[GBC] Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! - "Ruins" by Altissimo

[Olimar12345]

While I do see the value in using quarter/eighth rests in compound meter, plenty of written music nowadays utilizes dotted quarter rests in compound meter. It isn't even a terribly new concept. Similar to Brassman's tuba example, here's an excerpt from Lebedev's second tuba concerto, which spends a great deal of time in compound meter:

Spoiler

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Also, regarding the use of the 8va, it seems a little frivolous to bust out the big guns for one note (the B in measure 9) especially since everything prior is just fine where it is (with ledger lines). However, if the B bugs too that much, I will give it to you that the whole figure would be worth transposing rather than just the single note, as to keep the contour intact.

[Altissimo]

I'm sticking to my guns on the rests thing if only for the sole purpose that I am not a fan of being talked down to about the whole thing when I have a degree in music theory.

Also re: "it differentiates between strong and weak beats" but... using dotted quarter rests also shows where the beats begin and end so i dont really see the issue bc it doesnt show that beats 2 and 4 are WEAK beats any more than quarter eighth rests do?

[Latios212]

I think dotted quarter rests are fine. However I'm more skeptical of the eighth+quarter rest. You have some sections of eighth + quarter rest + quarter rest + eighth which could look a bit confusing on first glance. I'm speaking from a standpoint of trying to make your sheet communicate the rhythm as clear as possible.

Aside from that, you've got some eighth notes in the left hand that aren't beamed together even though they fall in the same beat (like measure 1 beat 3), and the music is oddly stretched in places (just have Finale automatically respace the measures).

[Brassman388]

Olimar, I think it's written like that because of the tremolos. Nothing more.

[Olimar12345]

Olimar, I think it's written like that because of the tremolos. Nothing more.

I'm referring to the dotted quarter rests, of which there are many in that excerpt. There are measures without tremolos.

Edit: if you would like, I could post a different excerpt where the tremolos aren't playing.

[Altissimo]

Went ahead and re-spaced the music (Finale was acting a little weird about it so hopefully it ended up ok?) and put in the other rest change Latios suggested. Leaving the dotted quarters though, not only has Olimar given evidence they are part of the literature but they also show where the beat begins and ends, so even if a quarter-eighth rest pattern shows the slightly stronger third sub-beat, I think it's trumped by showing the beats themselves through the dotted quarter rest. Plus it just visually looks cleaner and really that's an important consideration too, you can tell me all you want the sheet will be nice and clean with quarter-eighth rest patterns but really thats more rests cluttering up an already slightly funky left hand pattern

[Brassman388]

Right.

And I'm saying that for them to divvy up those sections to use a tremolo marking, they have to change the whole meter to include dots attached to every note. It wouldn't work otherwise.

Which is also why there aren't any other notated tremolos in the rest of the excerpt, like you said. (Unless you missed some)

[Libera]

However, if the B bugs too that much, I will give it to you that the whole figure would be worth transposing rather than just the single note, as to keep the contour intact.

This is exactly what I mean.  If you could add the 8va that would be great.

[Brassman388]

On a side note.

Alti, that's a good compromise, actually.

Definitely better than where it was.

[Altissimo]

8va added

[Libera]

Thank you.  I'm sorry it ended up being so difficult.  I'll accept this now.

[Zeta]

This submission has been accepted by Libera.

~Zeta, your friendly NSM-Bot