Starting second voice in a measure

• May 27, 2012 - 04:05

I am trying to transcribe a version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. In several measures there are two voices. The first voice is a whole note. The second voice begins directly after the whole note and is two eighth notes and three quarter notes. It is 4/4 time. I successfully created it in the first measure I tried it. I do not know how I did it and I cannot copy and paste it because the last quarter note becomes an eighth note (accounting for an eighth rest at the whole note of the first voice in the beginning of the measure).
Please see score at this URL: http://musescore.com/user/25966/scores/50287
The third measure is correct. The fourth measure is incorrect (the last note needs to be a quarter note not an eighth note).
Thank you in advance for your help.

Comments

• May 27, 2012 - 05:14

It's kind of hard to say from the description - any way you could post the actual score (your first measure successfully created)? Have you read the Handbook section on Voices? Watched the tutorial videos?

Reply

• May 27, 2012 - 06:17

the third measure appears incorrect - it seems everything is half a beat off. That is, the eighth notes should start on 1, but you have them starting on the "and" of one. And whatever you did to make this happen seems to have led this bar to become corrupt, as the last note should only be an eighth note (if the eighths are to start on the "and" of one. So I suspect you'll have to delete the measure and re-enter it.

I'm guessing the start of the problem was not entering the eighth notes on 1. Yes, they are offset physically to avoid collisions, but they should still be entered on beat 1, then nudged if necessary by double clicking and using the arrows.

Reply

• May 27, 2012 - 06:27

Hi Marc,
I understand what you are saying. The only problem with that is that the example of the third measure--corrupt or not--- is how George Gershwin originally wrote the piece and meant for it to be played. The second voice needs to start the space of an eighth rest behind the whole note(without that space being counted as far as the second voice is concerned so as to end the measure with a quarter note) . That is the original composition. It cannot be changed and the last note in the measure must be a quarter note not an eighth. Can you tell me how to reproduce what I did in the third measure?

Reply

• May 27, 2012 - 07:10

That doesn't make sense. What gives you the idea Gershwin didn't intend that eighth note to start on one? that's how he wrote it, according to your passage. Again, just because it is physically shifted to the right doesn't mean it starts late; that's just to avoid a visual collision. If he had wanted it to start on the "and" of one, he'd have put an eighth rest on one. But then, there would have been four and a half beats in the measure. The only way that measure can work is to start on one, just as it is written. Add up the beats - two eighths equals one beats, three quarters are three more beats. That's four beats total. Has to start on one, just like it says. And BTW, I am familiar with the piece; those eighth notes do definitely start on one.

Reply

• May 27, 2012 - 08:57

Alright. I appreciate and understand everything that you are saying. I accept all that you are saying. I will listen more closely to a played piece. I am a beginning student as you can see by the simplified arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue.

So what you say that I need to do is double-click on the note heads that I need to shift over to maintain the proper 4/4 time of the midi file and the written music.

Thank you for all of your expert advice. I will sincerely and seriously listen how those eighth notes do sound in the original score. I thank you again for your tireless tutelage. You have been immensely helpful
Warmest Best,
Danielle

Reply

• May 27, 2012 - 08:57

Alright. I appreciate and understand everything that you are saying. I accept all that you are saying. I will listen more closely to a played piece. I am a beginning student as you can see by the simplified arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue.

So what you say that I need to do is double-click on the note heads that I need to shift over to maintain the proper 4/4 time of the midi file and the written music.

Thank you for all of your expert advice. I will sincerely and seriously listen how those eighth notes do sound in the original score. I thank you again for your tireless tutelage. You have been immensely helpful
Warmest Best,
Danielle

Reply

• May 27, 2012 - 16:24

To be clear: don't take the existing measure as is and nudge the eighths over - they are already on the wrong the beat, and indeed, nudging them won't fix that. Instead, start over (the corrupt measure will probably have to be deleted and reinserted), entering the eighths starting on beat 1, *then* use the double click and arrow method to move the eighths to the right, and/or move the whole notes to the left. You can also right click, note properties, and play with the additional leading/trailing space. It's a bit of trial and error, but it definitely needs to start with the notes being entered on the correct beats. Realistically, there is no need to move them over as far as you have them here - that actually created some confusion, as it can make it look like the eighths start after the whole note. Just a slight offset - enough so that it doesn't make the whole notes look like they are half notes attached to the stem - would make it clearer.

Reply

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.