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

This feature would be useful for indicating a slur that does not apply to all verses of a lyric. For more information, see page 191 of Essential Dictionary of Music Notation by Tom Gerou and Linda Lusk, and see "dotted [broken] slur-sign" in the index of Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice by Gardner Read.

This could be implemented by adding a menu item called Slur Style to the SmartShape menu. This menu item would be enabled when a slur is selected. Otherwise, it would be disabled. The menu item would display a new dialog box called Slur Style that could contain the following controls:

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Slur 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 slur, the slur would be drawn as in the current version of Finale. That is, the slur would be solid and tapered.

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

If the radio button Dashed and Constant Width is selected, the slur would be dashed, and the width of the slur 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 slur of the same length (Percentage of Maximum Tapered Width) or as a given size (Width). Note: The functionality of this radio button and associated options is beyond the scope of this suggestion. It has been included here to be consistent with a similar interface that has been proposed in Suggestion 630 for dashed ties.

A dashed slur would be generated by partitioning a normal slur 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 slur. For symmetric slurs, the dashes would be arranged symmetrically about the midpoint of the slur. 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 slur, 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 slur (Projection onto Line through Endpoints). The latter approach would cause the thinner dashes of a typical slur to be slightly longer than the thicker dashes that occur along the horizontal midsection of the slur.

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...).

See also Suggestion 630: An Option to Make a Given Tie be Dashed.

Created: July 6, 2000
Last Updated: July 6, 2000
Version: Finale 2000b