Altering the look of a breve set as a chord

[cathya]

I need to move the double lines surrounding a three-note breve chord. At present, Finale sets it as two notes with the double lines either side and the third note with separate double lines. Can anyone please tell me how to move the lines so they encompass all three notes. I've included examples of both the Finale result I'm currently getting and the original manuscript I'm working from.

I look forward to your assistance.

[zuill]

I believe the lines are part and parcel with the font character.

Instead, make the Breves as a Semi Breves in place of a Breve using the Tuplet Tool, without numbers or brackets. Then add the lines manually as articulations, expressions, or Smart Lines.

Zuill

[cathya]

Thank you, Zuill. Yes. That was what I thought was the only work-around.

Nice you're still here

[motet]

-

[BuonTempi]

I'm not sure that the manuscript shows usual practice for chords of breves. I would just do the following, using the Special Tool Note Mover to align the lines.

[motet]

What does the notation mean?

[Gareth Green]

I'm confused; if the notation in the upper stave of the m/s is correct, the lower stave should have semibreves, not breves ...

[motet]

That was my question.

[cathya]

Gareth and Motet,

I purposefully didn't include the full manuscript, which includes the directions "Molto rubato, free dynamics, con moto". This particular composer does some 'interesting' things, so I'll ask about the breve vs semibreve aspect. I also wondered, but have grown to accept his oddities

If I were to post the whole piece, you'd see that nearly every measure has a different timesignature (hidden). For example, b.1 has 12 beats, bars 2 & 3, which I quoted, as well as 4 have 4; b. 5 has 12, b.6 & 7 7, b. 8 is back to 4, etc, etc. I suppose he could have just as easily used a semi-breve to indicate a whole bar of sound in the bass clef. He's just used a breve.

I would add that nothing about it is mentioned on the score or noted. I'll ask him though

[cathya]

I spoke with the composer. He said he isn't the first to use this kind of notation and as the piece is one in a large collection a-la Mikrokosmos, he felt it appropriate to introduce the pianist to it. He uses breves in another composition in the same collection for the same reason. His aim is to introduce the student experience in a greater breadth of notation.

[motet]

But that doesn't say what the intent is, only that it's different.

[cathya]

It'll have a footnote on the first breve, with the explanation:

"To make the score unnecessarily complex, a breve is used to indicate holding a chord for a full measure, no matter its time signature."

I think that covers it. In the end, though, I'm doing a job for a composer. If they want a certain notation, it's their call. I've pointed the matter out to him and he's given me his reasons for using it.

[motet]

Not questioning correctness, just curious--thanks for asking him!

[mknoll]

Shouldn't the footnote read: "to prevent the score from becoming unnecessarily complex..." ?

[MikeHalloran]

Shouldn't the footnote read: "to prevent the score from becoming unnecessarily complex..." ?

Ha! I think he got it right the first time.

Seriously, the times that I've seen this, semibreves were used, no matter what the time signature. No footnote is necessary as long as there are no rests in the left hand. This is not that unusual in show scores, actually.

[BuonTempi]

Breves are certainly used frequently to indicate a long note of unspecified length, such as in falsobordone.

None of which answers the question of whether he needs to have only two sets of vertical lines butting up the entire chord, or whether "normal" breves would suffice, and his marks were merely a shorthand.

[Anders Hedelin]

Just to be able to compare different solutions, I made the ones below. Wich one, if any, you prefer is of course a matter of opinion. My favourite is B, because I find it cleaner and neater. To me C and D look more motivated drawn 'sketchily' as in the manuscript, than in the exact, but rather unusual, and therfore confusing 'printed' version. Possibly also the chord in itself would be clearer in the 'stem-down' shape of A-C, than in the 'stem-up' shape of D.

[cathya]

Thank you Anders for your four different examples. Ex.B does loos clean, but need to go with the composer's wishes of the double lines. I've set the whole thing now as semi-breves with the double outer lines added in as expressions.