The Ostinato Oracle

A curation of 32 symbols derived from musical notation, each card’s message references and honors each symbol’s literal name’s meaning, with a couple variations to convey the purposes of this deck, as well as applies a new layer of interpretation for how components derived from it can be embodied in a way that excites the mind, awakens the body, and guides the soul to new levels. 

Originally funded on Kickstarter, and now available for purchase, The Ostinato Oracle is here to direct and help all who possess a drive to move forward through the harmonious and cacophonous elements of existence to live gorgeous masterpieces. It is designed to guide those who want to share their life’s music as a chorus of joy in all its brilliant beauty.

CAESARA | WAKE UP The caesura, with its two thick parallel lines, calls for an immediate halt to any passage of music, and is often found in musical scores that consist of many contributors under the leadership of a conductor. Such an abrupt halt do
GLISSANDO | SHINE The glissando, a wavy line connecting one note to another, indicates several pitches are to be touched on in a sparkling glide in a directional drive, either upward or downward, from start to finish. It glistens in its artistic mot
STACCATO | FAVOR BREVITY Staccato, a modest marking of but a simple dot, holds great might in where it is placed. When a note has a set duration for which it is to be heard or expressed, and the staccato symbol is placed above or below it, it means
FLAT | TAKE A STEP BACK The flat symbol marks where a specific pitch needs to shift down by a specific, narrow sonic distance (measured by what’s called a half step) and, unless indicated otherwise, it will need to stay at that level throughout a sp
MARCATO | MAKE YOUR MARK The marcato symbol, a distinguished chevron, is assigned as an instructional attribute for a particular pitch, demanding an attack-like boldness when it comes time for it to be heard. Near percussive in nature, the mercato s
TIE | EVALUATE CONNECTIONS A tie connects two notes of the same pitch to allow for a prolonged duration of sound at the same frequency. What was once distinguished in separation coalesces in smoothness, eliminating any contrast in definition for a s
NOTE MAKE A MARK A note is a systematic marking that indicates pitch and duration of sound (or the absence thereof) that can then be layered or combined for added depth. It is notated along the stave and influenced by key and time. When multiple not
DIMINUENDO | FADE WITH GRACE Diminuendo is identified by its tapering v shape, an angle that gradually tapers from left to right as two lines draw near before the convergence at a single point. Unhurriedly yet surely, the volume known at its beginn
NATURAL | RETURN TO CENTER The natural symbol indicates a one half-step modification is to be made, adjusting from either a sharp or flat mark back to the original level at which the note was originally meant to be heard under a work’s initial speci
TRILL | CALM DOWN The trill, a chevronic wave led off by a tr that’s assigned over a single pitch, indicates a rapid oscillation of the starting pitch and the one just above it. The effect relies on some pacing interpretation as it can begin slowly
BAR | DEFINE BOUNDARIES A bar, or bar line, breaks up the staff by segmenting a certain total of measured notes against the criteria as set by the defined timing for a musical score. The bar exists to delineate boundaries for better legibility, comm
OTTAVA ALTA | RAISE YOUR VIBRATION Ottava alta, “octave above,” and written as 8va, indicates that the immediate register at which all sound is being heard is to be raised up in vibration to a higher harmonious place of expression. The waves of soun
OSTINATO | REMAIN OPEN An ostinato in music is a musical phrase that is continually repeated throughout a piece of music. Though often done through rhythmic repetition, slight variations around pitch can occur as well. An ostinato can function as th
MEZZO | FIND MODERATION Mezzo, or simply m in notation, means to successfully attempt a modified variation of what would normally exist in fullness, without adjustment. The element of somewhat, yet not quite fully, is in the mix when mezzo appears i
OTTAVA BASSA | GET GROUNDED Ottava bassa, meaning “octave below,” and written as simply 8vb, is an indication to musically adjust whatever pitch is noted to the lower register, cutting the frequency to a lower yet consonant level. Here is where low
TREBLE | TAKE THE HIGH ROAD The treble clef, placed at the beginning of the stave, indicates an upper register of specific notes to be read, seen in the inner curl at the symbol’s heart where it wraps gently around a line in the stave (second from t
FERMATA | LISTEN The fermata is placed above a note when, regardless of the originally ascribed time its symbol shows it should be played, the note should continue for an unbound length of time. Thus, the fermata prolongs the life of the sound. This
BASS | SIT IN THE DEPTHS The bass clef, placed at the beginning of the stave, designates where a lower register of specific notes is to be read, and by the hug of the symbol’s two dots around a particular line on the stave (second from the top), ind
PIANO | BE GENTLE Piano, or p as it is notated, calls for a quietness. Restraint of volume, but not necessarily of meaning, is the well-hushed character ascribed when this symbol appears. The dynamic extremism is countered by forte, and there is def
KEY | FIND YOUR HOME Key determines which specific set of pitches will be the basis of a musical composition. Specific spacing from one sound to another are predetermined, regardless of which pitch is considered the starting point — the key. From on
SHARP | ELEVATE The sharp symbol indicates a specific pitch needs to shift up by a specific, narrow sonic distance (measured by what’s called a half step) and, unless notated otherwise, it will need to stay at that level throughout a specified measu
ACCOLADE | EMBRACE IN FULL The accolade braces together the staves marked by the treble and bass clefs, a unifying of the simultaneous activity taking place on both levels. Notes overlap, intertwine, and come together as the melodious, harmonic flow
CODA | ACCEPT ENDINGS The coda, an elongated circle with perpendicular lines intersecting in and extending beyond it, marks with precision the time when a work must come to an end, directing to the final passage for the inevitable conclusion. This c
TENUTO | ADD FOR FULL VALUE Tenuto is indicated by a short line placed above or below a note, and with its thin horizontal state, it adds a fullness to the sound being played. It is a call to ensure that every last bit of a note’s designated length
STAVE | CREATE ORDER The stave is five horizontal lines evenly spaced with four spaces between them. These lines and spaces are the canvas on which musical notation begins. It’s the basis of order, structure, and reason, and gives forth a world of p
FORTE | GET LOUD Forte, abbreviated with an f, indicates voluminous, loud sound. There is nothing subtle about the intensity of aural perception; every single sound wave emitted comes together in grandness of statement when forte is the assignment.
TIME | FEEL THE RHYTHM Time, as indicated by a time signature, communicates a message of how sounds and pitches should be noted in the future, and they come in simple, compound, and complex measurements. Within a piece of music, multiple time change
CRESCENDO | BLOSSOM IN FULLNESS The crescendo, a thin v-like shape where the distance between the two lines that help it take shape steadily increases from left to right, visually depicts its objective: for the sound being made to grow in volume ove
TURN | SENSE THE DANCE A turn, swirled in its visual depiction, is an ornamental attribute that cues a brief flirtation between pitches in a specific pattern, and gives just short enough a tease without abandoning its ascribed placement. It never fi
REPEAT | IDENTIFY CYCLES The repeat symbol is clear in its name and function: it calls for a melodic passage of any length to be repeated. With a double dot set coupled against a thicker line, a revisiting to the start of a harmonic cycle is to be m
TACET | DO NOT ENGAGE Tacet, a bookended and bold horizontal line, calls for silence. When a tacet appears, one knows they are not to be involved in any way other than to wait for when it is their time to reenter to hold their part. From the Latin,
REST | FIND STILLNESS A rest is inserted to indicate the needed absence of sound. It is assigned an interval of time where nothing should be heard nor uttered until the designated period of silence is complete. This does not mean other sounds outsi

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