Which is better?

[Felipe Copaja]

Which one should I use?

Felipe

[Magnus Johansson]

Hello! I think you should place the 3 with hooks below the stave.

Screenshot_20260417_204833.png (3.74 KiB) Viewed 4089 times

[OCTO]

Hello! I think you should place the 3 with hooks below the stave.

Screenshot_20260417_204833.png

I agree!

[John Ruggero]

Magnus Johansson's suggestion is logical, but looks unusual to me. The third example in the original post is the Dorico default. I believe I have seen this approach most frequently.

[sugarfree]

+1 for Magnus Johansson's suggestion. A tuplet number on the notehead side is a traditional approach, common in published music, so don’t be afraid to use it. There are many conventions--sometimes all tuplets are placed below the notes, other times tuplets are not marked at all--it all depends on music style and specific needs. In your case, the bracket may not even be necessary if the context is clear.

[Felipe Copaja]

I thought the same as you, John.
What about this option?

Felipe

[David Ward]

Is it absolutely forbidden to have the slur go through the tuplet bracket? I've certainly done that in manuscript from time to time, but possibly (not sure) not in computer notation.

[Magnus Johansson]

Is it absolutely forbidden to have the slur go through the tuplet bracket? I've certainly done that in manuscript from time to time, but possibly (not sure) not in computer notation.

No, not absolutely forbidden, but collisions are better avoided as much as possible.

[Shinianqi]

Is it absolutely forbidden to have the slur go through the tuplet bracket? I've certainly done that in manuscript from time to time, but possibly (not sure) not in computer notation.

This is certainly not forbidden, and in some cases, it is even necessary.
I think that in practice, as long as you adopt a solution that you feel does not affect readability, it is generally fine.

[Magister Tekton]

Personally, I like Felipe's solution for clarity since it's a unusual rhythm.