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I found this strumming in a book which confused me a lot:

4/4 strumming that seems it should take 9/8

It seems it has 9/8 but states clearly that it should have 4/4. I tried to figure it out and stumbled over triplets. So my guess is it has a hidden triplet?

I would appreciate a pointer in the right direction to figure out how to play this strumming.

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Wagawonga
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1 Answers1

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It is a 4/4 measure. Below I marked the quarter-note groups.

Perhaps you're confused by the dots below two of the notes. They indicate staccato articulation, rather than dotted note (1.5 duration) where dot would be placed right from the note, as the dot next to one of the eight-note rests below.

enter image description here

user1079505
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  • Do you know whether it's common to indicate *staccato* like this (in rhythmic notation)? I understand OP's confusion and would have expected the *staccato* dots further to the left, below the lower left part of the note heads. – Arsak Jun 23 '21 at 09:43
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    @Arsak To me it's clearly staccato. The dot is below the note head. It looks fine to me. I think people sometimes confuse dotted notes and staccato because if they are unfamiliar with staccato marks. – user1079505 Jun 23 '21 at 10:32