Rule

Stem attaches to the correct side of the notehead for its direction

Breaks the readingNeeds the rendered page

Gradus GE-285 · cite this code — it is permanent. Rule id stem-side-of-notehead

The convention

An up-stem attaches to the right side of the notehead and rises; a down-stem attaches to the left side and descends. Universal (Gould p.16-17, Read, Ross; SMuFL's `stemUpSE`/`stemDownNW` anchor points defined per notehead glyph).

What goes wrong without it

A stem drawn from the left side while ascending, or the right side while descending, or centered through the notehead.

Authority

Gould, Behind Bars; Read, Music Notation; SMuFL notehead anchor spec.

How it is checked

This rule is about where marks land on the page, so it can only be judged after engraving. Collision and spacing faults live here.

Cite this rule

Gradus GE-285 — Stem attaches to the correct side of the notehead for its direction. Gradus Engraving Rulebook v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/engraving/rule/stem-side-of-notehead

Rulebook v1.0 · text licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/engraving/rules/stem-side-of-notehead

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