Re: [proposal] easy triplets and tuplets - Draft 3

[Francisco Vila]

2012/10/9 David Kastrup <address@hidden>:
> Francisco Vila <address@hidden> writes:
>
>> 2012/10/9 Keith OHara <address@hidden>:
>>> Currently, everyone who thinks of a triplet as a 3:2 ratio, 3 notes in the
>>> usual time for 2, suffers similar confusion when trying to remember \times
>>> 2/3.  Triplets are usually written with a simple 3, but 4-note-tuplets are
>>> often designated 4:3 for clarity, while LilyPond requires the reversed
>>> fraction in \times 3/4 {}
>>
>> Here come Spanish students again.
>> I can think in \times <fraction> {} as a mathematical expression and
>> it has sense, because "times" means multiply,
>
> How does a mathematician explain the difference between \times 2/3 and
> \times 4/6 ?

There is no difference BUT tuplets have a printed number, and in
lilypond this number is taken from the denominator for your
convenience.

When I learned how to read music, triplets were taught to me as
"always shrinking" groups and you see a "3" but there is an implicit
"2" so we have 3:2. Only the numerator is printed by convention.

Thus, if you write

  \times 2/3 { b16 b b b b b }

or

  \times 4/6 { b8 b b }

this is mathematically perfect but the number you are asking to be
printed is a confusing "3" and a confusing "6" respectively.
-- 
Francisco Vila. Badajoz (Spain)
www.paconet.org , www.csmbadajoz.com