12. THE SLUR

12.1. The sign C is used for a slur extending over two, three or four notes, and is placed after every note of a phrase except the last.

12.2. When a slur extends over more than four notes, it can be written in one of two ways:

The following example shows the same passage treated according to both methods.

(a) M"DCCGIY"GIDZJHJ&.EDJC I<K

(b) M;B"DGIY"GIDZJHJ&.EDJ I^2<K

The two methods can be combined to indicate a double set of slurs in the print.

12.3. Sometimes one slur ends and another begins on the same note. The following example illustrates the two ways in which this can be transcribed.

(a) %#I8

(b) %#I8

12.4. When a note is both tied and slurred to another note, the slur is redundant in braille, whatever its justification in print. Therefore such a slur is shown in facsimile copy only. In that case, if either the simple slur or the closing bracket follows a tied note, the tie must be placed after the slur.

12.5. In music for keyboard instruments the sign _CC , is used to indicate a slur passing from one part to another in the same staff, or from one hand to the other. When this sign is doubled, it is written thus: _CC _C.

12.6. (11-97) The sign @L is used to indicate a straight line drawn between the staves to show that a particular melodic line proceeds from one hand to the other. The sign "C is used for a slur drawn between staves.

12.6.1. (11-97) In complicated music it may sometimes be advisable to place this sign in both parts. When such complexity requires the use of the slur in both parts, it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the notes preceding the sign constitute a part of a melody or phrase which is then continued in the other hand, or the notes which follow the sign are a continuation of a melody or phrase which was temporarily in the other hand. When the latter case is true and needs to be made clear, the sign for a straight line between staves should be modified by adding dots 46 at the beginning. The terminator should be used only when the meaning of the regular sign could be misconstrued.

12.7. The half phrase seen in carefully edited modern print editions as a slur bent into an angle, without actually being broken, is shown in braille thus:

12.8. The combination of the slur with staccato dots is shown in the following examples.

(a) 88"DCCFGHIC8J N'<K

(b) ;B88"DFGHI8J^2 N'<K

12.9. A short independent slur is usually printed with short appoggiaturas. This is represented by the slur with dots 56, 14, in facsimile copy only, as illustrated in Example 12.9-1. In non-facsimile transcription, slurring for appoggiaturas is shown as for any other notes. (See Example 12.9-2).

12.10. (11-97) For dotted-line slurs that are inserted by an editor rather than the composer, use the Prefix for Editorial Markings from the General Table "L as in Example 12.10-1. Other types of editorial markings are shown in Example 12.10-2 where the crescendo and decrescendo are printed with dashed lines to indicate that they are editorial. In braille, each is preceded by the sign for an editorial marking. The ritard is also editorial, but it is printed in parentheses, so it is brailled as a word in parentheses.