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Complex time signatures

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Revision as of 12:30, 9 January 2026 by Eble (talk | contribs) (Tag for inclusion in official documentation)
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Odd time signatures (such as “5/8”) can often be played as complex time signatures (e.g. “3/8 + 2/8”), which combine two or more inequal metrics.

LilyPond can make such music quite easy to read and play, by explicitly printing the time signatures and adapting the automatic beaming behavior.

\version "2.24"

\relative c' {
  \compoundMeter #'((2 8) (3 8))
  c8 d e fis gis
  c8 fis, gis e d
  c8 d e4 gis8
}