Does anybody know what the sideways 'S' means in music?

Question

I play the violin and came to an exercise where there was a sort of sideways 's' symbol above a note? Can anyone tell me what it is and what it means?

Answer 1

if u mean sumthing like "~" then i have no idea cauz i play the flute not the violin and that symbol mite be original 2 violiin music only. u shuld ask ur music teacher.

srry if im no help

Answer 2

I think what you're seeing is called a "turn."

Turn:  Also known as a gruppetto, a turn combines an upper mordent and a lower mordent, in that order, into the specified note's value. If the symbol is reversed, the lower mordent is played first.

Mordent:  An insertion of the semitone below the specified note within its value (this particular case can be called a "lower mordent"). Without the vertical line, the inserted semitone is above the specified note, and the ornament is known as an upper mordent.