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Topic: Bar Width (Read 2466 times) previous topic - next topic

Bar Width

Is there a way for all bars to look equal in width on a score regardless of the number of notes in each bar?

Re: Bar Width

Reply #1 –
You can control the number of measures per line by forcing system breaks (bar line, properties), but you can't guarantee uniform bar width for each measure within the each line.

The best way to explain this is to try this:

Create a new file with 2 staffs, orchestral style, common time.

Top staff:
First bar = whole note
Second bar = 8 8th notes
Third bar =whole rest
Fourth bar = 8 8th note
Fifth bar = whole note
Sixth bar = whole rest
Seventh, eighth and ninth bars = 8th notes.
Force a system break at the end of the 3rd and 6th bars.

Second staff
Bar 1 - 8th notes
Bar 2 - whole note
Bar 3 - whole rest
Bar 4 - 2 1/2 notes
Bar 5 = 1/2 rest, 1/2 note
Bar 6 - 8 8th notes
Bars 7, 8, 9, fill with 8th notes.
Force system break at end of Bar 2 in the second staff.
Add a forced system break at the end of bar 5 in the top staff.

Set page setup to display only the first staff, then preview the score (Print preview).

You will see each line has 3 measures, but the bar lines at the end of measures 4 and 5 don't align with the bar lines at the end of measures 1 and 2, and the third system ends in the middle of a line.

Now display both staffs and toggle "extend last measure".  The bar lines between the two staffs align, but the bar lines in the second and third systems again are not aligned with the bar lines in the system above.  Nor does the extend last measure help.

(The forced system break in the second staff has no effect unless you move the staff up or make it the only one displayed.)

I don't know if there's any workaround.  Is fixed bar width a need-to-have or a nice-to-have?  You can make a request on the wish list, but I think it would be a programming challenge, and might not be given priority unless lots of users want it.

Re: Bar Width

Reply #2 –
Having all the bars on a line be the same size is not a good idea if there are also the same number of bars per line.  There has been a psychological experiment done on this subject (believe it or not), and it was found that the eye has difficulty following the music under these conditions.
Better to mix it up a little...

Re: Bar Width

Reply #3 –
You can make bars(measures) longer by insert Text and insert spaces with the space bar and "Expression Placement" "Preserve Width"
 

Re: Bar Width

Reply #4 –
I agree with Carl (reply 2).  I had written the same thing originally in my message, but edited it out.