Dotted note or triplet?

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Dotted note or triplet?

2014-04-24 02:37 am

This is a question of notation style, I'd appreciate an opinion...

I'm an amateur songwriter, normally writing for a solo singer. In the melody line I often write a two-beat phrase comprising a dotted quarter note and an eighth note. But on playback I realise that it isn't quite correct. To make the timing correct I can change it to a triplet comprising a half note and a quarter note. However, this looks cluttered and I don't think it's quite as easy to read.

So I'm trying to choose between:
- Dotted quarter note and an eighth note = visually clean, easy to read, but timing not quite correct, or
- Triplet comprising a half note and a quarter note = perfectly correct timing, but not as visually tidy.

Which would you recommend?
- Use the dotted quarter note to make it visually simpler, and assume that the singer will interpret the timing suitably.
- Or use the triplet to show the exact timing?

Thanks,
David.

Re: Dotted note or triplet?

Reply #1 – 2014-04-24 06:17 am

Well, in that case I usually use a visual staff for easy reading and a hidden staff for play.

If you want to be picky you can add the relevant symbol from the fonts in the Pardypack indicating that those figures must be played tripletized.
At the moment I haven't the fonts at hand so I can't tell you which char is it.

Re: Dotted note or triplet?

Reply #2 – 2014-04-24 06:46 am

As a musician who plays all kinds of styles, and NOT a singer, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the crotchet/quaver triplet, UNLESS the piece is being played is a swing piece.

Then the normal notation would be two quavers and the musician/singer should know that as swing the notional crotchet/quaver triplet is the "correct" way to render the quavers.

Re: Dotted note or triplet?

Reply #3 – 2014-04-24 08:43 am

This user tip: Triplets v. Duples, 3/4 v. 9/8, Hiding '3' in triplets might be worth a peek.

HTH

Re: Dotted note or triplet?

Reply #4 – 2014-04-25 11:56 pm

Hi Harmless,
I just re-read your post and realised I got my timing wrong... Crotchet=quarter, not half and quaver=eighth, not quarter... sorry.

However it does tend to clarify my statement:
A Minim (half) and crotchet (quarter) as a triplet would be MY preference as an instrumentalist.

The modifying statement about swing and pairs of quavers (eighths) does not apply...

Sorry for the bum steer there.

Re: Dotted note or triplet?

Reply #5 – 2014-04-26 06:24 am

Thanks Lawrie,

I noticed the slight error but got your point. I normally use the minim/crotchet/quaver language but I was trying to be more "international"!

Thanks also to the others that replied. I'm tending towards the more accurate triplet method.

David.

Re: Dotted note or triplet?

Reply #6 – 2014-04-26 02:29 pm

cool