irregular groups

[michelecorcella]

Happy new year to everybody in this Forum!!!

Could you please tell me how can I copy this irregular group in Finale?

Thanks in advance

[zuill]

It looks like you want to set up a tuplet as 4 dotted 8ths in place of 4 8ths. If so, that's all you need to do.

Zuill

[motet]

What is the meter? If 6/8 (or part of a 9/8 or 12/8 measure), the 4 is not necessary and
may have been added for clarity.

[michelecorcella]

Thanks for the answer.
The meter is 3/4

[Peter Thomsen]

michelecorcella,

Take a look at the attached Finale document.

[Bill Stevens]

If it's ¾ then you really don't need the quadruplet, do you?

Bill

[michelecorcella]

Thank you!!!

[motet]

Technically it should be either dots or a quadruplet, not both, but I think both are OK. Persoanlly, I would write

[motet]

...or not! The dots show how to perform it, it's true.

[zuill]

It's hard to tell if the original picture takes up all 3 beats. If it does, just using the dots is a rhythm equal to 12 16th notes, which is what a normal 3/4 bar gets. So, no need for the quadruplet. Maybe we need more information.

Zuill

[motet]

If it took up two beats, there wouldn't be a tuplet, I don't think, and taking up one beat is very unlikely.

[zuill]

If it took up 2 beats, then the rhythm doesn't need dots or a quadruplet. That would just be 3 8ths and 2 16ths. A simple rhythm. We are working with not enough information, I think.

Zuill

[motet]

Right--that's what I was trying to say. That's why it's almost certainly 3 beats.

[michelecorcella]

The meter is 3/4.

Thanks again

[zuill]

That doesn't answer our question, though. How many of the beats in the sample bar are represented by the quadruplet? Can you show us the whole bar? The first picture was cut off at the ends.

Zuill

[michelecorcella]

Here's the whole measure

[michelecorcella]

It's from a PDF file not a Finale file

[motet]

So, to summarize, it should either be dotted notes or a quadruplet, but not both. But since each has its advantages--the dots showing how to make a quadruplet out of 6 beats, the "4" showing that something obscure-looking is in fact just a quadruplet--it seems like having both could be justified.

[zuill]

In my experience, there are 2 options. See attached picture.

Zuill