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Groupettes

Duration numbers can have any integral value; for instance,

     !time "4/4"
     5cdefg/ 

would encode a measure of 5 in the time of 4 quarter notes. However, specification of arbitrary rhythmic groupings in this way is at best awkward. Instead, arbitrary portions of the score section may be enclosed in groupette brackets. The durations of all notes inside groupette brackets will be multiplied by a fraction n/d, where the musical meaning is d in the time of n. Assuming d and n here are integers, groupette brackets may take these several forms:

     {d:n:  ....      :}   d in the time of n
     {d::   ....      :}   n will be the largest power of 2 less than d
     {:     ....      :}   d=3, n=2 (normal triplets) 

It can be seen that the second and third form are abbreviations for the more common kinds of groupettes. (Observe the punctuation of each form carefully.) Groupettes may be nested to a reasonable depth. Also, groupette factors apply only after the written duration is carried from note to note. Thus, the following example is a correct specification for two measures of 6/8 time:

     !time "6/8" 8cde {4:3: fgab :} / crc 4.c / 

The notes inside the groupette are 4 in the space of 3 8th notes, and the written-8th-note duration carries normally into the next measure. This closely parallels the way groupette brackets and note durations interact in standard notation.


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