What does this horizontal bar at the first measure mean?












6















I was looking at some sheet music when I came across something I am seeing for the first time. It looked like a horizontal bar on the first measure. Here is an image:



Bar



What does this bar tell you? What is it for?










share|improve this question




















  • 3





    I really fail to understand why the most basic of questions (not just this one, by any means) gets so many up-votes. Dolmetsch and Wikipedia, to name two of dozens of music sites, have extensive lists of notation symbols.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @CarlWitthoft "One of the primary purposes of the whole Stack Exchange system is to be near the top of the results of web searches, so we want the answers to your questions to be found here. If there isn't already the answer here, then we want your question and answer here." -- music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2899/…

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday






  • 1





    @WayneConrad I'm not convinced that asking about notation symbols qualifies. WHich would you rather do - search thru a few hundred music.se questions (many of which have images which are difficult to search), or just go to Dolmetsch.com?

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @WayneConrad I'll also point out that, despite the best intentions of the creators of StackExchange, we get hundreds of questions that would have easily been answered if anyone ever bothered to search the database. Clearly that paradigm has failed.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @YourUncleBob "Not enough research" is not, and never has been, a close reason on SO. It is, however a valid reason to down-vote on SO or here.

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday
















6















I was looking at some sheet music when I came across something I am seeing for the first time. It looked like a horizontal bar on the first measure. Here is an image:



Bar



What does this bar tell you? What is it for?










share|improve this question




















  • 3





    I really fail to understand why the most basic of questions (not just this one, by any means) gets so many up-votes. Dolmetsch and Wikipedia, to name two of dozens of music sites, have extensive lists of notation symbols.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @CarlWitthoft "One of the primary purposes of the whole Stack Exchange system is to be near the top of the results of web searches, so we want the answers to your questions to be found here. If there isn't already the answer here, then we want your question and answer here." -- music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2899/…

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday






  • 1





    @WayneConrad I'm not convinced that asking about notation symbols qualifies. WHich would you rather do - search thru a few hundred music.se questions (many of which have images which are difficult to search), or just go to Dolmetsch.com?

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @WayneConrad I'll also point out that, despite the best intentions of the creators of StackExchange, we get hundreds of questions that would have easily been answered if anyone ever bothered to search the database. Clearly that paradigm has failed.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @YourUncleBob "Not enough research" is not, and never has been, a close reason on SO. It is, however a valid reason to down-vote on SO or here.

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday














6












6








6








I was looking at some sheet music when I came across something I am seeing for the first time. It looked like a horizontal bar on the first measure. Here is an image:



Bar



What does this bar tell you? What is it for?










share|improve this question
















I was looking at some sheet music when I came across something I am seeing for the first time. It looked like a horizontal bar on the first measure. Here is an image:



Bar



What does this bar tell you? What is it for?







notation






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago









Dom

36.8k19109225




36.8k19109225










asked 2 days ago









XilpexXilpex

906226




906226








  • 3





    I really fail to understand why the most basic of questions (not just this one, by any means) gets so many up-votes. Dolmetsch and Wikipedia, to name two of dozens of music sites, have extensive lists of notation symbols.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @CarlWitthoft "One of the primary purposes of the whole Stack Exchange system is to be near the top of the results of web searches, so we want the answers to your questions to be found here. If there isn't already the answer here, then we want your question and answer here." -- music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2899/…

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday






  • 1





    @WayneConrad I'm not convinced that asking about notation symbols qualifies. WHich would you rather do - search thru a few hundred music.se questions (many of which have images which are difficult to search), or just go to Dolmetsch.com?

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @WayneConrad I'll also point out that, despite the best intentions of the creators of StackExchange, we get hundreds of questions that would have easily been answered if anyone ever bothered to search the database. Clearly that paradigm has failed.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @YourUncleBob "Not enough research" is not, and never has been, a close reason on SO. It is, however a valid reason to down-vote on SO or here.

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday














  • 3





    I really fail to understand why the most basic of questions (not just this one, by any means) gets so many up-votes. Dolmetsch and Wikipedia, to name two of dozens of music sites, have extensive lists of notation symbols.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @CarlWitthoft "One of the primary purposes of the whole Stack Exchange system is to be near the top of the results of web searches, so we want the answers to your questions to be found here. If there isn't already the answer here, then we want your question and answer here." -- music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2899/…

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday






  • 1





    @WayneConrad I'm not convinced that asking about notation symbols qualifies. WHich would you rather do - search thru a few hundred music.se questions (many of which have images which are difficult to search), or just go to Dolmetsch.com?

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 3





    @WayneConrad I'll also point out that, despite the best intentions of the creators of StackExchange, we get hundreds of questions that would have easily been answered if anyone ever bothered to search the database. Clearly that paradigm has failed.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @YourUncleBob "Not enough research" is not, and never has been, a close reason on SO. It is, however a valid reason to down-vote on SO or here.

    – Wayne Conrad
    yesterday








3




3





I really fail to understand why the most basic of questions (not just this one, by any means) gets so many up-votes. Dolmetsch and Wikipedia, to name two of dozens of music sites, have extensive lists of notation symbols.

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday





I really fail to understand why the most basic of questions (not just this one, by any means) gets so many up-votes. Dolmetsch and Wikipedia, to name two of dozens of music sites, have extensive lists of notation symbols.

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday




3




3





@CarlWitthoft "One of the primary purposes of the whole Stack Exchange system is to be near the top of the results of web searches, so we want the answers to your questions to be found here. If there isn't already the answer here, then we want your question and answer here." -- music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2899/…

– Wayne Conrad
yesterday





@CarlWitthoft "One of the primary purposes of the whole Stack Exchange system is to be near the top of the results of web searches, so we want the answers to your questions to be found here. If there isn't already the answer here, then we want your question and answer here." -- music.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2899/…

– Wayne Conrad
yesterday




1




1





@WayneConrad I'm not convinced that asking about notation symbols qualifies. WHich would you rather do - search thru a few hundred music.se questions (many of which have images which are difficult to search), or just go to Dolmetsch.com?

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday





@WayneConrad I'm not convinced that asking about notation symbols qualifies. WHich would you rather do - search thru a few hundred music.se questions (many of which have images which are difficult to search), or just go to Dolmetsch.com?

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday




3




3





@WayneConrad I'll also point out that, despite the best intentions of the creators of StackExchange, we get hundreds of questions that would have easily been answered if anyone ever bothered to search the database. Clearly that paradigm has failed.

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday





@WayneConrad I'll also point out that, despite the best intentions of the creators of StackExchange, we get hundreds of questions that would have easily been answered if anyone ever bothered to search the database. Clearly that paradigm has failed.

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday




1




1





@YourUncleBob "Not enough research" is not, and never has been, a close reason on SO. It is, however a valid reason to down-vote on SO or here.

– Wayne Conrad
yesterday





@YourUncleBob "Not enough research" is not, and never has been, a close reason on SO. It is, however a valid reason to down-vote on SO or here.

– Wayne Conrad
yesterday










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















24














That is a multi-measure rest. The numeral 15 above it indicates that it is equivalent to writing out fifteen bars of full-measure rests. This is done to save space, for example in orchestral parts.






share|improve this answer





















  • 5





    It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

    – Dekkadeci
    yesterday






  • 6





    You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

    – Michael Kay
    yesterday






  • 2





    Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

    – guidot
    yesterday






  • 1





    @guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

    – Geoff
    yesterday











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1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

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active

oldest

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active

oldest

votes









24














That is a multi-measure rest. The numeral 15 above it indicates that it is equivalent to writing out fifteen bars of full-measure rests. This is done to save space, for example in orchestral parts.






share|improve this answer





















  • 5





    It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

    – Dekkadeci
    yesterday






  • 6





    You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

    – Michael Kay
    yesterday






  • 2





    Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

    – guidot
    yesterday






  • 1





    @guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

    – Geoff
    yesterday
















24














That is a multi-measure rest. The numeral 15 above it indicates that it is equivalent to writing out fifteen bars of full-measure rests. This is done to save space, for example in orchestral parts.






share|improve this answer





















  • 5





    It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

    – Dekkadeci
    yesterday






  • 6





    You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

    – Michael Kay
    yesterday






  • 2





    Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

    – guidot
    yesterday






  • 1





    @guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

    – Geoff
    yesterday














24












24








24







That is a multi-measure rest. The numeral 15 above it indicates that it is equivalent to writing out fifteen bars of full-measure rests. This is done to save space, for example in orchestral parts.






share|improve this answer















That is a multi-measure rest. The numeral 15 above it indicates that it is equivalent to writing out fifteen bars of full-measure rests. This is done to save space, for example in orchestral parts.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited yesterday









Tim Parenti

1073




1073










answered 2 days ago









repletereplete

3,582826




3,582826








  • 5





    It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

    – Dekkadeci
    yesterday






  • 6





    You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

    – Michael Kay
    yesterday






  • 2





    Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

    – guidot
    yesterday






  • 1





    @guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

    – Geoff
    yesterday














  • 5





    It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

    – Dekkadeci
    yesterday






  • 6





    You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

    – Michael Kay
    yesterday






  • 2





    Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

    – guidot
    yesterday






  • 1





    @guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

    – Carl Witthoft
    yesterday






  • 1





    @CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

    – Geoff
    yesterday








5




5





It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

– Dekkadeci
yesterday





It also saves you from having to count all 15 measures and praying you didn't miscount.

– Dekkadeci
yesterday




6




6





You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

– Michael Kay
yesterday





You still have to count to 15, but at least you know it's 15 that you have to count to...

– Michael Kay
yesterday




2




2





Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

– guidot
yesterday





Note, that for less than 15 full measuress a different notation exists using whole rest and vertical lines representing 2 or 4 measures of rest, see lilypond documentation.

– guidot
yesterday




1




1





@guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday





@guidot that is true, and it's well worth knowing both kinds of notation. As a personal preference, I'd rather see this symbol for 4 measures or more.

– Carl Witthoft
yesterday




1




1





@CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

– Geoff
yesterday





@CarlWitthoft ...provided the numerals are clearly written. I've had to distinguish between 1 and 7, 5 and 3 (!) based on the longa/breve notation before!

– Geoff
yesterday


















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