Fixing Missing or Misinterpreted Triplets in ScanScore

When scanning sheet music, triplets are often not recognized, miscounted, or misclassified. Sometimes, the number "3" shows up as plain text instead of forming a proper tuplet group. This causes problems with timing, rhythm, and MusicXML export.

In this article, we’ll show you how to identify and fix missing or incorrect triplets, how to use the “3” shortcut to group notes, and how to make sure your rhythm is clean and export-ready.

Triplets Not Recognized

During PDF/image import, ScanScore might fail to detect a triplet and instead:

Display three notes without a tuplet bracket
Interpret the “3” as text or lyrics
Group too many or too few notes under the bracket
Cause the total note value to exceed the measure length

🔍 Why this happens: ScanScore interprets the notes metrically (as standard timing), without adjusting for tuplets – which means the triplet isn't treated as a single beat unit.

✅ The Solution: Create or Fix the Triplet Manually

🔧 Step-by-step: Creating a Clean Triplet

Switch to Selection Mode (Shortcut: D)
Use your mouse to draw a rectangle around the 3 notes that should be grouped as a triplet
In the Note Toolbar, click the triplet icon
(Or simply press the keyboard shortcut “3”)
ScanScore automatically groups the notes into a proper tuplet with a bracket and a “3”

✅ Be sure to check:

Are the note durations correct?
Are there exactly three notes under the bracket?

🔄 What if the “3” is detected as regular text?

A common error during scanning is that the number “3” is misread as:

Plain text (of type "General" or even "Lyrics")
Not linked to the notes underneath
Not an actual triplet indicator

🛠 What to do:

Delete the wrongly recognized "3" (text object)
Recreate the triplet using the rectangle + shortcut method

💡 Tip: If you're already in Note Mode, just select the three notes and press “3” – it's the fastest fix!

📉 Why Unrecognized Triplets Are a Problem

If triplets are not properly set, they cause:

Error	Effect
Triplet not grouped	Timing doesn’t match – e.g. 5 eighth notes in 4/4
MusicXML file fails to export correctly	Triplet info is lost or invalid
Playback in target software is irregular	Tempo & rhythm are misaligned
Notes shift in notation software	Triplet is interpreted as individual notes with wrong spacing

📺 Webinar Segment: Fixing Triplets in Practice

In our official ScanScore webinar, we demonstrate how to detect and correct triplets:

🎥 Watch here

✅ Export Checklist: Triplets for MusicXML

Before exporting:

✅ All triplets have 3 notes, bracket, and the “3” number
✅ No false "3" texts remain in the measure
✅ All triplet groups are properly timed and anchored

With correct triplets, your exported MusicXML file will be clean, precise, and fully compatible with MuseScore, Dorico, Finale, or Sibelius.

📌 Summary: How to Fix Triplets

Action	Result
Select 3 notes + press `3`	Create a new triplet
Delete false “3” text	Fix measure count & rhythm
Open tuplet properties if needed	Adjust note durations and ratio
Watch the webinar	Master your triplet workflow

Related to

Correct Triplets