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Topic: Counterpoint/Counter Melody on Single Staff (Read 3874 times) previous topic - next topic

Counterpoint/Counter Melody on Single Staff

First time posting!  I haven't had a chance to use NWT much yet.  I am having trouble finding out how to put subject and countersubject on the same line.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

Re: Counterpoint/Counter Melody on Single Staff

Reply #1 –
Welcome,

Although possible to do what you are trying to do, you may find it easier to put them on different lines and then layer them.

To layer one staff with another, first of all go to File / Page setup and then on the contents tab, make sure Allow layering is selected.

Then on the properties for the staff, press F2 when nothing is selected.  On the Visual tab of the properties box, select layer with next staff.

This will appear to merge the two together.  You will have other options available to modify notes, tail lengths, etc so that any inconsistancies can be altered.


You can also use the layering tool, found in the tools menu, to layer and unlayer .
Rich.

Re: Counterpoint/Counter Melody on Single Staff

Reply #2 –
I agree with Richard - layering is the way to go, for maximum flexibility.  I frequently enter SATB hymns as 4 different staffs, with the first staff (Soprano) layering onto the second (Alto) for Treble clef, and the third staff (Tenor) layering onto the last staff (Bass) for Bass clef.  Any two (or more) parts sharing a common clef and key signature can be layered together, for any number of "voices" on a layered staff!

When entering the parts, you may frequently have to do any of the following to notes (so that they look good when layered):
  • Force stem up (typically in the "upper" layer) or down (typically in the "lower" layer).
  • Override stem length, to get eighth note (or shorter) flags/beams to exactly overlay.
  • Add extra note space to make close-together notes split apart a bit.
  • Add extra accidental space to make close-together accidentals split apart a bit.
  • Force slur upward (typically in the "upper" layer) or downward (typically in the "lower" layer).
  • Force tie upward (typically in the "upper" layer) or downward (typically in the "lower" layer).
  • Set "articulations on stem" to move articulations away from the other layer's note.

You may also have to tweak the vertical offset of some rests, to move them away from the other layer's note (or rest).  You should never have a Chord or a Rest-Chord with this method (except perhaps if a single part divides into two for a bit I guess)!  I'd like to write a script someday to automatically make the above changes, but they have to be done manually as needed for now.

Your "master" copy will always have each part in a different (unlayered) staff - when you print, the layering will automatically kick in for you.  If you ever want to print out any one individual part, I recommend you try the script I use for this.  It simply removes any possible setting that you may have forced above, letting NWC revert to its default.  Make sure you revert back to your master without saving, once you run this script and print the results!!

[The script runs on a "clip", not a "file".  The clip is usually an entire staff.  You can easily run the script on more than one staff via my "Run User Tool" script.]

By the way, I often force all stem directions, even when the default is what I want.  This helps preserve proper layering if you ever transpose and/or change clef!