By default, tuplets on beams go without brackets, but you can force them:
You can also set direction for tuplets in different ways:
The difference between `down/below` and `below stave` is that `below stave` guarantees that a tuplet will be rendered below the stave.
Vertical position of tuplets is always adjusted, so they don't intersect other elements, but you can correct it regardless:
You can also configure tuplets, so they start before a unit or finish after a unit:
You can declare all sorts of tuplets:
As you can see you can set any value for tuplets, even fractions. But keep in mind that even when you see value `3` in a tuplet, it actually means `3:2`. Below in the table you can see some of default values for different fractions:
Tuplet value
Default actual fraction
3
3:2
2
2:3
5
5:4
7
7:4
9
9:8
12
12:8
n (if n is not one of the values above)
n - 1
You can expect that tuplets will be synchronized with other units:
Tuplets can be nested (they are also synchronized):
Tuplet is a cross-measure element:
Unit coordinates for tuplets work absolutely in the same way as for slurs:
1. If a `line` is not specified after `tuplet` key word, then it applies to the last declared line before `tuplet`.
2. If you don't specify `measure`, `stave` and `voice` after `tuplet` key word, it always assumes that you mean `first measure`, `first stave` and `first voice`.
3. You can specify only `measure` and `stave` coordinates along with `unit` coordinate(like `first note in first measure, in second stave`). You cannot set `voice` along with `unit` coordinate, only right after `tuplet` key word to set a voice to whole tuplet, because tuplet is not cross-voice element. And you cannot set `line` coordinate along with `unit` coordinate, because each tuplet must be delcared for each line where it is located. This separation allows of coordinates to set rules on tuplet's behaviour more clearly.
4. If you specified `measure` and `stave` for first unit in a tuplet, and those coordinates don't change for other units, then you don't need to repeat them.
**P.S.:** You can use numbers from 1 to 10 as words. For example, `1` is `first`, or even `1st`. We could've made possible that all numbers can be expressed as words, but unfortunately it would slow down highlighting in the editor and rendering the image. So, it was decided to enable this feature only for numbers from 1 to 10, since majority of times only these numbers are used and moreover it's easier just to type numbers as numbers. But you still can write `11` as `11th`. When you type numbers to declare coordinates (like `line`, `measure`, `stave`, `voice`, `chord/note/unit`), you can put them before or after those key words, like for example: `first measure` or `measure 1`.
Read next: Octave signs
