Skip to main content
Topic: Multi Bar Rests (Read 4935 times) previous topic - next topic

Multi Bar Rests

Is there anyway to create multibar rests?

All I can think of is just typing in |----16----| which looks really sloppy and is hard to read.

Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks alot!
-Dan

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #1
There is support for better-looking multi-bar rests in the Boxmarks font, which you can download from the helpful files section of the NWC Scriptorium.

When you download this font you'll get a zipped set of files including instructions on how to install the font and how to tell NWC to use it.  Once this is done, just create a text item in this font with the measure count surrounded by square brackets [].

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #2
Box marks works well for this. To maintain the correct measure count insert the correct number of hidden measures with rests. They need not be the full number of beats, but a single rest will suffice and you can control how much space the measures take up by the valuie of the rest you choose.

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #3
Carl: how do you do to make it print fine in a "conductor", i.e. along with other staves who don't have the same multi-bar rests?
I've tried, and had to use the correct number of beats to print it correctly when at least another staff is present.
And not to mention the playback that cannot be correct otherwise.

So I'd recommend to enter the rests as usually, hide them (and the bar lines), and use the text item with boxmark font, "preserve width" on.

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #4
Marsu

My suggestion is only for printing (not playing)extracted individual parts. Full scores do not need this kind of abbreviation. It would be nice, however to be able to drop un-needed staffs and bring them back as needed. To read a full score usually requires my "cheaters" (reading glasses for the children whose arms are still long enough to see the small print).

Carl

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #5
Carl,
I think the solution I proposed works for both... I mean there is no need to create an extra staff: at print time, just select the one staff you want to be visible, and print it. The rests/measures hidden will disappear; only remain the text items.
(BTW, showing the text item just when needed (i.e. don't show it when there are more than one staff) is easy: in its visibility option, select Show on printed page: "On top staff". That way, when displaying/printing other staves, the text items disappear.)

When printing the whole scores (all staves) however, we need to show again the hidden rests/bar lines.

The solution would be perfect if we could set the visibilty of the hidden rests/bar lines to "except on staff"...

P.S. Conductor prints are often on BIG sheets of paper, A3 or A2 (around 11"x17" or 17"x22" resp.). Long arms are still needed when turning the pages...

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #6
Speaking of "BIG sheets of paper," I do have 11"x17" (but I still would like to find a higher opacity so that I can print on both sides) for parts as well as orchestral and band scores, but for jazz ensemble [or whatever people happen to call it in their respective regions], I would like to use 8½"x22" paper, for use in landscape printing.  Having this "odd size" paper would make binding much easier, but nobody I talk to seems to know where to find it.
Anybody here know?

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #7
Any office supply store should stock this size (in North America, anyway). It's also called "ledger size".

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #8
Ledger size (which I do have) is 11"x17" - I'm looking for 8½"x22"

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #9
Ah, sorry. The closest thing I could find is the "C" size, which is 17x22" (you'd have to cut it in half). Here is a reference on paper weights and sizes which might be useful.

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #10
Thanks, Fred.  That link does look useful.  I'll have to see if they can help me out over there.  (Though I'm not looking forward to making a 22" cut...)

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #11
Remember when everyone had dot-matrix printers and used tractor feed paper?  Each sheet was 8.5 x 11 after tearing off the tractor feed holes.  Get a ream of that, and use the sheets in pairs.

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #12
But there is a perforation there.  Once a staple is stuck through, the "binding" becomes very weak.  Two weeks later, blammo! separate sheets.  (I had already tried this with banner paper as well.)

Re: Multi Bar Rests

Reply #13
There also exists "tractor paper" without perforation --I mean without the Carroll band being separated.
In that case you can use special folders that are made to store such papers... I think we can still find them, though laser printers seem to be more and more present (but they don't allow 80 chars per line by default, silly)