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What do the x's mean in sheet music?

#7
Valerus said:
Can anyone go into further detail? I've been wondering this for years.
Click to expand...
Ghost notes are where you pluck the string while it's muted. There's still a sound that's made, but it doesn't ring out at all.

Here's a clip of some guy playing Duran Duran's Rio. He demonstrates the line with and without the ghost notes so you can hear how they affect things.

 
#8
Ghost notes, a critical part of Jaco's sound. And Rocco's, and Jerry Jemmott's (one of Jaco's biggest influences), and Chuck Rainey, etc. etc.

Don't fret the note indicated, but put your finger on the string so when you pluck it you get a percussive thump instead of a note. Critical reference is Rocco on "What Is Hip?".

jte
 
#9
sorry, but most answers are incorrect... us bass players and guitarists have a habit of incorrectly using the term 'ghost notes'

those x's are dead notes, not ghost notes... ghost notes are the ones you see inside round brackets.. ghost notes are not muted, they're just significantly quieter than a normal note

those x's are dead notes... where you pluck the string with your right hand the same as normal, but lift your left hand slightly off the frets/fretboard so it does not vibrate freely and makes a percussive thud as a result

Bar 6 shows these two things together, as an example:

Link Removed
 
#10
cowsgomoo said:
snip....

Bar 6 shows these two things together, as an example ...
Click to expand...

That's quite odd. It says to play a D, then a dead note. so far so good. Then a D ghost note. ???
How? I've just been muting the string, how do I play a D without plucking the string?


Here's what I'm thinking, though I'm probably wrong: in this case would you play the D with index, then while keeping the index fretting the D mute the string with your other 3 fingers, and then to get the ghost note release these 3 fingers and hope a D resounds?

Good post by the way.
 
#11
Ok, I've never gotten clear answers on the difference between a dead and ghost. I understand that a dead note would be me muting the strings and plucking, however how would I play a ghost? Would it be like quickly bouncing off say, the open string before fretting a note?

In an issue of bassplayer, they transcribe the line from "For the Love of Money." There's a bunch of ghost notes, and they specifically say he used his left hand to mute the string. Wondered if he fretted the note then used his other fingers to mute the string, or if he lifted his finger up to mute the note.
 
#12
Just J said:
Ok, I've never gotten clear answers on the difference between a dead and ghost. I understand that a dead note would be me muting the strings and plucking, however how would I play a ghost? Would it be like quickly bouncing off say, the open string before fretting a note?

In an issue of bassplayer, they transcribe the line from "For the Love of Money." There's a bunch of ghost notes, and they specifically say he used his left hand to mute the string. Wondered if he fretted the note then used his other fingers to mute the string, or if he lifted his finger up to mute the note.
Click to expand...

Well, IMO, dead notes are the x's by plucking a note while putting my finger on the string while not pushing it in.
While I play ghost notes by either gently pushing in the string above the appropriate fret or pluck very gently, so you don't get the full sound of a regular pluck.
 
#13
Rattlehead said:
That's quite odd. It says to play a D, then a dead note. so far so good. Then a D ghost note. ???
How? I've just been muting the string, how do I play a D without plucking the string?


Here's what I'm thinking, though I'm probably wrong: in this case would you play the D with index, then while keeping the index fretting the D mute the string with your other 3 fingers, and then to get the ghost note release these 3 fingers and hope a D resounds?
Click to expand...

on that beat, you have the 1st D, a regular D fretted on the A string... the line bounces off that open A a lot, so i'm pretty certain it's not an open string D

the second note (the dead note) you lift your fretting hand slightly but pluck the string with regular force...

the 3rd note (the ghost note), you fret the note as normal but pluck the note significantly softer
 
#14
cowsgomoo said:
...
the 3rd note (the ghost note), you fret the note as normal but pluck the note significantly softer
Click to expand...

That seems plausible, but then that would mean it's just dynamics and not any special technique. If that was the case, why not just use the standard dynamics notation (write 'piano' or 'mezzo-piano' for a softer note) instead of making up some expression 'ghost note' to confuse us all?

Just asking. :)
 
#15
Dynamic markings are generally used to denote the dynamics for a whole section, and not individual notes. Having a different dynamic marking for each note would make the music difficult to read, while having the () notation makes it very clear that only one note is to be played very softly.
 
#17
Rattlehead said:
That seems plausible, but then that would mean it's just dynamics and not any special technique. If that was the case, why not just use the standard dynamics notation (write 'piano' or 'mezzo-piano' for a softer note) instead of making up some expression 'ghost note' to confuse us all?

Just asking. :)
Click to expand...

well, those performance instructions like p and mf etc usually apply to whole phrases, wheras articulations to single notes are commonly indicated using articulation markings...

if a whole passage was very quiet, then yeah, out comes the 'p'

believe it or not, round brackets for ghost notes isn't a particularly special or esoteric thing... not any more than using a dot above a note to indicate staccato... you wouldn't write 'stacc' under one single note
 

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