Writing Syncopated Rhythms

I have to second what QC Has stated... a lot of what shows up in print today has been incorrectly notated for years, and in many cases are just photocopies of older, incorrect additions.

This is compounded these days by the fact that any idiot can self-publish music now thanks to programs like Finale and Sibelius... without ever having learned anything about engraving or proper music notation.

As far as the "well, Stravinski/Bach/Beethoven/Glass/Wagner's left asscheek/Debussy wrote it this way" excuse... yes, maybe they did write it that way, it's still wrong! Music notation/engraving and music composition are different fields. Very, very related, of course... but still different fields. Just because you may have knowledge in one does not imply that you are equally knowledgeable in the either. Don't assume that your "heroes" are any different!

Stravinski's "Rite of Spring" is a work I consider genius. I enjoy reading the score immensely. I also, however, despise having to page through a score riddled with errors and horribly engraved. "But Stravinski wrote it, so of course it's correct!" you say. No, the correct answer is: Stravinski wrote it, and because he wrote it, no one's had the balls to go through it and FIX IT.


*sigh* But as QC indicated, you're free to ignore the rules (and probably will). So little people are being taught actual engraving skills that in a generation or so, no one will be educated enough to know good from bad. I guess it's a losing battle. Feel free to write crap. kthksla~ Meanwhile, I'll follow the rules, thanks. Oh, and look, my works look better than Joe Schmo's works done in Sibelius... well, golly!

</pet peeve>