Hello
I know that for the moment it is not possible to write fractional time signatures but is it planned to be able to do so, as in the example, in a future version?
If anyone has a solution I am very interested.
Thank you
You mean 11/8? That’s the quick and dirty solution. I don’t even know how I would (professionally) parse this as a performer.
The only other way I can imagine doing this is to export it with the aggregate version in eighth notes, and then go into a separate program like Ai or Affinity Designer or something like that and manual change the visual appearance by deleting those glyphs and replacing it with what you want.
Not something I’d like to perform, at least, not without dotted barlines to indicate how the rhythm is carved up.
Thanks to all
your answers have given me an idea and I have found a solution that works. I am using the text box. I still hope this will be supported in future versions of Dorico.
example fractional.pdf (62.7 KB)
I’m genuinely curious: What is there to gain from seeing fractional time in a time signature? Is it commitment to an ideology? What would consider the benefits of this? My ultimate goal is to make the music printed the most direct connection between a performer and the music performed. Innovations such as fractional time signatures really evade that goal… which makes me wonder if there’s something else happening philosophically.
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Hello Joshdnichols
I can’t really answer your question. I happen to have composers in my clientele who use quite complex metric systems and I need a software that can transcribe their manuscripts as faithfully as possible. So I won’t go into the philosophical question of fractional time signature. However, I had not used Dorico for this kind of engraving until now, but I must say that I am quite impressed by the stability of the engraving despite all the workarounds I have to put in place to achieve my goals. Very promising for the future. Congratulations to the whole team.
Bonjour Joshdnichols
Je ne peux pas répondre vraiment à votre question. Il se trouve que j’ai dans ma clientèle des compositeurs qui utilisent des système métriques assez complexes et j’ai besoin d’un logiciel qui puissent retranscrire le plus fidèlement possible leurs manuscrits. Je n’entrerai donc pas dans la question philosophique du chiffrage fractionnaire. Par contre je n’avais pas jusqu’à présent utilisé Dorico pour ce genre de gravure mais je dois dire que je suis assez impressionné par la stabilité de la gravure malgré toutes les stratégies de contournement que je dois mettre en place pour arriver à mes fins. Très prometteur pour la suite. Bravo à toute l’équipe
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Hi there
I don’t think I want to get into a philosophical discussion about the use of fractional time signatures, although I definitely have an opinion about them.
I’m writing mainly to point out that, in the original example, the 5 1/2 / 4 implies (or, in the most restrictive use, demands) that the half beat is added at the end of five equal crotchet (quarter) beats. But here the bar has the half-beat elsewhere.
So, as an editor, I would not allow that time signature, because it is at least unhelpful, and probably wrong.
There are a number of ways to deal with it, of course, ranging from the most traditional (11/8, probably with a 4+3+4 above it) through to splitting the bar into a 7/8 bar and a 2/4 bar.
The only way I’d allow a fractional time sig (assuming they are acceptable at all) would be as two bars, a 3 1/2 /4 and a 2/4 bar.
In my work as an engraver, sometimes I am not able to make a change like this, and must reproduce the manuscript exactly, which may be the case for you here. But these issues are interesting, and finding the best notation in this area isn’t straightforward.
Best wishes
Jeremy