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Topic: How can I line up text elements? (Read 2581 times) previous topic - next topic

How can I line up text elements?

Greetings!

I have an arranged a piece of music for a quartet I'm starting, and I'm trying to put it into Noteworthy to make it legible.  I am trying to put both actual and capoed guitar chords onto the score.  The piece is in the key of E and the capo is to be on the fourth fret.  So let's say a phrase begins on E.  On the staff (treble clef), I've got a half note on the lowest line.  Above the staff, I insert a piece of text saying "E".  It can appear either to the left of the note or to the right, but not directly above it!  Now, I try to put the capoed chord over the "E".  I insert "C".  It can go either left or right of the "E", but not directly above the "E"!

Now I throw a huge monkey wrench into the works:  I want to put in a note that says "Verse 1: Rob".  I want this above the "C".  But as before, if I put in the text, nothing can go under it!!!!

If there is no resolution to this issue, then Noteworthy Composer will not fit my needs.  This is a very common problem.  Please tell me there's a way to do it, and how.

Thanks!

Rob

Re: How can I line up text elements?

Reply #1 –
You can specify exactly where you want each item of text either when you enter it (be selecting "expression placement" or after you have entered it (select the text you have entered and go to text edit option).

If you are going to put in three types of text throughout your piece, when not do something like this.

(1) Copy your stave twice, so you have 3 identical staves.
(2) Make 2 of them invisible (and also mute them if your file is to be a sound file as well as a score file)
(3) Above one stave place all your original chords. Don't worry too much at this stage about lining them up; when you have entered all your chords, select the whole stave and set the expression placement at, say, 14or 15 points; you can also specify whether the chord symbol is justified to a number of positions from the the extreme right of the note, right up to over the note itself.
(4) Now enter your capo chords over the "invisible" notes on the second stave; you could put them in brackets to show they are capo chords. Now select the whole stave and set the expression placement slightly lower than the chords you have entered on the first stave - say at 11 or 12.
(5) On the third stave enter all your directions, such as "Rob-V1", or "Pepeat from the top", or whathever. Now select the whole stave and set the expression placement above that of the first stave - say 20-21.
(6) Now layer all 3 staves, and you shopuld have what you want in the printed version. You could also use different fonts - using the user fonts - to make an even clearer distinction between the three sets of directions.

It is quite easy to work out how to do each of the above steps from the "help" file or even from the various items on the toolbar, and also to increase the spaces between your staves if all that text makes them look a little too close together.

Re: How can I line up text elements?

Reply #2 –
Hopefully, I am understanding your questions correctly. If not, ignore.

1. After entering the name of the chord as a text expression, highlight, right click for "properties" and go to expression placement. Go to the alignment option and select "at next note/bar". That should do the trick on the chords.

2. Regarding the text (e.g. "Verse 1: Rob), again perhaps highlight, properties, and expression placement and make sure that the relevant "alignment" option is selected and that "preserve width" is unchecked.

3. Regarding capos: I am used to simply seeing the capoed chord in a parenthesis immediately next to the "real" chord. If, however, you want the capoed chord located directly above the "real chord", simply enter the expression a bit higher than the first "text" chord, and then go to properties. Be sure to again select having the text alignment "at next note/bar", and the capoed chord will be immediately above the initial chord. (Incidentally, I use this technique in having the name of the chord appear above fret charts of chords). I have also saved a template that enters the fret chart and sample chord subject to modifications as needed to the particular chords (e.g. a Cmaj7 instead of just a "C")

Hope that helps.

Re: How can I line up text elements?

Reply #3 –
Indeed, in NWC it is possible to place text (vertically or horizontally) virtually anywhere you want it to be, in relation to the notes. It's just a matter of figuring out how the text placement works.
 

Re: How can I line up text elements?

Reply #4 –
The main problem would seem to be that preserve width is checked for all you text items. This means that they will take up space on the staff and can't share it with other text or notes etc on the same staff.

For a chord letter select alignment at next note and preserve width off.