Baroque tablature notation.

[Bill Brettschneider]

Im new to this, so I have what is likely to be a simple question. Ive been trying to play pieces from Sanz, and other composers using the same tablature method, and I have come across a symbol that im not sure of. sometimes there will be an x on the staff where you would expect there to be a number. I saw one site where they were "realizing " such tablature with the x indicating a trill, but I have peaces where this doesnt seem to work, as in there is no indication which notes to trill, say,, just a series of x marks, on one string, then another.

can anyone point me to a good source on interpreting the baroque guitar tablature of sanz, etc?

[Stuart Walsh]

x    =    fret 10

[Bill Brettschneider]

Not in this context. The tablature I'm using is the Spanish style with numbers instead of letters for each note.
I would include a picture if I knew how.
In Gaspar Sanz tomo I. Page 6 passacalles. 3 line, 3 measure.
Wait a minute. Light dawns upon my dim intellect. That might actually mean tenth fret. Hey. You are clearly right. Thank you!

[Monica Hall]

Yes - in Italian tablature frets from ten onwards always use Roman numerals.   The reason for this is that Arabic numerals would be ambiguous.   You might read 10 as being 1st fret, open course, 11 as 1st course twice and so on.  

[Bill Brettschneider]

That made perfect sense as soon as I went back to the score and tried it. It seems obvious now, but it wasn't obvious to me before. Thanks.

[Monica Hall]

We all have the same problem.   It is obvious when someone enlightens us.  Have fun with Sanz.