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You must remember this a bis is just a bis a sign is just a sign The fundamental things apply as time signatures go by Time signature support in Ooloi, from common to esoteric. Plain VanillaOoloi of course supports the usual: ... and in 'the usual' I include things like time signatures spanning multiple staves in scores for readability purposes, etc. You know, what you'd expect from a modern, professional program. Intuitive EntrySpecifying a time signature is simple: you just write your signature as a string in the input dialog: "4/4", "C", "2/2", etc. As you will see, this paradigm holds for very complex or unusual meters, too. Additive MetersAdditive meters are of course also supported: which simply is entered as "3+2+3/8". which is entered as "2+2+2+3/8". You get the idea. You can do things like this too: This would be input as "1/4+1/4+3/8+1/4". Use whitespace for clarity if you like: "1/4 + 1/4 + 3/8 + 1/4". You can combine this with multiple terms: ... which simply is entered as "3+2/8 + 6/16". Orff, Fortuna!Carl Orff invented a notation showing beat duration as a note symbol rather than a number. It's occasionally useful, so Ooloi supports it: or They are entered as "3/8" and "2/4.", respectively (don't miss the full stop at the end of the second string). There's a checkbox to trigger this type of formatting – but as the second example contains a dotted value, Ooloi will detect the latter case automatically. Fractional MetersBoulez, Ferneyhough, Finnissy et al. Yes, Ooloi will support fractional meters such as 4/3 or 4/5. I personally would never use them, but then it's not up to me to pass judgement on what I think is musical over-engineering. That's what conservatories are for.
Consequently, Ooloi supports the following:
9 Comments
Magnus Johansson
3/11/2025 21:56:27
Thanks, Peter, for this concise and informative account. So Carl Heinrich Maria was the inventor of the time signature with a note value as denominator. Interesting. It is used throughout his and Gunild Keetman's Music for Children where it is written -- not very conspicuously -- only above the top staff after its initial clef.
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4/11/2025 08:17:22
Quite true: the notation is often referred to as Orff notation, but it wasn't properly invented by him, and it still survives in teaching contexts. You also see it scribbled in conductors' scores, in both cases because it shows at a glance where the main rhythmic divisions fall, I think. The only problem with it is that it's not very suitable to put on the actual staff, as the note will be taken as a pitch; thus it needs to be put above the staff, or at multiple vertical locations, just like a rehearsal sign.
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Magnus Johansson
7/11/2025 11:29:48
"[...] the notation is often referred to as Orff notation, but it wasn't properly invented by him, [...]"
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Ulrik Bodén
4/11/2025 12:07:47
I just want to say I'm following the development of this project with great interest!
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Magnus Johansson
4/11/2025 13:01:15
That's great, Ulrik. Nice of you to comment.
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Magnus Johansson
5/11/2025 08:19:34
"As you will see, this paradigm holds for very complex or unusual meters, too."
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Roland Gurt
5/11/2025 11:40:12
You might be aware of some of the time signatures Thomas Ades uses, like "3x5/12" (for 3 groups of 5/12; in the next bar it’s 4x5/12 and then 5x5/12, which is a good way of showing this "growth" in meter). https://pasteboard.co/1gl0QPNoMWzF.png
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7/11/2025 13:49:31
Seven comments to a post about time signatures - that's absolutely a record for this site so far. I'm thrilled that this topic is so engaging.
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Klaus Schmirler
7/11/2025 22:24:07
Bohuslav Martinu has bars of 1/8 in the last of his Rhythmical Studies: https://petruccimusiclibrary.ca/files/imglnks/caimg/a/af/IMSLP36216-PMLP80840-Martinu_-_Etudes_rhythmiques_(violin_and_piano).pdf
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AuthorPeter Bengtson – SearchArchives
November 2025
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Ooloi is a modern, open-source music notation software designed to handle complex musical scores with ease. It is designed to be a flexible and powerful music notation software tool providing professional, high-quality results. The core functionality includes inputting music notation, formatting scores and their parts, and printing them. Additional features can be added as plugins, allowing for a modular and customizable user experience.
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