How to write in cascading rhythms without excessive ties and weird looking rhythms

• May 1, 2024 - 04:23

i am essentially asking how to write in a chord where the notes are played at seperate times but are still held when the other notes are introduced.

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• May 1, 2024 - 05:30

You could use "voices". But I suspect that it will look a bit odd no matter what you do.

For example. E whole note in voice 1 on beat 1. Voice 2, dotted half note C on beat 2. Voice 3 half note A on beat 3. Voice 4 quarter note E on beat 4. you can delete the rests for voices 2,3, and 4.

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• May 1, 2024 - 06:35

I think perhaps you're seeking to notate sustain often not fully depicted by a score's rhythmic notation. Doing so can unnecessarily and detrimentally clutter a score, ironically without fully communicating all intended sustains.

For instance, with music that relies heavily on arpeggios, scorists quite commonly write merely to indicate the onset of each note, with arpeggiated notes given a set duration, often of 8ths or 16ths. The musician interprets the score by sustaining notes in an overlapping manner, according to genre/style or personal preference. This is accomplished by holding notes down or—as done on piano—by the use of a sustain pedal.

Sometimes the scorist indicates the bass in a second voice (more or less accurately) but the duration of arpeggio notes are left for interpretation. This approach is not only easier on the scorist but on reader as well. (Note that scores usually top out at three voices, sometimes four which is all MuseScore can allow. I used a couple of apps that allow 8 voices, but the results were nearly unreadable.)

Here's an example for guitar

https://musescore.com/user/35880724/scores/16212100

Here's Marieh's original version of the score I modified

It plays each note with an eighth duration (even those that look like half notes) with the result sounding more airy and lightly staccato.

https://musescore.com/user/385716/scores/1713266

scorster

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