Questions tagged [beaming]

For questions about use of beaming in notation. Questions should most likely also contain the notation tag.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
0 votes
1 answer
37 views

Lilypond: How do I get horizontal beams for both stem-up and stem-down notes?

Looking at Force note beams to be horizontal, I see how I can force beams to be horizontal. The accepted answer works only for stem-up notes. If there are also stem-down notes, there's a mess. So I ...
Frotz's user avatar
  • 115
2 votes
1 answer
148 views

How to write cross staff beams in Noteflight?

In the middle section of Symphony No 5 by Beethoven, I see some cross staff beams (marked in red): Can you please tell me how to write them in Noteflight? I have no idea as a Noteflight user. Thank ...
Vighnesh's user avatar
  • 185
3 votes
1 answer
317 views

Splitting the beat in two when beaming a fast phrase in a slow piece

I have a slowish piece for cello (with piano) that has sections of 6-tuplets and various other groups of very short notes where the phrasing implies a double-time feel, so it's much easier to count if ...
Wilskt's user avatar
  • 133
1 vote
1 answer
52 views

What does a beam with no notes signify? (semiquaver beam in my case) [duplicate]

I have the below measure showing what appears a semiquaver beam for 1 beat without notes in the middle of the bar. What does this mean?
Fiztban's user avatar
  • 113
10 votes
7 answers
2k views

Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation

My music theory studies ended 20 years ago, but I am busy with some notation by combining piano accompaniment with vocals for solo piano, for personal use. So, in 4/4 time, music theory dictates that ...
Theron Smith's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
145 views

Finale writing problem, four cross-beamed eighths

How do I enter cross-beamed eighth notes in Finale?
ogi-joo's user avatar
  • 71
6 votes
2 answers
104 views

Finale v26 break top beam of a 16th note

I'm trying to create the above form of notation in finale. All I can muster is the below. Any insights?
Stephen Muzzi's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
755 views

Can't understand 16th notes connected by beams [duplicate]

The following section (mm. 49–52) is from "Metamorphosis II" by Philip Glass with 4/4 signature. I don't understand how beats are adding up: There are 4x6 16th notes in each G clef measure, ...
doubleE's user avatar
  • 153
8 votes
3 answers
989 views

Instances of note beams across measures

How rare was it, in classical and romantic periods, for composers to notate eighth note and sixteenth note beams across measures? Are there examples from composers other than Schubert? In two of ...
Thomas Andrews's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
105 views

Can lilypond grace note beams be added to regular beams?

I'm engraving Bach Invention 4 (D Minor) BWV775 in Lilypond and the existing score has grace notes (measure 37) beamed from a regular note: My reading of https://lilypond.org/doc/v2.21/Documentation/...
timbo's user avatar
  • 907
-3 votes
1 answer
143 views

Grouping and Beaming rules for specific time signatures

The question asks to rewrite the notes according to the grouping and beaming rules of the given time signature. The first picture is the question and the second picture is my answer to it. Am I ...
Swaraj's user avatar
  • 111
2 votes
1 answer
589 views

Grouping and beaming 6/4 time signature

I am confused about how to group the 1st bar, I think the half note will remain untouched, the two eighth notes will be joined. The quarter note will also stay as it is and then all the remaining ...
Swaraj's user avatar
  • 111
3 votes
3 answers
199 views

Have I correctly understood which hand plays which notes in cross-staff beaming?

I am a piano beginner and am learning by myself. I'm very confused about the upper notes (original sheet), and I rewrite them to become the lower notes (rewrite sheet). My question is that are they ...
Polo Tv's user avatar
  • 31
6 votes
1 answer
227 views

Beams broken/unbroken with rests - meaning and usage

Shown in the circled parts of the image, are two different ways of representing a beam that spans a sixteenth note - a sixteenth rest - a sixteenth note: In one of them, the beam is broken at the ...
saraf's user avatar
  • 535
5 votes
1 answer
198 views

How to represent beams broken with rests in LilyPond

I'm trying to write the following in LilyPond notation: As shown in the circled parts of the image, there are two different ways of representing a beam that spans a sixteenth note – a sixteenth rest –...
saraf's user avatar
  • 535
0 votes
2 answers
138 views

How do you "think of" notes in groups which consist of a sequence of repeating notes which are in separate beams?

The title sounds awkward (please feel free to modify it); what I mean is: When you see the bars such as Bar 40 below (similarly Bar 37), do you think of it as DDD AAA FFF DDD (orange marking, grouped ...
GrandAdagio's user avatar
  • 1,427
4 votes
1 answer
191 views

Can I align the stem-beams in MuseScore?

I am writing drums exercises and I want to get a clear visual helping to read the timing. Is it possible to align vertically all the beams? By default it depends on the note-pitch so it may vary. I ...
ymoreau's user avatar
  • 143
4 votes
1 answer
111 views

how to force lyrics under manually beamed notes

If I do not specify any manual beams and let the algorithm do it, lyrics are put at each note: \relative { g'4 e8 g8 g4 e8 g } \addlyrics { a b c d e f } But if I do it manually and forbid the ...
Kjara's user avatar
  • 738
7 votes
3 answers
994 views

How to calculate notes beats and properly draw notes beams?

I am fairly new to music theory and i find these 2 topics related but not explained in depth in...pretty much every resource i have found. How are beats normally calculated? I went through the ...
Flonne's user avatar
  • 153
5 votes
1 answer
500 views

Beam on top and beam at the bottom on a music sheet

I am new to sheet music. I am trying to recreate in Guitar Pro, corresponding to guitar strumming, the music sheet notation of the picture below. The timing is 4/4 and tempo is 120. I am unable to ...
seccpur's user avatar
  • 221
6 votes
4 answers
1k views

Grouping three quarter notes in 6/8 time signature

I'm writing a piece of music in 6/8 time signature. Is it correct to have a bar with 3 quarter notes in this time signature?
Julius Baimunya's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
702 views

Can you put one demisemiquaver rest inside a group of 4 demisemiquavers?

I did a picture with 2 examples so you guys can see what I mean. Please can you tell me if blue or red is better?
user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
264 views

What are the benefits of using no beams in simple vocal melody? [duplicate]

I've noticed some of my favorite musicians went out of their way to use no beams while writing vocal melodies. Why would they choose to exclude beams? There are beams in the music but not the vocal ...
Pabble Goobs's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
220 views

If the first D note (in the 1st beam) is flat, does that mean the next D note (in the 2nd beam) is also flat? (see photo) [duplicate]

If the first D note (in the 1st beam) is flat, does that mean the next D note (in the 2nd beam) is also flat? (see photo)
Joseph's user avatar
  • 69
4 votes
1 answer
187 views

Manual beam with chord and single note in lilypond

I want to make a manual beam - on left side its a chord and to the right a single note. What I tried was <f''8 a''8> [c'8] which gives : 'error: syntax error, unexpected UNSIGNED' How to ...
Vinod's user avatar
  • 423
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

MuseScore 3 Prevent Grouping (Beaming) Notes

I'm trying to write a Sheet on MuseScore 3. The Question is: As you can see in the original Sheet the notes aren't grouped... How can I prevent automatic grouping of the notes?
joseluisbz's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
558 views

What is the standard for notating wide arpeggios on piano?

I think I'll go crazy if I think about every possible way. Which example best adheres to standard notation practice?
prstch's user avatar
  • 247
4 votes
1 answer
309 views

How to beam multiple voices correctly

I don't want to change the clef at the top, so I wrote the first group of notes in the bottom, but I also want the first notes (chord) of the bar to be in the second voice. But in this case, it ...
prstch's user avatar
  • 247
5 votes
1 answer
186 views

Highly irregular beaming in this Liszt piece - is phrasal beaming a no-no or not?

The piece is Liszt's Heroischer Marsch im Ungarischem Stil, S.231, and the passage is this (measures 57-64). Notice how irregular the beaming is in the right hand, going across barlines and grouping ...
KeizerHarm's user avatar
  • 1,571
3 votes
1 answer
180 views

Questions on note grouping and beaming for 3+3+2 rhythm

EDIT: The questions below still apply, but here is an updated edit that I think looks a lot cleaner. Any thoughts? Regarding this piece with a 3+3+2 rhythm, I have a few more questions regarding ...
Philip Walker's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
373 views

Beaming notes which have a rest between them [duplicate]

Is it correct to beam two notes with a rest between them? For instance, if you have a quaver followed by a quaver rest, then quaver, will it be correct to beam the two quavers? Thank you.
Glado Msupa's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
1k views

What does it mean when notes are beamed across both piano staves?

I have only six months in playing piano. I want to learn a new sheet, but I don”t understand this notation that merges the two staffs. Can you explain to me please?
Rony Cohen's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Question about beaming in 6/4 and irregular beaming

In 6/4 can I beam by 2/4 + 2/4 + 2/4 or is it strictly 3/4 + 3/4? And also I didn't find a good explanation of irregular beaming in cases where time signature constantly changing from bar to bar (not ...
prstch's user avatar
  • 247
3 votes
2 answers
928 views

Question about cross-staff beaming, unnecessary rests, Debussy

Two questions: Why in Debussy's Arabesque No. 1, are the first two measures written without the rests? What's the rule? If I write notes in different clefs and beam them together, what clef will ...
prstch's user avatar
  • 247
2 votes
1 answer
96 views

Theory- grouping notes

In a 4/4 time signature, can I write a half note on the 2nd and 3rd beat Or should I split the half note into quarter notes with a tie to show the middle of the bar? Also, in 7/8 with (4,3)as main ...
Trebla's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
4 answers
171 views

First note of a beamed group must never fall on an off beat, unless it is preceded by a rest of a dotted note

Here's an image related to my question: https://i.stack.imgur.com/zU0ZO.png Below this image it says: Bar 3 is incorrect, because the 3rd quaver in the group should have a stronger accent than ...
Keretto's user avatar
  • 95
5 votes
4 answers
6k views

Grouping and beaming 6/8 time signature

I am trying to get this right but don't get the second part where there is a eighth note and followed by 2 sixteenth note
Swaraj's user avatar
  • 111
6 votes
2 answers
375 views

Beam slope indicating accelerando or rallentando

Has anybody ever heard of a modern composition notation convention where sloping beams indicate acc. and rall.? A composer colleague of mine who always uses flat horizontal beams claims this (without ...
andro's user avatar
  • 309
7 votes
1 answer
265 views

Placing beam between staves with autochanging voice in LilyPond

I have a PianoStaff with two voices on the right hand. The lower voice with eighths is spread across the staves with \autochange and the additional pitch parameter nicely controls the turning point. ...
Andreas N's user avatar
  • 291
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

When to use note beaming over/under rests?

I’ve seen plenty of questions here asking how to create beams over/under rests (generic example pictured below), but I don’t see any addressing my much more basic question: Is there any general rule ...
Walter's user avatar
  • 1,195
2 votes
1 answer
120 views

Stop Lilypond from placing beam around second voice

I have two voices in the right-hand staff. I'm not sure why Lilypond is doing what it is (see freehand circle) but I would like it to stop. The beam should ideally be somewhere near the red line, with ...
wizzwizz4's user avatar
  • 347
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why are these quavers beamed this way?

I don't know why the quavers in the bass are beamed across barlines the way they are. Does it signify phrasing or is there another reason for it?
Shannon Duncan's user avatar
23 votes
3 answers
5k views

Unknown Musical Symbol: Straight Dotted Line Between Eighth Note Stems

What does the dotted line mean between the eighth note stems in the LH part? This appears in the Dover edition of Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 1 in C Major. It is present in both movements one and two. ...
Julie's user avatar
  • 233
4 votes
2 answers
495 views

Question about beaming in LilyPond

I've recently installed LilyPond and Denomo and found them to be great tools. However I can not seem to learn how to make a beaming pattern like this: This is the bar in Denemo gui: My LilyPond ...
user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
780 views

Reinforcing meter when dealing with alternating 1/8 and 1/16 notes and rests

Below is an excerpt from a not very well known piece (in 4/4 time) that prominently features abuses ornament notes: In an attempt to simplify the piece (which is full of similar ornamentation) while ...
chesnutcase's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
1k views

Why do these notes have two sets of beams?

I'm puzzled by the bar ringed in red from a piece for Celtic harp (La danseuse T'ang, in Images de Chine, by Monique Grabus). There are two sets of beams, and every note has both an upward stem and ...
Thomas Green's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
286 views

In the Hanon piano exercises, why is there a beam joining two groups of 16th notes?

The first measure of the Hanon exercises has a set of four 16th notes that make up a quarter note, and another set of 4 16th notes that make up another quarter note. This adds to 2 quarter notes for ...
Kaushik's user avatar
  • 203
2 votes
1 answer
226 views

Why is Bonse Aba beamed the way it is?

Bonse Aba — a Zambian children's song — is written in 2/4. However, the beaming, as shown in this link, does not appear to reflect the quarter note main beats. Instead, it starts beams on beat 1 and ...
Plentelle's user avatar
  • 103
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Grouping Syncopated Notes

How would I group the following: |qqqsq.qqsq.qqsq.qz| Where q=quaver, s=semiquaver, z=quarter rest, .=dot. Assume 4 q to the beat. By "group" I mean, join together the beams. I know one should ...
Chris Merck's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

Beams in classical vocal music

I had a look at different operas and songs with piano accompaniment. I noticed that one often does not connect beams that one usually would in instrumental music (such as four sixteenth notes in 4/4), ...
Karlo's user avatar
  • 1,431