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Topic: how to do simple syncopation (Read 2588 times) previous topic - next topic

how to do simple syncopation

(I'm a musical amateur who enters a lot of hymns and choral work.)
I constantly run up against a simple syncopation problem when entering notes in the same staff:  eg. in 4/4 time, a dotted quarter and an eight pointing up; underneath two quarters pointing down.
ie. (dotted quarter up, joined to quarter down)(quarter down)(eighth up)
This is SUPPOSED to be syncopated, so the eighth gets sounded halfway through the quarter below, but it ain't; the eighth is sounded AFTER the quarter below is finished.  This makes the bar length 4 1/8 instead of 4, which really screws things up.
I hope someone can figure out what I mean.
I can fix the problem by 'layering', but I think that's pretty stupid - a whole whack of extra work just for a coupla notes.
Am I missing something?  Isn't there a simple way to do this on one staff, just as the music is written?
Thanks for your help!  And Noteworthy Composer is GREAT!

Re: how to do simple syncopation

Reply #1 –
The only way I can think of to do this without layering is to create a hidden staff that plays properly, and on your visual staff, you could do the dotted-quarter-and-eighth as real notes and the two quarters a text items, or the other way around, whichever you find easier.

Re: how to do simple syncopation

Reply #2 –
Yes, it is quite clear what you mean.
The workaround is really no workaround, because it looks different, although it sounds right:
enter a quarter, tied to an eighth, and enter another eighth;
make a chord of the quarter, and make a chord of the first eigth with a quarter...
No beauty prizes to be won with this one, although I have used the method once or twice.

Re: how to do simple syncopation

Reply #3 –
If I'm understanding correctly, you'll have to put an eighth rest with the eighth note above the second quarter note.  There's no way to hide the extra rest though.
 

Re: how to do simple syncopation

Reply #4 –
No, you do not need the rest.
If the dotted quarter is entered as a quarter plus an eighth note, tied, the chords can be entered correctly. 1/4 + 1/8 = 1/4 * 1.5, but it looks different...