Hey guys, in Rachmaninov's second piano concerto, right after the bell-like opening (when the piano goes to playing fast eighth notes)... what is that notation called? What I mean is, the eighth notes move between the bass and treble clef - there are no rests. What I mean is, it's like each note counts for both clefs...

Can anyone tell me how this works and, if possible, how this can be recreated in finale (I am writing a piece that has a similar form - moving from bass clef to treble clef...)

Here is a pic to help - it starts at measure 9: http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/Look-Inside/large/3363178_01.jpg

The reason the notes are split between the clefs is simply that some of the notes are 'down there' and some of them are 'up there.'
(I don't think it's "called" anything.)

It's a continuous pattern of notes -- it's all a single thing. But it's easier to write it (and read it) if the lower notes are on the bass clef and the higher notes are on the treble clef, than if they were all on one clef.

Sometimes such notation indicates or suggests which hand you play each portion with (and in this case it seems to be mostly so) but not necessarily, and even if so, you don't have to follow it.

Ok. Do you know, by any chance, how this would be written in finale? (This is probably not the best forum to ask about finale, so if I find a more fitting software forum, I'll post something similar there)

Thanks

In Finale, it's called "cross-staff beaming." Instructions are in the online help and manual.

Huh........so there is a name!

Sibelius uses the term "cross-staff notes". You select the notes and move them up or down a staff...

Thanks - that'll help!

Be aware that the time is in 2 for that section....so there are 2 groups of eighth notes per bar, that always vary.

For the first measure it's 8 and 8. Then the sets of eighth notes goes to 9 for the first one and 8 for the second, which brings up another question: How is he allowed to put 17 eighth notes in one measure if it's in cut-time (so basically 4 beats per measure...) That totals 8 and a half beats... ?

There are two beats in each bar. You just fit the 17 notes into that.

Yeah, but an eighth note is worth half a beat. So there should only be room for 8 notes in a measure.

Edit: nevermind - those aren't really like normal eighth notes. Just got a 2 pages further and there are normal eighth notes, which don't align with these...