Notation View

The notation view is where the real game takes places. Notes and game characters are streaming in from right to left. Note that in our game view above the Level (15) is indicated just below the key signature. Additionally in the top right corner we see the remaining notes indicator. The toolbar is mostly gone with only the stop button remaining visible. But there are several other things that take place in the notation view of the game. One of them is called the Display Scale.

 

Display Scale

The notation view shows the current key between games and does this in form of a scale. Mozart tries to place this scale into the main staff lines but sometimes ledger lines are necessary. The root(s) of the display scale are highlighted with a red circle.

 

Note Highlighting

One feature of the display scale mentioned above is called Note Highlighting. Tapping or clicking on a note displays the note name as seen above. The note name is circled and may be a solfege name or letter note name. Additionally where possible the associated instrument control will also be highlighted as seen above - note the golden key with the name "Sol" in bold. Note highlighting is always enabled between games.

 

Changing the Clef

Mozart 2 handles clef changes differently than previous versions. Due to the addition of so many new instruments clef changes are no longer global. That means that each and every instrument has its own assigned clef. So for example if you change the clef to tenor in the cello instrument it will no affect the guitar instrument. In addition not all clefs are available for all instruments and some instruments have no clef choices at all like the double bass which only reads bass clef 8vb.

To change the clef for the current instrument tap or click the clef in the notation view to bring up the clef selection window as shown above.

 

Ottava Bassa (8vb)

The musical symbol 8vb (an abbreviation of ottava bassa, or “low octave”) is an indication to play notes an octave lower than written on the staff. There are several instances where we encounter these clefs. In particular the guitar uses the treble clef 8vb. Otherwise guitar players would have to deal with too many ledger lines. The bass and double bass instruments use the bass clef 8vb.

 

Grand Staff

At this time the grand staff is only available on iPads. There simply isn't enough space on iPhones and iPods to allow for it. The Letters, Solfege and Piano instruments can be configured to use the grand staff.

 

Summary

The notation view is not only the game surface but also allows us to change clefs and identify notes on the current instrument.

 

Now let's head over to the instrument section.