Turn

"Turn" is a musical ornamentation technique renowned for its ability to infuse swift variations and dynamic effects into a musical passage.

In sheet music, a turn is conventionally denoted by a symbol resembling a horizontal "S" shape, often situated above the note to which it pertains. The execution and tempo of a turn may vary according to the composer's stylistic preferences and artistic background.

When performing a turn, the customary approach involves the rapid rendition of the upper auxiliary note, the principal note, the lower auxiliary note, and subsequently, a return to the principal note. The tempo of this ornament is typically brisk, resulting in a brief duration of the technique. Turns are versatile and can be employed to create pitch variations, either ascending from low to high or descending from high to low, between different notes.

Turns introduce swift fluctuations into a musical passage, imbuing it with vivacity and captivation. Their application serves various purposes, such as accentuating specific notes, engendering instantaneous melodic variations, and amplifying the emotional and dramatic facets of the music. Additionally, this technique possesses the capacity to produce distinct musical effects, contributing elegance or infusing a lively atmosphere into the composition.