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17 messages

1/2 CH ?

14 Jul 06 - 05:26 PM (#1783726)
Subject: 1/2 CH ?
From: GUEST

This may be a well-known bit of notation, but I've not come across it before. A friend is starting out on classical guitar (having strummed folk tunes for years). On one of the pieces she has - plaisir d'amour - is written in classical style with chords implied by the individual notes. Over some of them, though it says 1/2CH. What precisely does this mean? None of my music notation books says anything about such a thing.

If it is something that everyone knows, apologies, but it did not show up in Google search or a search here.

14 Jul 06 - 06:09 PM (#1783765)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)

might the CH be C#

14 Jul 06 - 06:12 PM (#1783767)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

Are you sure that's a letter H at the end. More usual is to see things like 1/2CIV ie. 1/2C<roman numeral>. This means hold a half barre (usually across the 2 highest pitched strings) at the fret indicated by the roman numeral (IV=fret 4 in this case). You might also come across the notation C<roman numeral><number subscript> eg CII4, meaning hold a barre at fret 2 across 4 strings.

Mick

14 Jul 06 - 06:19 PM (#1783772)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Peace

1/2 CH appears nowhere that I can see on the 'net (other than as part of chemical notations or stuff like that).

14 Jul 06 - 06:20 PM (#1783773)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Sorcha


  Plaisir D'amour
  
  
      A   E7 A       D    A       E - E7
  Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
     D    E7 A    D    A     E7 A
  Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
  
      A    E7 A        D     A      E - E7
  The joys of love are but a moment long,
      D    E7 A      D         A     E7   A
  The pain of love endures the whole life long.
  
       A    E7     A       D       A            E - E7
  Your eyes kissed mine, I saw the love in them shine.
      D       E7 A            D              A    E7     A
  You brought me heaven right then when your eyes kissed mine.
  
     A    E7    A       D       A         E - E7
  My love loves me, and all the wonders I see,
    D   E7  A            D          A    E7    A
  A rainbow shines in my window, my love loves me.
  
      A   E7   A            D          A          E -E7
  And now he's gone, like a dream that fades into dawn,
          D     E7   A            D                 A    E7    A
  But the words stay locked in my heartstrings, "My love loves me."
  
  (repeat "Plaisir d'amour ...")

14 Jul 06 - 06:33 PM (#1783793)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: McGrath of Harlow

In some parts of Europe, including Germany the note "H" is what in other places is termed the note "B". (And the term "B" is used for a B flat.)

That may or may not be relevant. It might possibly indicate a C chord adjusted to include a B. (Which means it wouldn't be a C chord, but you know what I mean.)

14 Jul 06 - 06:43 PM (#1783804)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: David C. Carter

CH can sometimes mean "Chord". Only part of the chord is played,or fingered.

er...!

14 Jul 06 - 06:55 PM (#1783810)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Skipjack K8

There's me thinking dear old Clint had gone too far once too often, and someone had hung, drawn and halved the bugger.

14 Jul 06 - 07:16 PM (#1783827)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Tootler

1/2CxH + nO2 ==> aCO2 + bH2O

Sorry. Couldn't resist it. The subject line looked so much like a chemical formula :-)

14 Jul 06 - 07:30 PM (#1783840)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: David C. Carter

Looks like something Django Rheinhardt used to come up with.

14 Jul 06 - 08:04 PM (#1783868)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: John O'L

Half chorus. At the end, repeat the first line but not the second.

15 Jul 06 - 02:52 AM (#1784040)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: DMcG

I'd go along with the 1/2 CII theory Mick Pearce suggested, having looked at some of my son's classical guitar music. That sometimes uses II and sometimes CII even in the same piece. I'm not a guitarist myself, so when he gets up I will ask him what he understands by it.

15 Jul 06 - 03:33 AM (#1784057)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

II alone means 2nd position (ie play with the index finger of the left hand positioned at the 2nd fret), CII means a barre at the 2nd fret.

(also in my 1st post it should have read (usually across the 3 highest pitched strings) ).

Mick

15 Jul 06 - 04:13 AM (#1784068)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Little Robyn

On those chords that have 1/2CH above them, only play half of the chord (but don't ask me which half).
Robyn

15 Jul 06 - 04:24 AM (#1784070)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: JohnInKansas

The only chord notation I find in any of my refs that uses the "1/2" fraction is in The Encylopedia of Picture Chords, compiled by Leonard Vogler, Amsco Publications ©1990.

A table of alternate notations at the back of the book gives:

1/2dim; 1/2dim7; m7(b5); m7(-5) as alternate notations for the chord the book notates as a Ø7.

(For those whose font tables may be different than mine, the "raised" character just in front of the last "7" resembles a miniature "phi" or "o-slash.")

The book doesn't give a "name" for the Ø7 chord that I can find.

This doesn't appear to be anything likely to be indicated by the marking in question.

I'll note that this book doesn't illustrate a barre form for any of the other chords I saw in a brief scan through.

The "half-barre" suggestion sounds most reasonable. Does a "half-chord" (the literal reading if it is a CH and not a CII) have any meaning to anyone?

John

15 Jul 06 - 06:19 AM (#1784108)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: GUEST,Grateful

Thank you all for the explanation. The music is a photocopy of a photocopy, so it is probably II rather than H.

15 Jul 06 - 07:41 AM (#1784129)
Subject: RE: 1/2 CH ?
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

I think that most likely - 1/2CII would be standard classical guitar notation.

John the chord you mention (m7b5 etc) is usually called half-diminished when given a name like that.

Mick