Abbreviations · Repeat signs · Music theory
To save writing, the sign of a slash with two dots inside a measure means repeat the previous measure. “Bis” over a short passage asks for it to be played…
Abbreviations
To save writing, the sign of a slash with two dots inside a measure means repeat the previous measure. “Bis” over a short passage asks for it to be played twice, and “simile” (sim.) asks to carry on as before, for example with the same articulation.
The 8va sign, already seen with octaves, saves ledger lines in the same way.
Other writing abbreviations
The repeated-measure sign has variants: with two slashes, it repeats the previous two measures. The tremolo, with slashes across the stem, abbreviates fast repeated notes. A value followed by slashes means that group repeats, very common in orchestral string writing.
All these abbreviations save work, but at the cost of clarity. Today, with computer engraving, the tendency is to write the music out in full except in rehearsal materials.