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Topic: Rest plus note as chord, without layering (Read 3693 times) previous topic - next topic

Rest plus note as chord, without layering

Folks --

I'm new to NWC, and working my way through the User Manual. In entering a TTBB song in NWC, I wanted at one place to have the top T part with a quarter rest, and the bottom part to have two tied eighth notes. In fumbling around with the chord command I was able at one point to get this to work, but without the correct note values, do I erased it. In numerous subsequent attempts I have not been able to replicate this. I know that I can use staff layering to do this, but it would appear from my one-time accidental experience that I should also be able to do it in the setting I have described. Can someone help me, if only to tell me that I was hallucinating in my abortive attempt?

Thanks in advance.
--
George Poynor

Re: Rest plus note as chord, without layering

Reply #1 –
You can combine a note with an existing smaller rest using Insert, Chord Member. Since your rest is larger than the note that you want to combine with it, layering is currently the only option.

Re: Rest plus note as chord, without layering

Reply #2 –
The note and rest may be of the same duration. The Chord Member Command docs are a bit out of date about this.

This has always been possible for NWC 2.0+  For older versions, see <this> tip.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Rest plus note as chord, without layering

Reply #3 –
After working with that issue many time in choral works ...   Layering is much easier. 

It's so much more natural, because you can simply score as you see and hear the notes.  You don't need to worry about which notes need to be scored after first assigning ties.  Slurs are more easy to control.  What was more complicated in a single staff, has become much easier when NWC incorporated layering.

Scoring a TTBB can be a lot easier by using layering.  Also, the separate staffs give you the opportunity for getting a more balanced 'soundscape', where the four voices can be spread left-to-right for spatial effect, while still keeping the visual TTBB notation.

So the suggestion would be ...  if you can do it with layering, you might be able to do it more quickly, and you'll have a more easily editable score whenever you feel the need to revise it.

Hoping it's helpful information.

Joe



Re: Rest plus note as chord, without layering

Reply #4 –
I agree wholeheartedly with Joseph - layering provides many advantages over trying to pack split chords and rest chords into a single staff.  It's a little more work sometimes for the initial note entry - you've got to watch for things such as:

  • Needing to specify stems up or down, to keep stems from defaulting to pointing toward their layered line.
  • Needing "extra note spacing" on the occasional note, to reproduce a chord where 2 noteheads are on different sides of a stem.
  • Needing to "override stem length" on some flagged notes, to get the flags (or even beams) of the 2 layers to overlap exactly.
  • Needing "extra accidental spacing" on the rare occasion that both layers have an accidental at the same place.
  • Needing to "use stem for articulations" to move them away from a layered note (probably not applicable for choirs?).

But the advantages are many:

  • You can print out any single part (or any subset of parts) as desired, separated or overlayed.
  • You can individually control dynamics for each part, as well as dynamic variances (e.g. crescendo).
  • You can get certain combinations of articulations and beaming and tripleting that are otherwise unattainable.
  • You can control tie and slur placement in ways you sometimes can't do otherwise.
  • You can achieve certain "rest chord" and "split chord" combinations that are otherwise unattainable.
  • You can listen to (and generate midi/mp3 for) any single part (or any subset of parts) as desired.

Re: Rest plus note as chord, without layering

Reply #5 –
You also need to be aware that an accidental in one stave is not reflected in the other, so you need to duplicate it as necessary.

This can be good practice in any case, but you can hide it using an invisble tied grace note if you want to.