notation question

[amanfang]

I'm having a disagreement with someone about this....

The "teardrops" or sometimes they're triangles.  First, what are they called, and also what does it mean?  Some editors replace it with staccato.  Some say it means staccatissimo, some say it indicates an accent.  Does the meaning change between time period or composers?

[oguzcan]

They are called marcato, or martele which means to hammer. Traditionally it's played staccato, with a heavy attack but some composers use it just to get the heavy attack, without staccato. If you are playing a classical piece it's better to play with the staccato. I know that some editors like Schenker replace staccatos with marteles in their editions, for example his Beethoven sonatas editions. If you are composing; it's best to describe it in the notes.

[tyler_johnson]

well if you're talking jazz notation, it means Major like a C (triangle) 7 means C,E,G,B.