Gruppetto

As Printed on a Score

Printed as the turn sign, a sideways S, rather than the word: directly over a note the turn starts on the upper neighbour; placed between two notes it follows the first. An inverted sign, or one crossed by a vertical stroke, starts from below. Accidentals above or below the sign alter the upper or lower note.

How Composers Use It

A turn circles the main note — upper neighbour, main note, lower neighbour, main note — and gives a line vocal grace. Its rhythm depends on tempo and placement, so when timing matters, write it out in small or full notes, as many 19th-century composers did. Check the accidentals: in minor keys and chromatic passages the neighbours are easy to get wrong.

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