IWBNI it were possible to specify that the secondary beams of a given tuplet should be broken automatically to form a secondary beam group for each sub-beat group of the tuplet. As it is now, secondary beams of tuplets are not broken automatically. The secondary beam break tool may be used to break beams manually. Or, the Beam Breaker utility in the TGTools third-party plug-in by Tobias Giesen may be used to break secondary beams of all tuplets within a selected region.

Here, the terms sub-beat of a tuplet and sub-beat group of a tuplet are extensions of the terms beat and beat group that are used to describe time signatures. The duration of a sub-beat of a given tuplet equals the duration used to specify the first number in the tuplet ratio. For example, in a tuplet of 3 eighths in the time of 2 eighths, there are 3 sub-beats. In this case, each sub-beat has a duration of 1 eighth note. In a tuplet of 6 sixteenths in the time of 4 sixteenths, there are 6 sub-beats. In this case, each sub-beat has a duration of 1 sixteenth note. A tuplet may be partitioned into sub-beat groups where each group consists of a sequence of sub-beats. For example, a tuplet of 6 sixteenths in the time of 4 sixteenths may be partitioned into two sub-beat groups of 3 sub-beats each. A sub-beat grouping of this type would be specified as 3+3 (similar to the way that beat groups are specified for time signatures on the Composite Time Signature dialog box).

As it is now, a tuplet of 3 eighths in the time of 2 eighths that consists of an eighth note followed by 4 sixteenth notes would be beamed in the following way by default:

Some would prefer to have the secondary beam of this tuplet be broken between the second and third sub-beat (or equivalently, between the second and third sixteenth note) as shown in the following figure:

As it is now, a tuplet of 6 sixteenths in the time of 4 sixteenths that consists of an eighth note followed by 4 sixteenth notes would be beamed in the following way by default:

Some would prefer to have the secondary beam of this tuplet be broken between the third and fourth sub-beat (or equivalently, between the first and second sixteenth note) as shown in the following figure:

This could be implemented by adding the following controls to the Default Tuplet Visual Definition dialog box and Tuplet Definition dialog box:

-----------------------------------------------------------
Default Tuplet Visual Definition Dialog Box

[ ] Break Secondary Beams at Sub-beat Groups
-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------
Tuplet Definition Dialog Box

Sub-beat Groups: _____

[ ] Break Secondary Beams at Sub-beat Groups
-----------------------------------------------------------

If the option Break Secondary Beams at Sub-beat Groups is not selected, secondary beams would not be broken automatically as in the current version of Finale. If this option is selected for a given tuplet, secondary beams would be broken automatically on sub-beat group boundaries. The Sub-beat Groups text box could be used to specify the sub-beats of a given tuplet. If this control is left blank or set to 1, there would be one sub-beat group for each sub-beat. Otherwise, sub-beat groups would be specified using integers delimited by a plus sign (in the same way that beat groups are specified for a time signature on the Composite Time Signature dialog box).

For example, to automatically obtain the beaming for the triplet that is shown in the second figure in this suggestion, one could select the option Break Secondary Beams at Sub-beat Groups and leave the text box Sub-beat Groups blank.

Or, to automatically obtain the beaming for the sextuplet that is shown in the fourth figure in this suggestion, one could select the option Break Secondary Beams at Sub-beat Groups and set the text box Sub-beat Groups to 3+3.

Created: June 18, 2000
Last Updated: June 18, 2000
Version: Finale 2000b