Simile mark

[Toddb57]

What does it mean when a simile mark is above the measure of the staff? I know it means to repeat the previous measure when it's by itself within a measure of the staff, but I have sheet music that shows similes' above several measures that have notes in them..

 

[Mushroo]

Just a guess, since it written above the staff, where the chord symbols go, might it be indicating that the Em9 harmony repeats?

 

[Toddb57]

Doh!!! That makes since. As you can probably tell, I'm new at this.

 

[BassChuck]

The symbol to repeat the previous measure is a diagonal slash with a dot on either side, and that symbol is in the staff. The word SIMILE means 'in a similar style. So, if you get a measure of staccato notes, or legato or slurred, an octave higher or lower or perhaps popped or snapped etc, continue playing IN THAT STYLE for at least the rest of the phrase, or until otherwise noted. The term 'loco' is sometimes used to negate the 'simile' marking.

You'll not run into this very often. If you're playing shows, you'll see it now and again. It's an older term that is used less these days and really doesn't come into play unless you're in a musical setting that has a lot of subtle style changes.

 

[smperry]

Yes, it means that the accompaniment should stay in Em9.