Should I extend the stem?

[LSL2026]

It’s always something isn’t it. Never really noticed this before, but 2nd with an 8th note flag, and I have:

Screenshot 2026-06-14 at 8.15.09 PM.png (14.73 KiB) Viewed 1728 times

Should I extend the stem to get the flag out of the middle of the note more?

Or is this pretty acceptable as is?

[Shinianqi]

In short, this is basically a music font issue. Some fonts can avoid this situation with the default stem length, while others cannot.

Whether to adjust it comes down to personal preference. Visually speaking, neither having the flag cut into the notehead nor excessively extending the stem looks ideal – and personally, I think the latter is worse than the former in most cases.

So I'd say leaving it as is is perfectly acceptable.

[LSL2026]

In short, this is basically a music font issue. Some fonts can avoid this situation with the default stem length, while others cannot.

Whether to adjust it comes down to personal preference. Visually speaking, neither having the flag cut into the notehead nor excessively extending the stem looks ideal – and personally, I think the latter is worse than the former in most cases.

So I'd say leaving it as is is perfectly acceptable.

Thanks. There’s only 1 instance in the piece IIRC.

I could extend it just enough so it matches the previous stem or a bit closer so it doesn’t look out of proportion, but too much looks goofy for sure.

[Magnus Johansson]

Should I extend the stem to get the flag out of the middle of the note more?

Hello! Yes, I think the pennant of an eighth note should always have its tip visible.

[Vogel]

It's common for flags to touch noteheads (see image), so I don't see this as an issue.

I usually only extend a stem when its flag would collide with a rhythm dot.

flag_notehead.png (14.02 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

[LSL2026]

It's common for flags to touch noteheads (see image), so I don't see this as an issue.

I usually only extend a stem when its flag would collide with a rhythm dot.

flag_notehead.png

Sure, I just think it looks a little extra odd here becuase the stem is measured from the G, not the A, so the flag is the distance it would have been if this were a downstemmed note, but it’s a space shorter for this 2nd (the A).