Unknown symbol

[oceansoul]

Greetings.

What symbol is this? What am I suppose to play?

I tried searching at Wikipedia where I've found lots of help lately, but there wasn't this.

Does this have a name?

Thanks in advance,
     OceanSoul.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

That is an arpeggio sign. It is executed by quickly rolling the chords. Instead of playing the full chord, you start at the bottom note and quickly play from bottom note to the next note and so for. It should basically sound like an arpeggio.

[Bob]

Top note of the roll goes on the beat, generally.

[invictious]

Arpeggio, which means roll the notes from bottom to top quickly.

Now there is some debate whether if the bottom note or the top note should be on the beat. It really depends on the musical context, but usually, as Bob, said, it top note goes on the beat.

[soliloquy]

If you get into Bartok, you may see that with an arrow down at the bottom; roll the chord down.  Also, if you see two of those on seperate chords on seperate staves, you will roll the two chords simultaneously as two seperate ones, not as one large, single chord

[valor]

Isn't it called a glissando?

[invictious]

No, it's a sign for arpeggiation. if that line goes horizontally or diagonally then it is a glissando.

[valor]

Then how would you play a glissando?

[Kassaa]

Then how would you play a glissando?

A glissando signs means you have to play all the black or white notes between the two keys written down, I play them with the upside of either my second and third finger, or third and fourth.

[valor]

so if there were a glissando over an Eb and Bb you would play those two notes and all the white notes in between?

[ian williams]

Valor, if a glissando occurred attaching Eb to Bb, then you "slide" up the keyboard from Eb to Bb, playing all of the notes from Eb to Bb. These are not just notes in the Eb major or Eb minor scales, though, just every note between those two.

[jlh]

so if there were a glissando over an Eb and Bb you would play those two notes and all the white notes in between?

If you have a glissando on black keys (like from Eb to Bb) you don't play the white keys in between -- just the black keys in between those two notes.

[valor]

I remembered i found a strange symbol last year. My teacher had no idea what it was but the note ontop said i had to play the notes with my palm (in the midi the notes sounded like they were being banged so i guess its true). Has anyone ever seen a symbol like this?

[quantum]

I can't understand the writing underneath, but it looks like the composer wants palm slapping the keys at the approximate position of the x's.  In such a case the sound effect and character is more important than the actual notes played.