Decisions, Decisions (but ooh, a new tune)

[dglenn]

Last night, thanks to Clue suggested by syntonic_comma, I was able to work out the rhythm notation problem that was keeping me from writing down the tune I'd come up with over the weekend. (And as I predicted when I first complained about being stumped, it turns out to look easy and obvious once it's finally written down.) Since anniemal suggested that it might fit

Comments

[faireraven]

I would actually prefer the 4/4, but with a slightly different take on the trip notation... A dotted trip?

The other way, the beats get lost.

[silmaril]

The 12/8, actually, except for the first two A's there: The 1.5 A should be written as a linked eighth (following the quarter B) and a quarter A.

[blk]

Aha! That's why it was looking strange to me. Yes, ditto here.

[cellio]

Yes! I don't mind triplets, but triplets with that many tied notes are confusing as all get-out to read accurately at speed.

Even without modifying the As, though, I'd take the 12/8. I'm used to playing medieval & renaissance music without bar lines; I can read straight note values and not get confused.

[siderea]

"tie"

[siderea]

It happens. :) It's not like you need know what it's called to use it. Many's the rehearsal saw me saying "Um, at the thingummy, we need to do a... er... whatchamacallit." :)

[jim_p]

I concur with the comments by silmaril and jmthane. One of the unwritten rules of music notation is that in a measure with 4 beats it's bad to write a single note that spans the "middle" of the measure (i.e beat 2 to 3). If you have a sustained note that *does* span that "barrier" you break it up with a tie as they suggested.

And yes, if it's triplet-oriented stuff I'd tend to go with 12/8 myself.

[siderea]

Wel... one of the unwritten rules of music notation for modern music.

It's quite explicitly and deliberately not the editorial convention in scholarly modern-notation editions of Renaissance and earlier music, where ties within the measure are eschewed, resulting in measures which does look precisely like the 12/8 example. Those of us who work a lot in early music are really used to reading highly syncopated music notated without ties. Which is presumably where dglenn's head was at when he came up with that option. :) (Hey, dglenn, you got your period on your score[*]!)

[* I suppose that just something you risk notating mensural music...]