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I'm playing Bass T-bone in a Big Band, and there's 2 symbols I've never seen. One looks like a carot symbol, except it's connecting 2 notes together (^, not marcato), and the other looks like a U and it is on top of some notes.

So, can anybody tell me what these mean? Help would be appreciated!

The U shaped one means: pitch is quickly lowered and returned to the original level.

That definition being the one Alec Wilder used in Mov. III of the Effie Suite. In that piece every time ive heard it played it is more like a scoop starting from below the given pitch (rather than a bend that starts at the pitch, lowers, then comes back).

Oneba is right. The U shape means that you are supposed to bend the pitch. But you have to hit the pitch first, then bend it down and bring it back up to pitch.

I don't ever recall seeing a carot symbol between two notes in any of my music during my jazz years in high school. Maybe you can give a little more detail, is it between changing notes? If there's an asteriks by the first one, maybe there is a footnote about it? I'll keep thinking about it, but I dunno.

It could also be a "flip".

On trombone, the "u" shape is a bend in pitch using the slide. The "v" shaped is more of a lip bend upward, or flip like as it has been described before.

Wow, I can't believe I didn't remember the U shape symbol from the Effie Suite. Well, thanks for that. I'll ask at my rehearsal about the carot thing. It might what somebody said, a raise in the pitch, then drop to the written pitch of the next note.

Some arrangers, most notably Bradley Knight, use the reverse U frequently as a slide or gliss up to a note, and not as a literal "note-bend up-bend back down" meaning. I believe this is done because of limitations in some music notation software - writing the gliss up to the note would not be as feasable as just sticking a U above it. You will find these over a LOT of notes in his trombone parts where a true bend would be very out of place.
When in doubt, the context of the music will usually tell you which is more desireable.

Guys, it's been a long time since I've seen the carot, or flip, but 1) doesn't it usually show up primarily lead or solo parts, and 2) isn't it the reverse of the "U," but even more so, i.e. if you were singing it, it would be almost a doo-ee-oo, with the "ee" really high, almost like a yodeled or squeaked note, but in context?

iiipopes wrote:Guys, it's been a long time since I've seen the carot, or flip, but 1) doesn't it usually show up primarily lead or solo parts, and 2) isn't it the reverse of the "U," but even more so, i.e. if you were singing it, it would be almost a doo-ee-oo, with the "ee" really high, almost like a yodeled or squeaked note, but in context?

You are right on the execution of the flip, which is what I believe this mark to be. It is a rare mark because it is expected that lead players would insert it when necessary, so you are right there, as well. I'd say treat it as a flip, because ulitmately no one will know the difference anyhow..."If a bass slush-pump (t-bone) 'flips' in the forest and no one is REALLY listening, does it sound like a pitch bend?????"

The U is a dip in the note.

Depending on the publisher or composer, the carrot-symbol could be a slide from one note to another, or a flip(the flip is if the second note is lower than the first.)