On Sunday, August 3, 2003, at 03:51 PM, Giz Bowe wrote:
I'm editing a solo transcription for a friend, and found this rhythm:
4/4 | dotted quarter -- quarter -- dotted quarter |
It adds up to four beats, but I found it threw me a bit; apparently I haven't seen it often, and wondered if it's just me. My inclination is to re-notate it, particularly as the middle quarter has a dot accent -- too many dots!
This notation is incorrect, and just awful, to boot -- *especially* if, as you say, the middle note has a staccato accent and is meant to be played short. If that's the case, it should be dotted quarter - eighth - eighth rest - dotted quarter; or (my preference) dotted quarter - eighth - eighth rest - eighth tied to quarter (I don't like dotted offbeats -- in 4/4 I only use dotted quarters on beats one and three, never on the and of one or the and of three).
If the middle note were not short, you would still need to show the middle of the bar, so you'd want quarter - eighth tied to eighth - dotted eighth; or dotted quarter - eighth tied to eighth - eighth tied to quarter.
I've also heard there is a rule of thumb that the arranger should notate syncopations in such a way that the 3rd beat of a 4/4 bar will be apparent.
Sort of. The rules are actually a little more complicated than that but that's not a bad generalization.
- Darcy
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