Are you not supposed to tie a note to a dotted note?

Question

I am answering a homework problem, and it says: Show, by means of tied notes (as few as possible in each case), the value of each dotted or doubly dotted note.
My question is this: should I write a doubly dotted eighth note as a quarter note tied to a dotted sixteenth, or should I write it as an eighth note tied to a sixteenth tied to a thirty-second? I have a feeling if I write it as the first option I have said here, that it will somehow be wrong because you're not supposed to tie a note to a dotted note or something. But if I choose the second option, I could get wrong for not using as few notes as possible. Someone who is knowledgeable on this subject please help me!

Answer 1

There are no rules regarding tying dotted notes to others. The guideline is "clarity", making it as easy as possible for the reader to understand the rhythmic intent.

Your first option will be incorrect because it's too long -- a quarter note doesn't fit into the equation. The value you are looking for is something that is the equivalent of 7 32nd notes. A quarter tied to a dotted sixteenth equals 11 32nd notes. If you tied a dotted eight note to a 32nd, THAT would be correct. I'm thinking that's what you really meant.

By the standard set of "as few notes as possible", a dotted eighth tied to a 32nd should fit the bill, but for clarity, tying an eight to a sixteenth and then to a 32nd would be very clear.

In general, rhythmic notation works best when it gives clues as to the metric divisions of the measure. That is not a consideration when ansering this question, however, IMO, it SHOULD be.