I have always used 3.5/4 and 4.5/4 (among others) for my time signatures. This reads more easily than 7/8 or 9/8 when the basic beat is a quarter-note. I wouldn’t expect a need for any other decimal than “.5”. I found a poor work-around in Finale, but nothing in Dorico 6. It would be nice!
Some ways I can think of are replacing something you don’t need under Library->Music Symbols->Time Signatures. Here I replaced cutc. Hidden 7/8 from the second bar. Or use a hidden 7/8 and enter the 3.5/4 as text, playing technique or as a line with an annotation/start cap. Easiest to place since it can be inside staff. But for the text/PT/line, spacing will be a problem.
Jesper
Not sure I’ll agree with that.
This fascinates me. I’m curious how one would conduct a choir or orchestra for a piece with 3.5/4 time. 7/8 is conductible but 3.5/4 just doesn’t seem, well, to be. I would imagine that decimal time signatures would service electronically produced music but not so much live musicians, at least those with classic music training including music theory.
What spurs this use? I am very curious as I might learn something new!
one-uh / two / three
That’s what I used. I just didn’t like the decimal point appearing so high above the baseline.
Thanks. I can deal with that!
I’ve used these decimal time signatures in piano pieces. I don’t think I’ve ever worried about it where a conductor might have to hiccup.
Yeah, I’ve seen them occasionally too. Here’s a passage from Takemitsu’s Masque for Two Flutes:
Gardner Read’s 1978 book Modern Rhythmic Notation cites a bunch of examples of fractional meters in the Appendix:
I’m sure there have been plenty more examples of fractional meters written in the 48 years that have passed since this was published too!
Has anyone dared to write sacred music with fractional meter? I’m tempted to do that just for fun…
I have dared, though my church choir is used to that sort of thing from me. My example above was Psalm 47.
::: Bill
I guess I am not creative enough because I would have used 7/8 time signature for that…just me. Not a judgement or criticism of anyone but myself.
Not really a fractional meter but Ernest Sands’ Sing of the Lord’s Goodness is in a 5/4 that might be considered 2.5/2 as it is felt in alternating long/short beats like Take Five or the old Mission Impossible TV Theme. (Hope Publishing put out a nice arrangement by John Carter about 25 years ago…)
I agree that, for the above, 7/8 might be a better choice than 3.5/4 but it is the composer’s choice! 
… and the performer’s choice to pencil “7/8” over it. 
Most musicians are taught about time signatures like 5/4 and 7/8 fairly early on, so it’s not really a problematic concept that needs clarification, if indeed that’s what fractional signatures are.
Before this thread I never heard of decimal time signatures.
My first thought was someone would like to compose a round in 3.14/4
I learn everyday on this forum
Ars longa, meter breves
Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy includes some fractional time signatures. These are from the old and new editions of the piece. As much as my students give me grief for making them play in odd times, I’ve come to appreciate what Grainger was trying to do in notating how the singers he recorded actually performed.
