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Topic: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats? (Read 5595 times) previous topic - next topic

How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

I am transposing the music my dad played in a trombone trio; he passed away last year, and we are finding his music. I am having problems entering some of his music. The music is in one staff with the accompaniment in another staff.
For example, if on the first beat of a measure (4/4 time) the first trombone plays a half note, the second trombone plays a quarter note followed by another quarter note the next beat, and the third trombone plays a half note, my software does not want to allow the entry of the second trombone part.
Or, if on the first beat the first trombone has two quarter notes, the second trombone has a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note, and the third trombone has a half note, and on the third beat all parts have a half note, the half note is played back as an eighth note.  Multiple staffs are not an option; the music cannot even be entered properly if only to look at and not to play.
Any ideas?

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #1 –
There are several ways to achieve what I think you're trying to do, which is:
1. Write the first trombone part on one staff, and 2. Write the second and third parts on a second staff.

You may actually find it more useful to use three staffs, and notate them separately.  Then you can print parts for each player in the trio, rather than have the 2nd and 3rd read from one sheet.

Your first part is probably easy to notate, so I won't write about that.  If you have trouble, just say so when you reply to this message, and someone will come to your rescue.

Your second and third parts on one staff have to be entered as if they're two-note chords with stems pointing in opposite directions.  You can read how in NWC's Help / Contents menu under Chord Member Command..  

Try copying this clip from here into a new staff in Noteworthy 2, and I think you'll see how it works.

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Clef|Type:Bass
|RestChord|Dur:8th|Opts:Stem=Up,ArticulationsOnStem,VertOffset=4|Dur2:Half,Dotted|Pos2:-1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:4|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3^|Opts:Stem=Up
|RestChord|Dur:4th|Opts:Stem=Down,ArticulationsOnStem,VertOffset=-3|Dur2:4th|Pos2:3
|Bar
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

  You could also write the second and third parts on separate staffs and layer them.  For clarity you would want one staff to be all stems up, and the other stems down.

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #2 –
Are we talking about a trombone trio with all three parts notated on one staff, with accompaniment on different instrument on a second staff or group of staves? If so, then the problem is that NWC only allows two independent voices on a single staff. Not to despair, however, because multiple parts can be entered on separate staves and then layered together so that the separate staves look like a single staff. Layering solves many other notation problems, too. You might want to look at this FAQ. If you continue to have problems, check back with this forum.

HTH -

Bill

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #3 –
Quote from: William Ashworth –
You might want to look at this FAQ.
That works tolerably well for 2 voices.
3 voices, like the attachment, can't be done properly in NWC2.
'Extra Note Spacing' would need to allow spacings of 0.5, 1.5 and the like. Currently, it only allows 0, 1, 2 and 3
Registered user since 1996

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #4 –
I agree that half-spaces would be a great improvement to the "extra note spacing" function - as would the ability to move both notes and accidentals either forward or backward. Without them, we have to work with what we have. Granted that the attached file doesn't look quite right, it is at least understandable. And the product slowly improves: what we can't do now will probably be possible in a future release.

That said, it certainly doesn't hurt to keep pointing to specific ways in which certain limitations of the software can be overcome. So thanks, Rick.

Cheers,

Bill

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: William Ashworth –
the attached file doesn't look quite right, it is at least understandable
Not if you are a piano player and you need to read all of it. In your attachment, you removed my manual spacing and checked 'Increase note spacing for larger note durations' in Page Setup Command. Do you really think that will work with an entire song where 3 voices occupy one staff? I don't. Just in this short example, there is too much space between the E and the E flat.
Registered user since 1996

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #6 –
Like I said, Rick, it isn't right. But I do think it can be read. And, like I also said, one must make do with what one has. Until we get horizontal adjustments by half-space, this is what we have. I don't think we shouldn't do what we can just because we could do it better with better tools. That way lies paralysis.

Re: How do I enter close harmony with notes on different beats?

Reply #7 –
NWC is much improved.
Registered user since 1996