Creating split tuplets

• Mar 8, 2025 - 13:55

Hiya all, does anyone know who I would go about engraving the right hand in this extract? I don't mind if the playback isn't right. I've asked the composer what he means by 2/5:3 and 3/5:3 and he's said that it's a 5:3 that's been split in two, meaning the stuff in between is offset by two 5:3 quavers.

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Definitely post more of the piece!!!

On the assumption that this is an entire measure, the second and (disconnected) third staves (without any tuplets) appear to indicate a time signature of 7/8.

The quarter note (A natural in voice 1 and B natural in voice two takes up two eighth notes. The quarter note (E natural+G natural in voice 1) and the normal triplet (F#, G#) take up two more eighth notes. That makes four of the seven total eighth notes in the measure. The three remaining eighth notes must be divided (presumably equally) between the five notes (two at the beginning, three at the end) of the two weird tuplets.

Here are the rhythmic elements of the measure, rearranged in a way that MuseScore can display them:

20250308 142132 - quint.png

I can't think of a way to play the first two notes of this quintuplet separate from the last three. Indeed, the more I think about it, the more convinced I become that MuseScore Studio simply cannot notate this. You'd have to have some way to notate a 1/105th note (3*5*7). Each real eighth note would be 15/105th of the measure, and the five notes of the weird tuplet would be 1/5th of three of them: 9/105ths each. The two notes at the beginning would last for 18/105th of the measure and the three at the end, for 27/105ths.

The only vaguely possible way MuseScore could handle it would be to notate the entire measure as 105:7--which it can do. But then each individual note would be 9 (the weird tuplet notes) or 30 (the quarter notes) of the 105 notes. 9 would be a triple-dotted whole note. I can't think of a way to make a single note be 15 of the 105: how could you indicate a double-whole note less an eighth note.

Obviously, if my assumption of 7/8 is incorrect, ignore this entirely.

[A few moments later] My bad!!! I flipped the meaning of multiple augmentation dots. 15 is the EASY one; 9 is hard.

In reply to by TheHutch

So, with a 105:7 tuplet over the entire measure, you can make it play correctly. I think to make it look as your composer wants, you'd have to completely sacrifice playback for appearance's sake. You'd more or less add 2 eighth notes, two quarter notes, and three eighth notes. Then fake up the weird tuplet's braces and ratios.

Thus, one copy for appearance, another for playback. Not impossible, but a PITA!!!

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