IWBNI there were an option that could be used to specify that a given tie be dashed and tapered, or dashed and not tapered. As it is now, one may create a pseudo tie that is not tapered by using the dashed curve smart shape tool.

This feature would be useful for indicating a tremolo that spans two notes of the same pitch as shown in the following figure:

Also, this feature would be useful for indicating editorial ties. That is, ties that are added by the editor as opposed to those that are specified explicitly by the composer.

This could be implemented by adding a menu item called Tie Style to the SpecialTools menu. This menu item would be enabled when the tie tool is selected and any tie handle(s) is selected. Otherwise, it would be disabled. The menu item would display a new dialog box called Tie Style that could contain the following controls:

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Tie Style Dialog Box

Style:
( ) Normal (Solid and Tapered)
( ) Dashed and Tapered
( ) Dashed and Constant Width
     ( ) Percentage of Maximum Tapered Width: _____
     ( ) Width: _____

Dashes:
Number of Dashes: _____
Gap Length to Dash Length Ratio: _____

For Dash and Gap Lengths Use:
( ) Arc Lengths
( ) Projection onto Line through Endpoints
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If the radio button Normal is selected for a given tie, the tie would be drawn as in the current version of Finale. That is, the tie would be solid and tapered.

If the radio button Dashed and Tapered is selected, the tie would be dashed, and the tie would be tapered in the same way that normal ties are tapered in the current version of Finale.

If the radio button Dashed and Constant Width is selected, the tie would be dashed, and the width of the tie would be constant throughout its length in the same way that curves created with the dashed curve tool have a constant width. The width could be specified to be calculated as a percentage of the maximum width of a normal tapered tie of the same length (Percentage of Maximum Tapered Width) or as a given size (Width).

A dashed tie would be generated by partitioning a normal tie into the specified number of dashes in such a way that all dashes would have the same length. A dash would be positioned at each end of the tie. For symmetric ties, the dashes would be arranged symmetrically about the midpoint of the tie. An attempt would be made to make all gaps have the same length and to make the ratio of the gap length to dash length be as specified by the text box Gap Length to Dash Length Ratio. In the case that the sum total of the dash lengths and gap lengths is less that the total length of the tie, the remaining length would be distributed symmetrically into the gaps, as evenly as possible.

One could specify that dash lengths and gaps lengths should be measured as arc lengths (Arc Lengths) or by projecting the dashes and gaps onto the line that passes through the end points of the tie (Projection onto Line through Endpoints). The latter approach would cause the thinner dashes of a typical tie to be slightly longer than the thicker dashes that occur along the horizontal midsection of the tie.

Note: For Gap Length to Dash Length Ratio, one might use the golden ratio (which equals 1.6179...) or the inverse of the golden ratio (which equals .6179...).

Also, buttons called Dashed Tapered Tie and Dashed Constant Width Tie could be added to the Simple Entry Palette that could be used to create a tie for which the style is Dashed and Tapered or Dashed and Constant Width in the same way that the Tie button is used to create a tie for which the style is Normal (Solid and Tapered) in the current version of Finale.

And, a new section called Dashed Ties could be added to the Tie Options dialog box that could contain the following controls:

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Tie Options Dialog Box:

Dashed Ties:

Style:
Dashed and Constant Width
( ) Percentage of Maximum Tapered Width: _____
( ) Width: _____

Dashes:
Number of Dashes: _____
Gap Length to Dash Length Ratio: _____

For Dash and Gap Lengths Use:
( ) Arc Lengths
( ) Projection onto Line through Endpoints
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These new settings on the Tie Options dialog box would have the same meaning as those on the Tie Style dialog box but would apply to ties that have been created by using the Dashed Tapered Tie or Dashed Constant Width Tie buttons on the Simple Entry Palette and have not been modified with the tie special tool.

For more information, see "dotted tie-sign" in the index of Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice by Gardner Read.

See also Suggestion 631: An Option to Make a Given Smart Shape Slur be Dashed and Tapered.

Created: July 5, 2000
Last Updated: July 16, 2000 (added Simple Entry Palette buttons, Tie Options and editorial ties based on a submission from Mark Stringer)
Version: Finale 2000b