Adding expression marks

Expression marks tell a performer how to interpret the notes and durations on the page. They provide a necessary supplement to simple notation, in which notes have only pitch and duration, but no hint of how loudly, softly, or smoothly, they are to be played. Dynamic marks—from ppp (pianissimo) for “very, very softly” through fff (fortissimo) for “very, very forcefully”—allow notation to convey volume instructions. Expression marks are also needed to specify other aspects of performance, such as whether a passage is to be played legato or staccato. Finally, expression marks can be used to convey to the performer the composer's suggestions or requirements as to how a passage should be interpreted. In such cases the language used can leave much to the imagination, as in with majesty or abrasively.

Expression marks do not change the underlying MIDI data. They only provide information to the reader on how a piece should be performed.

If the track is split into treble/bass staves, expression marks are allowed only below the treble staff.

When entering an expression mark, you can leave a dangling hyphen at the end of an expression mark to insert automatic spaced hyphens until the next expression mark. For example:

cresc.     -     -     -         ff

It is often desirable to terminate such a series of hyphens with a blank expression mark. For example:

accel.           -     -     -

Expression text is italicized in the Staff view. Standard dynamic markings also appear bold.

To add an expression mark

1.	Select the Draw Freehand tool in the Control Bar.

2.	Click the Expression button in the Staff view.

3.	Position the pointer below the lowest note in the staff. (The pointer changes to a pencil when you are in a legal position.)

4.	Click to open an insertion box.

5.	Type the expression mark text. Press ESC to abort the operation.

6.	Press ENTER, or press TAB or SHIFT+TAB to move to the next or previous mark, respectively.

SONAR inserts the new expression mark below the staff.

To edit an expression mark

1.	Right-click the expression mark to open the Expression Text Properties dialog box.

Figure 515. The Expression Text Properties dialog box.

2.	Edit the time and text of the expression mark as desired.

3.

Click OK.

The Staff view displays the expression mark with the new text, including moving it to a new time if necessary. You can also use the Draw tool and click on an expression mark directly to change its text.