Different rhythms on same staff

1999-12-13 05:00 am

This topic came up in a November message, but it wasn't answered to my satisfaction. I don't think the person who answered the original question understood what was being asked, so I'll ask again, more clearly this time.

I'm weak on theory, so I don't know the technical term for what I'm trying to do.

In piano music, you often have two or more rhythms going on the same hand, and each rhythm line has its own rests and such, even though it's all written on the same staff. It's not quite the same as merely needing to put a rest in a chord, since the rhythms can be completely different.

Cakewalk does this automatically, based on where in time you place the note. Say you place two quarter notes on the beat, then insert a third quarter note between them. It draws an eigth rest above the first quarter note, and an eigth rest after.

I can't find any way to accomplish the same thing in Noteworthy without putting the extra rhythms on a totally separate staff.

Is this what layering is supposed to address?

Re: Different rhythms on same staff

Reply #1 – 1999-12-13 05:00 am

That is exactly what staff layering is for. You put one "voice" on one staff, with all the beams up, and the other voice on the lower staff with the beams down. Where there are no separate voices you have to put the identical notes in both staves. Check the "layer with next staff" box in the upper staff's properties (F2), and on the Page Setup dialog, Contents tab you have to check the "Allow Layering" box.

You can make "chords" with a note and a rest on a single staff, but this does not let you do everything you need to do two voices properly. Once you accept you have to do it, layering is easier.