Best Practice: tie vs dotted note?
Hi Folks,
I am currently transcribing Over the Rainbow, played by Israel "Iz" on the Ukulele, and I wanted to get feedback on what's considered "best practice" in choosing whether to notate with a dotted noted or a tie. Please see examples below. While I find the tied note version easier to read because it clearly shows the beat division, it's appearance is more complex. Isn't the purpose of dotted notes to simplify notation?
Thanks,
Sam
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| dotednote.png | 2.6 KB |
| tiednote.png | 4.05 KB |
Comments
Dotted notes are shorthand for tied notes. It's generally ok to use a dotted note if it doesn't cross the middle of a 4/4 measure, but the tie, as you said, helps the musician to find the down beat, which is better IMHO.
I would go with the tied version.
The general rule is simple:
If a measure involves eighth notes, you need to show beat three - meaning, any note that crosses that boundary needs to be broken up with a tie so the second note of the pair occurs directly on beat 3.
If a measure involves sixteenth notes, you need to show each beat. So similarly, any note that crosses that boundary needs to be broken up with a tie so the second note of the pair occurs directly on the the beat.
There are exceptions but this is the basic rule. The first example above breaks the rule and is much harder to read as a result - people will struggle with when to play that last note because it doesn't fit the usual pattern they are accustomed to seeing. And so much of reading rhythms depends on our ability to recognize common patterns.
For more on this subject, see the recent MuseScore Cafe session I did on this very subject last week:
https://youtu.be/fSdTbLQ0b4I
In reply to The general rule is simple:… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc, the guidelines in your comment (and timely video) are simpler me to understand than those given at "https://music.indiana.edu/departments/academic/composition/style-guide/" , although they both appear to be the same.
"Show Me The Beats! It is useful to think of “levels” of metrical hierarchy when notating rhythm. For example, in 4/4 time, events that happen on the half-note level (beats 1 or 3) are one metrical level higher than events on the quarter-note level (beats 2 and 4). One level lower is the eighth-note (events which occur on the “and” of the beat), further divided into the 16th-note level (events which occur on the 2nd or 4th sixteenth note of a quarter-note beat). If a note begins or ends on a level two degrees lower than a beat through which it sustains, the note should be divided, with a tie used to show the higher level beat. Observe the examples below.
![rhythmex.jpg]( "rhythmex.jpg")
"
Thanks everyone for your input,
Sam
PS: Also Marc, thanks for introducing me to the "regroup rhythm" function in the Layout menu. I'll be using it to learn more about rhythm notation layout.
In reply to Thanks Marc, the guidelines… by Sambaji
Interestingly, when i used the regroup function with this measure:
![pre-regroup.png]( "pre-regroup.png")
![post-regroup.png]( "post-regroup.png")
![myregroup.png]( "myregroup.png")
Pre-Regroup
Post-Regroup Function
It regroups the first half the measure, rather than the second half, which is the reverse of what I would do. Perhaps, that's were our human discretion comes in. The first half of the measure is a common rhythm so it seems fine for it to be all dotted. It's the dotted eighth note in the second half of the measure that is harder to read, in my opinion. I prefer my own regrouping, see next example, over the above versions. Any thoughts?
My regrouping:
Or, would you go with both the first and second part of the measure being regrouped?
![bothregroup.png]( "bothregroup.png")
In reply to Interestingly, when i used… by Sambaji
Absolutely, since sixteenths are involved in both halves of the measure (the first half implied because of the dotted eighths), you need to show all beats. I'd consider it a bug that the Regroup Rhythms command isn't doing this already.
The first rhythm might be "common-ish", but only in certain contexts and only to a point - it's still not one of the universally recognized rhythms and hence would likely cause sight-reading glitches. If you want musicians to read your music accurately, stick to the correct notations.
In reply to Absolutely, since sixteenths… by Marc Sabatella
Point taken.
The Regroup Rhythm feature appears to ignore the second half of the measure because of the rest. It's occurred a number of times when I have applied it in my score. I'll make a bug report.
Thanks for the help,
Sam