Beams and Flags

Beams are used to connect any similar notes with duration of less than a quarter note, as long as the notes are in the same unit within a measure. In instrumental music, beams are the preferred way of notating note values less than a quarter note. In vocal music, flags are generally used instead of beams, although some engravers have begun to use beams in vocal music as well as instrumental.

Table of Contents

Beams In Simple Meter

2/4
3/4
4/4

Beams In Compound Meter
Direction of Beam Slant
Amount of Slant and Placement of Beams
Thickness of Beams
Horizontal Beams
Primary and Secondary Beams
Multiple Beams
Fractional Beams
Exceptional Beams

IN SIMPLE METER

In simple meter, divided beats can be joined by a beam to simplify the notation.

2/4 METER

A beat that contains 3 or more notes should not be joined with an adjacent beat.







Avoid the common mistake of beaming a dotted eight and sixteenth note with two eight notes, which can lead the musicain to believe the entire measure is made up of dotted eigth and sixteenth notes.

3/4 METER

Notes on the first beat can be beamed with the second beat, notes on the second beat beamed with notes on the third beat, and notes on all three beats can be beamed.

Do not make a 3/4 measure look like a 6/8 measure; use flags instead of joining all three eight notes.

Beams may be used to join divided beats with one another, but the second and third beats should never be beamed together.





Each half of the measure must be recognizable, unless there is syncopation.

Any beat divided into more than two parts should not be beamed to another unit.





The first two beats can never be joined with the last two.

IN COMPOUND METER

In compund meter, each beat of the measure can be divided in thirds.

DIRECTION OF SLANT

The beam usually slants in the same direction as the notes it is connecting; upward or downward.



If the notes go in different directions, the direction of the beam slant is determined by the first and last notes in the group.



In groups of three notes, if the inside note is on the same scale degree as one of the outside notes, the beams slant is in the direction of the outside notes, no matter what the stem direction is.



When the first and last notes are different and all the inside notes go upward, the beam slant is 1/2 space in the direction of the run of inside notes.



When the first and last notes are different and all the inside notes go downward, the beam slant is 1/2 space in the direction of the run of inside notes.

AMOUNT OF SLANT AND PLACEMENT OF BEAM

General rule: Never make a slant more than 1 space up or down.

3 factors determine the slant and position of a beam:

Position Within the Staff
Horizontal Spacing of Notes
Interval Between the Beamed Notes

1. Position of the Beams Within the Staff

• When beams fall within the staff, often a white space in a wedge shape is formed. In earlier engraving, this caused problems because the ink often bled into the space, creating a thick wedge of ink. Engravers used one of two methods to avoid this problem:
  A. Place the beam either on the top or the bottom of the staff line, or
  B. Make the beam straddle the staff line.

  

• Stems may have to be shortened to achieve this position on the staff.

• If the interval between beamed notes makes it impossible to avoid a wedge, engravers may make the slant greater to create a larger wedge, eliminating the problem of running ink .

  

• Any time a beam straddles a staff line, an extra 1/4 space must be added to the stem or stems.

2. The Horizontal Spacing of Notes.

The closer the notes are to each other, the greater the degree of the beam slant; the further apart, the less the degree of the beam slant.



Beamed notes should be 3 to 4 spaces apart to have a normal beam slant



If notes are less than 3 spaces apart, exceptional beam slants must be used.

3. The Interval Between the Beamed Notes

Beamed notes lower than the first leger line below the staff never have a slant of more than 1/2 space. (9 EVPU's), and beamed notes higher than the first leger line above the staff never have a slant of more than 1/2 space. (9 EVPU's)

THICKNESS

Thickness of beams depends on the size of the staff; beams should be half as thick as the space between staff lines.

HORIZONTAL BEAMS

In General:

When a group of notes begins and ends on the same note.

With Groups of 3 notes:

Upward stems:
• When the the middle note is highest.

  

Downward stems:

• When the middle note is lowest.

  

With Groups of 4 notes:

When the notes outline the same interval.



Downward stems:

• When the two inner notes are lower than the two outer notes, and the two outer notes are on different staff degrees.

  

• When one of the inner notes is lower than the outer notes and one is higher than the outer notes, and the two outer notes are on different staff degrees.

  

• When one inner note is lower and one is even with the first or last note.

  

• When the first 3 notes are on the same scale degree and the last is higher, or when the last 3 notes are on the same scale degree and the first is higher.

  

Upward stems:
• When the first 3 notes are on the same scale degree and the last is lower, or when the last 3 notes are on the same scale degree and the first is lower.

• When the two inner notes are higher than the two outer notes, and the two outer notes are on different staff degrees.

  

• When all notes are on different staff degrees and 1 inner note is highest and the other inner note is lowest.

  

The same rules apply as the rules for groups of 4 notes.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BEAMS

The primary beam is the beam that connects all the notes in a beamed group and is farther from the notehead than any other beam.

Any beam between the primary beam and the noteheads is a secondary beam.

Distance between primary and secondary beams: 1/4 space.



Stems traditionally connect both beams in a group of notes, but some engravers will only connect the primary beams to the two outside notes of the group; stems of the inner notes only extend tp the secondary beam.

In the following sections, a primary beam will be referred to as a "P" beam, and a secondary beam as an "S" beam.