These are simply general principles that one sees in engraved music. Many people tout them as being "rules" simply because that makes more people tend to follow them and lends an air of authority to them.
And the main principle of music notation is that the composer's intention be made as clear as possible to the performer. Sometimes that requires showing the third beat of a 4-beat measure and sometimes that requires obscuring that third beat. But since most musicians are used to seeing that third beat, many have a hard time when it is obscured.
Reading books on notation will reveal many common principles that most professional engravers and copiests have followed. Gardner Read's book and Ted Ross's book are good for traditional music and Kurt Stone's book discusses music notation in the 20th century.
But in the final analysis, what the composer wants should be followed if he/she has a good reason for wanting a particular notation. The same rhythm, when notated in different ways, often receives different interpretations, so it is important that the proper interpretation be represented by the notation.
Brad Beyenhof wrote:
On Monday, August 4, 2003, at 08:32 AM, Christopher BJ Smith wrote:
At 5:58 PM -0400 8/03/03, Darcy James Argue wrote:
The same exception RE: double-dotted notes cited above is also (sometimes) used -- i.e. a double-dotted quarter followed by a sixteenth. Again, not a universally beloved exception, but you see it often enough.
Strictly speaking, in that system double-dotted notes are not used, as dotted rest are not used either. They are considered archaic.
Is there a name for this "system" to which references are being made? Is there an alternative? Basically, I've already taken to heart most of these rules as merely "common engraving practice," and not thought of them as a part of some disparate system of rules.
As a side note: though I follow the Rule of Four and eschew dotted rests, double-dotted notes are no problem in most jobs I've done (as long as they're college-to-professional level pieces). Usually, quarter-tied-to-eighth-tied-to-sixteenth looks really cluttered on a 20- to 30-staff wind band score and a double-dotted note is much cleaner.
------------- Brad Beyenhof [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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