# Incomplete Tuplets **URL:** \ **Category:** Dorico\ **Tags:** dorico-5\ **Created:** [October 23, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568 "2024-10-23T16:41:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sorenallen99](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/sorenallen99/32/275534_2.png) [@sorenallen99](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/sorenallen99)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/1 "2024-10-23T16:41:46Z")
Hi! I’m trying to do something a little unusual with my notation. I’m trying to have a triplet figure that’s composed of two quarter notes instead of three; or, essentially, two quarter notes with a bracket and a 3 in the middle. The context is I have a bit of music in 4/4, and for one measure only I want to “skip” the last of six quarter-note triplets in the bar and go right to the next downbeat. I don’t need the playback to work, just the notation to look nice. The closest thing I’ve gotten is doing a 2:2 tuplet and removing the number, but I’m wondering if there’s a way to override the number in the bracket, or do a tuplet bracket with your own text where the number should be or something like that. This may not be possible at all, but figured I’d ask. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read! ---
**Author:** ![Janus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@Janus](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Janus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/2 "2024-10-23T16:48:40Z")
Could you sketch a picture for us? ---
**Author:** ![asherber](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/asherber/32/277014_2.png) [@asherber](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/asherber)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/3 "2024-10-23T16:50:00Z")
Welcome to the forum! Are you looking for something like this? ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/f/9/e/f9e939d08bf935ea371ccc9f6e9723e25878cf34.png) ---
**Author:** ![rkrentzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f08c70/32.png) [@rkrentzman](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/rkrentzman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/4 "2024-10-23T17:00:22Z")
I believe you are thinking of an irrational time signature, which in this case would be 5/6. See the music of Thomas Adès. ---
**Author:** ![ObiwanKenobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecae2f/32.png) [@ObiwanKenobi](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/ObiwanKenobi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/5 "2024-10-23T17:00:30Z")
I think our friend wish two « dotted quarter » in place of three quarter in triplet. That is a “duolet de noires”. ---
**Author:** ![jesele](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/jesele/32/1542_2.png) [@jesele](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/jesele)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:08pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/6 "2024-10-23T17:08:33Z")
You could copy my custom lines from this Adès example. Jesper [Ades.dorico](https://forums.steinberg.net/uploads/short-url/42H9D1nhFXZkNuBo7WeC1dfoFSd.dorico) (683.0 KB) ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/4/9/d/49df9de1caf18984bcd0c38c457a6440a617161d.png) ---
**Author:** ![sorenallen99](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/sorenallen99/32/275534_2.png) [@sorenallen99](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/sorenallen99)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/7 "2024-10-23T17:24:25Z")
The Ades example is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the help and the quick responses, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![k\_b](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/k_b/32/117834_2.png) [@k\_b](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/k_b)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/8 "2024-10-23T17:43:41Z")
If I was a violinist, I wouldn’t know what to do with this… ---
**Author:** ![jesele](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/jesele/32/1542_2.png) [@jesele](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/jesele)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/9 "2024-10-23T17:59:53Z")
At least it is slow. If you just concentrate on the note values it’s not that hard. The time signatures almost makes it harder. Jesper ---
**Author:** ![meixner](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/meixner/32/137832_2.png) [@meixner](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/meixner)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/10 "2024-10-23T18:03:28Z")
It’s not too hard, if you think about it: the incomplete triplets are just that, so you start with your normal quarter triplet and just cut it off early, than procede as normal. Or what I would do: just train a bit switching between (complete) quarter triplets and standard eights, and then the same between 2 of those triplet quarters and some eights. It get’s managable quick. ---
**Author:** ![meixner](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/meixner/32/137832_2.png) [@meixner](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/meixner)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/11 "2024-10-23T18:09:50Z")
A couple hundred years ago that would have been easy to notate, and in a quite elegant way I may add. I’m just transcribing some _ars subtilior_ pieces from ModenaA (late 14th/early 15th century) where things like this happen all the time. The simplification that occured in later centuries with standardizing every note value only to be dividable by 2 was a loss in this regard … ---
**Author:** ![k\_b](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/k_b/32/117834_2.png) [@k\_b](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/k_b)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/12 "2024-10-23T18:31:35Z")
> [@meixner](#): > > you start with your normal quarter triplet and just cut it off early, than procede as normal Thank you teacher meixner, now it seems easy 👍🏻 ---
**Author:** ![meixner](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/meixner/32/137832_2.png) [@meixner](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/meixner)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/13 "2024-10-23T19:13:58Z")
These are the moments where I’m not sure as a non native speaker/writer - but I guess it wasn’t meant ironically, right? please … 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Johnson](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/mark_johnson/32/143124_2.png) [@Mark\_Johnson](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Mark_Johnson)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/14 "2024-10-23T19:31:07Z")
I suppose this could be written entirely without triplets using sesquialtera note values: ![Ades proportional](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/b/4/9/b496c94929a0f43fc2ade0c269c3f0c360f31933.png) (But I’m sure there will be other passages not so easy to render this way.) ---
**Author:** ![k\_b](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/k_b/32/117834_2.png) [@k\_b](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/k_b)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/15 "2024-10-23T19:34:15Z")
> [@meixner](#): > > it wasn’t meant ironically Michael, no of course not, you really helped me, thank you. Haven’t you ever been called Teacher Michael or Teacher Meixner? It sounds rather sweet… This is from an English tutorial: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/B8TultRu3Jc/maxresdefault.jpg "5 things native English speakers NEVER say!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8TultRu3Jc&t=241) ---
**Author:** ![k\_b](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/k_b/32/117834_2.png) [@k\_b](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/k_b)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/16 "2024-10-23T19:38:36Z")
Mark, yes this works, but it somehow lacks the tuplet “swing” feeling. ---
**Author:** ![jesele](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/jesele/32/1542_2.png) [@jesele](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/jesele)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 3:38am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/17 "2024-10-24T03:38:56Z")
Ha, I thought the same thing. I wrote it down from an Adès score just to see if it was possible in Dorico. Jesper ---
**Author:** ![meixner](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/meixner/32/137832_2.png) [@meixner](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/meixner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 5:58am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/18 "2024-10-24T05:58:19Z")
> [@k\_b](#): > > > [@meixner](#): > > > > it wasn’t meant ironically > > Michael, no of course not, you really helped me, thank you. > Haven’t you ever been called Teacher Michael or Teacher Meixner? It sounds rather sweet… > This is from an English tutorial: > [https://youtu.be/B8TultRu3Jc?feature=shared&t=241](https://youtu.be/B8TultRu3Jc?feature=shared&t=241) Oh thank you - than that was sweet 🙂 Though I am a teacher in real life (University for Music Vienna), no student has ever called me “Lehrer Meixner” 🕶 Glad to help! ---
**Author:** ![ObiwanKenobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecae2f/32.png) [@ObiwanKenobi](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/ObiwanKenobi)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 8:11am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/19 "2024-10-24T08:11:33Z")
> [@meixner](#): > > Though I am a teacher in real life (University for Music Vienna), no student has ever called me “Lehrer Meixner” In your case, in good German, it would be « Professor Meixner » or « Doktor Meixner », wouldn’t it? And your students should call you « Herr », or in some circumstances, « Herr Professor ». I used to insist (because I’m retired now [ein seliger und süßer Ruhestand seit einem Jahr]) that my students call me « Monsieur » and I didn’t accept them being on first-name terms. Some, in the tradition of the CNSM, called me « Master », but I thought that was a bit too « old school ». ---
**Author:** ![Damian\_leGassick](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/damian_legassick/32/201238_2.png) [@Damian\_leGassick](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Damian_leGassick)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 10:48am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568/20 "2024-10-24T10:48:16Z")
yes, but to be fair to Ades, the original is in 4/4, not barred as per Jesper (the rhythms _sound_ the same in isolation) and re-notating it like this would have truly horrible knock-on effects for the orchestra. [Next page](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/incomplete-tuplets/945568.md?page=2)