Notation query

[Edward Bettega]

Does anyone know what the note grouping in the attached screenshot is called and how to play it? I use Sibelius software and have no idea how to enter this and can't look it up because I don't know the technical term for it. I have seen in piano music but this is the first time I have encountered it in a banjo tune.

[Trapdoor2]

A notation. Tuning is eAEG#B. I would ignore the open note heads and treat it as a pull-off (snap) from A to the open G#. Three flags = 1/32 notes, so it is a 1/16th pickup measure.

What tune? What book is it in?

[Jody Stecher]

Ah! It's the ditty of ditty bum or the bada of bada bing or the billa of billabong. 

Trapdoor2 said:

A notation. Tuning is eAEG#B. I would ignore the open note heads and treat it as a pull-off (snap) from A to the open G#. Three flags = 1/32 notes, so it is a 1/16th pickup measure.

What tune? What book is it in?

[Edward Bettega]

The tune is Mulligan Guard, it's in Complete Method For The Banjo by A. Baur.

[Ethan Schwartz]

It looks like a tremelo/shake (but really, imitating a trill); you rapidly alternate between the two notes for the duration of the measure. The G# is a pull-off. So it would be played like

• A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# (32nd notes) 

[Joel Hooks]

Context is helpful, perhaps tell us what piece this is.

also it is very clear that you did not read the instructions.  The 0 with a ) under is a open string snap, found most often on Converse’s work.

[Joel Hooks]

Okay, sorry missed your post about the piece (mobile version is incomplete).

So this is an a snap with the second finger.

[Joel Hooks]

[Joel Hooks]

I tried to post this yesterday but I guess it never posted...

Having looked at the piece, and read the instructions, this is an example of nutty abbreviation.  While there is some consistency to banjo notation symbols, one needs to be careful with earlier stuff as it can be nutty for no good reason.  Often these weird things are specific to one method or publisher and are not used by anyone else.  

[Ethan Schwartz]

"Nutty" is a bit strong. It's unusual (and ultimately obsolete) for banjo notation, but that particular way of notating multi-note tremolo technique is fairly common in sheet music for piano, guitar, and harp. This particular case is not a great example, and it would have been more to the point to just write it out in full (it's really not saving much space or ink).