semiquaver vs staccato quaver

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Hector Pascal
Posts: 432
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 11:43 pm
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Post by Hector Pascal » Wed Apr 07, 2021 5:40 am

Is there a general rule with regard to using a garden-variety semiquaver (followed by a semiquaver rest) instead of a staccato quaver? For example on the first beat of a bar after a semiquaver run, should I use a staccato quaver, or should I use a semiquaver? (In either case, I would want a slur to end on the penultimate note). Once I choose, I try to be consistent, but sometimes either way looks awkward the more I try to be consistent with a single approach. Hmmm.

Cheerio,
Hector.


Hector Pascal
Posts: 432
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 11:43 pm
Finale Version: Finale 26
Operating System: Mac

Post by Hector Pascal » Wed Apr 07, 2021 5:57 am

In answer to myself, I suppose that the tempo would be the deciding factor.... because a staccato would always be short, whereas a semiquaver may not be short at a slow tempo.

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HaraldS
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2016 11:46 am
Finale Version: 25.5
Operating System: Windows

Post by HaraldS » Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:45 am

I would suggest to choose the best notation based on the style of your music and how other composers in this style handled comparable situations. Reading music notations mostly means recognizing well-known patterns, thus we help our musicians if we write it the way others already wrote it.
Finale 3.0-25.5, German edition, Windows 7
trombonist, pianist, conductor / Recklinghausen, Germany

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