User manual

RELATED LINKS
Key commands for articulations on page 164
Positions of articulations
There are established conventions for the position and placement of articulations relative to
notes, the staff, and staff lines, which ensure articulations are always clearly visible. For the
smallest articulations, such as staccato marks, correct placement relative to staff lines in
particular is vital.
Articulations are placed on the notehead side by default, with the following exceptions:
●
In single-voice contexts, marcato is always placed above the staff, regardless of the stem
direction of the note or chord on which it is used. In multiple-voice contexts, marcato can
also be placed below the staff.
●
If multiple voices are active, articulations are placed at the end of the stem side of a note
or chord. This claries which articulations belong to the up-stemmed notes and which to
the down-stemmed notes.
●
If a note is placed on the middle staff line or on the space immediately on either side,
articulations that are less than a space in height are centered in the next unoccupied
space. This normally only applies to staccato and tenuto. If a note in the middle of the staff
has a staccato-tenuto articulation, the component parts of the articulation are split up and
placed in separate spaces.
● If an articulation cannot t within a staff space, or if the note is placed high or low on the
staff, the articulation is placed outside the staff.
● If a note or chord is tied and the tie is placed above or below the notehead, articulations
that are placed on the notehead side of a note or chord are offset by an additional 1/4
space in order to avoid the end of the tie.
Articulations on the notehead side are always centered horizontally on the notehead. This also
applies to articulations on the stem side, except if the only articulation is a staccato or
staccatissimo. In this case, the articulation is centered on the stem.
RELATED LINKS
Changing the placement of articulations on page 377
Changing the positions of articulations on tied notes on page 377
Order of articulations
If there are multiple articulations on the same notes, their vertical position and proximity to
noteheads/stems depends on their type.
Articulations are positioned in the following order:
1.
Articulations of duration are positioned closest to notehead/stems.
2.
Articulations of force are positioned outside articulations of duration.
3.
Articulations of stress are positioned furthest from noteheads/stems.
Order of articulations in relation to slurs
Articulations of duration are positioned as follows:
● Inside slurs that start/end on a note or chord with an articulation.
● Inside the curvature of a slur.
● Inside tuplet brackets.
Articulations of force are positioned as follows:
Articulations
Positions of articulations
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