The half accent

Destroyed wrote:

Do you know if there are notation conventions for a half-accent?

I hope it's clear, a little less than "<"

Do you mean "a little less" graphically or in terms of intensity?

I mean with a barely hinted intensity, a bit like the strong accent at the beginning of the measure but not quite a true accent.

To be clear, in 3/4 I would have F D D; pretending to change the natural structure of a measure, I would want the instrumentalist to perform, for example, D F D, despite the 3/4 configuration.

I hope this is clearer

By the way, what do you mean by “a bit less rewarding”?

Destroyed wrote:

I mean with a barely hinted intensity, a bit like the strong accent at the beginning of the measure but not quite a true accent.

To be clear, in 3/4 I would have F D D; pretending to change the natural structure of a measure, I would want the instrumentalist to perform, for example, D F D, despite the 3/4 configuration.

I hope this is clearer.

I understand; I would indicate it by adding a dynamic underneath or, eventually, by putting a horizontal dash instead of the accent (this could in itself suggest sustaining that note a little more).

Destroyed wrote:

By the way, what do you mean by “a bit less rewarding”?

I wrote GRAPHICALLY, not rewarding!

Carlos wrote:

I understand, I would indicate it by adding a dynamic underneath or, eventually, by putting a horizontal dash instead of the accent (this could in itself suggest sustaining that note a little more).

But wouldn't the dash mean portato? The dynamic is perhaps too invasive ... maybe it's better to invent a sign and detail it in the legend. What do you think?

Carlos wrote:

I wrote GRAPHICALLY, not gratifying!

Destroyed wrote:

But wouldn't the dash mean carried? The dynamics are perhaps too invasive ... perhaps it is better to invent a sign and detail it in the legend. What do you think?

The dash means many things, it depends on the context. For example, if you have a group of notes connected by a phrasing slur and you put a dash on only one of them, that dash automatically indicates an intensification, but not an accent (which is exactly what you asked for).

In the same way, if the notes are not slurred, or if e.g. they have a recurring sign (dots?), adding the dash to a sound produces the same result, which always corresponds to an intensification, but not to an accent.

You can invent as you wish, naturally; personally, I would avoid it (putting myself in the shoes of those reading the music, obviously): signs to indicate what you are asking for already exist and, I guarantee you, it is much less "invasive" to write an accent and indicate a dynamic under the sound rather than inventing a new sign, trust me...

Thanks Carlos, clear and precious as always.

PS

Inventing a sign was really the last resort... I only just realized that I omitted a question mark in the post where I mentioned it ... it certainly would have been clearer

Yes, I've been a bit dim lately