Musical Symbol Combining Harmonic

It marks a note for harmonic playing.

On a string instrument, the player lightly touches the string at a point that divides its vibration instead of pressing it down for an ordinary note. Natural harmonics use an open string; artificial harmonics stop the string first, then touch another point lightly.

Scores by Paganini (Violin Concerto No. 1, 1818) and Wieniawski (L’École moderne, 1854) use harmonic notation. In 1899, Ebenezer Prout described a three-note layout: a regular note for the string, a diamond for the touch point, and a small note for the pitch heard. 𝆬 marks the technique; the score still supplies the pitches and layout.

How do I read 𝆬 in a score?

Read it with the note it modifies.

𝆬 is a combining mark intended to sit above a host music glyph; character charts often show its attachment point with a dotted circle. A complete score needs layout software to place the mark with its note.

The mark does not give the exact pitch, string, or finger placement. Read the surrounding noteheads and the instrument part to find those details.

Why does 𝆬 show a dotted circle?

The circle shows an attachment point, not score content.

A character chart uses the dotted circle to show where this combining mark attaches. Fonts and layout software without support for combining music marks may leave it detached or hidden.