while the creschendo is occuring.
To keep it simple:
sf = f + > (forte plus accent) = ff =112
sff= ff + > (fortissimo plus accent) = fff = 126
Crescendo signs doesn't affect them. (or it ends here.)
Because they are already dynamic signs.
The only problem is that if there is a "sf" dynamic at the end of the crescendo, it means that it has actually reached the forte dynamic (not ff). And the following section (after the sf's) must have a forte dynamic. (Or you should put a secret forte sign.)
Note: If the volume of the flute is too high compared to the violins at the same dynamics, you can reduce it from the mixer.
In reply to To keep it simple:… by Ziya Mete Demircan
I thought sforzando just meant an accent on the preexisting dynamic, not forte + an accent. And I have heard sforzandos in a crescendo. When I listen to Beethoven's 5th symphony for example, I hear an accent on the first note in 6 measures(those being the measures with sforzandos) and each accent is louder than the previous. I don't hear the dynamic change to forte + accent for 1 note, forte without accent for the rest when the sforzandos occur, I still hear a crescendo up to forte with the sforzandos getting louder.
Doesn't matter if I am listening to an orchestra play it or to a piano transcription of it, that is what I hear is sforzandos in a crescendo.
In reply to I thought sforzando just… by Caters
Some editors may have used it as an accent.