Can I automatically split notes over a strong beat?

• Aug 5, 2022 - 12:29

Hi, it's me again!

I think I could most easily explain what I want by showing it in pictures. I input an eight note, and then six quarter notes. I get the following result:

What I would like to get instead is the following:

Is it possible to configure this?
Feel free to just link to a page in the handbook, if appropriate. I looked for an answer but couldn't find it!


Comments

Yes it is. Not really automatically but you should input them in the following way:
- Set the first eighth note.
- set the quarter note.
- switch back to eighth and set it.
- press '+' to get the two tied eighths.
- write the qarter note
- press again '+' to get two tied eighths.
And so on ...

Attachment Size
Example.mscz 5.08 KB

In reply to by 607MuseScore

OK :-). I thought, it was a copy from elsewere.
Probably there is no other way.
Another method is no less laborious:
Having already the quarters notes, you can switch to Note Input Rhythm, choose eighth note and click on the quarter note you'd like to split. You will get then two eighth notes but you must input the tie manually.

In reply to by HildeK

You can try Tools>Regroup Rhythms. This achieves what you want but after the notes have been entered rather than while you enter the notes. The algorithm is ok for simple cases like this but can give less satisfactory results in more complex cases.

I would also note that there is no necessity to make the split on beat 3 in the case you have. I see it both ways in published works. I guess it depends on your taste/house style.

But either of the above would have the crotchets on the "and" of the beat.
I'm not sure but I thought that the beats were supposed to be kept clear like this:

notation.png

In reply to by yonah_ag

As the OP indicated, it is the strong beat that needs to be "exposed". In 4/4 the strong beats are 1 and 3. Beats 2 and 4 can be "hidden" within a note, provided that note has a longer duration than half the duration between the strong beats. That means that in 4/4 a weak beat shouldn't be hidden within any note shorter than a crotchet (quarter note). Your second example is not wrong but also not the most common usage. Indeed, there may be special circumstances where it might be preferred.

A basic music theory book probably sets out the "rules" of rhythmic groupings more clearly than I have here.

In reply to by Pentatonus

See Marc's handout. There are 8 possible patterns for each half measure. So each of those 8 patterns can be used in the first half measure and each of those can be paired with another one of the 8 patterns in the second half. That means there are 8 x 8 = 64 possible patterns in a 4 beat measure.

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