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So, let's say you have a measure of 3/4. Like the following:

Measure of 3/4

Then you have a triplet in the next measure, like this:

Triplet

How would I "cut off" the last quarter rest from that triplet? I was thinking to create a measure of 2/3, or two "third notes" aka triplets. Is there a better way to do this?

TheZipCreator
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  • Just to make sure I understand what you want. You have music that is going at, say, 80 quarter notes per minute, and somewhere in the middle you want a measure with 2 quarter notes at 120 quarter notes per minute. – Alexander Woo Aug 11 '20 at 20:30
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    Is the first measure 3/4 with syncopation, or is it 6/8? – user1079505 Aug 11 '20 at 20:52
  • @user1079505 It says 3/4. And it looks like 3/4. Why do you think it might not be? – Old Brixtonian Aug 11 '20 at 22:24
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    We discussed these time signatures recently. Here, if it's any help: https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/101870/can-any-score-writer-do-irrational-time-signatures – Old Brixtonian Aug 11 '20 at 22:27
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    @OldBrixtonian Because the note grouping used is characteristic for 6/8 rather than 3/4, and because the rhythm would be rather natural in 6/8, and syncopated in 3/4. Of course there is nothing wrong with using syncopation, and such short-hand notation of syncopated rhythm can be sometimes used, given OP is asking about time signatures and notation, it looks like something they may want to double check. – user1079505 Aug 11 '20 at 22:33
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    Your idea is right ZipCreator, but it would be 2/6, not 2/3. You’d use 3 on the bottom if it were half-note triplets, but 6 for quarter-note triplets (and 12 for eighth-note triplets). Alternatively, you can do a tempo modulation. – Pat Muchmore Aug 12 '20 at 00:24
  • I don't understand how, in 3/4 time, there can be a triplet worth exactly what a standard 3/4 bar contains. If you mean two equal notes to fill that bar, 6/8 would be a simple answer. – Tim Aug 12 '20 at 07:04
  • @user1079505 You say the note-grouping used is characteristic of 6/8 rather than 3/4. It isn't. How ELSE can you write it in 3/4?! – Old Brixtonian Aug 12 '20 at 11:04
  • There is no such thing as a "third note," "irrational meters" cultists notwithstanding. – Carl Witthoft Aug 12 '20 at 12:58

3 Answers3

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The simplest solution is given by the Wikipedia Irrational Meters entry. You would just write it as two half-notes, which, given the 2/3 time signature, would be understood as two "thirds-of-a-whole-note".

for example, one beat in ​4⁄5 is written as a normal quarter note, four quarter notes complete the bar, but the whole bar lasts only ​4⁄5 of a reference whole note, and a beat ​1⁄5 of one (or ​4⁄5 of a normal quarter note).

Another possibility, from Wikipedia's Tuplet:Notation entry would be to notate the tuplet using a [3:2] ratio indication, meaning "three of this type of note comprises two beats", but you'd only have two notes present within the tuplet.

Aaron
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    What I meant was that the time signature should be 2/6. Then it's two quarter-note triplets like the OP wanted. – Pat Muchmore Aug 12 '20 at 01:07
  • @PatMuchmore OP indicates 2/3 time but used a quarter-note triplet as his example. So am I understanding correctly that two quarter notes would give 2/6 and two half notes would give 2/3? – Aaron Aug 12 '20 at 01:48
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    Right, that’s the OP’s mistake: 3rd notes would be half note triplets, sixth notes are quarter note triplets. – Pat Muchmore Aug 12 '20 at 02:57
  • Do you still want to retain '2/3' in the 1st para? – Tim Aug 12 '20 at 06:14
  • @Tim Yes, unless my post is incorrect. My intention is to err on the side of the OP meaning "2/3" and that the quarter-note triplet was just to get across the idea of what was being sought. – Aaron Aug 12 '20 at 06:21
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Thinking "out of the box", if you can allow yourself to change the first measure time signature, you may consider:

X: 1  
K: Bb
M: 9/8  
L: 1/16
V:Vc clef=bass
C,3D,3 E,3(D,3 D,3) C,3 | [M: 2/4]  C4B,4 |]

or

X: 1  
K: Bb
M: 9/8  
L: 1/16
V:Vc clef=bass
C,3D,3E,3 D,6 C,3 | [M: 2/4]  C4B,4 |]

This of course depends on the rest of the composition. The dotted eights might be annoying to read, but might be easier than irrational meters.

user1079505
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  • Really is easier to read and play if you stick with 3/4 - 2/4 time and add a written instruction as to the change in meter (bpm) – Carl Witthoft Aug 12 '20 at 12:59
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I think this is what you're trying to do:

enter image description here

Old Brixtonian
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    Bad notation! No biscuit! Notes (post + head + flag) do not accept the concept of a nonbinary base unit – Carl Witthoft Aug 13 '20 at 13:50
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    :-) As a matter of fact Carl, I myself find this particular example less appealing, but only 'cos the notes are a bit er... uninformative. I can't see any advantage of the 2/6 bar over a 3/8 one with two dotted quavers, except that the two bars together would then amount to one 9/8 bar. Nonetheless, that's how I personally - not knowing the context - would write it, but I'd add the magic word riten. extended by a horizontal line over the two notes, just to stop it sounding like 9/8 and being in any way foot-tappable. Might even add a giusto over the following bar. There. Biscuit? – Old Brixtonian Aug 13 '20 at 15:38