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Topic: Printing surprise - key signatures - a reminder (Read 7027 times) previous topic - next topic

Printing surprise - key signatures - a reminder

This is not a complaint, just an observation.

I created 20 short song files of bass parts in bass clef, concert pitch, that I needed to transpose into treble clef and transpose for a transposing instrument, and then cut into 41 strips of one "system" each, one to be taped onto the bottom of each page of a book of chorales.

I figured to save paper by making a new, 21st file, copy the 20 transposed parts into it, one after the other, and set  system breaks so each song would start on a new line.  So far so good. I ended up using 6 instead of 20 pages.  Saving trees is a good thing.

What surprised me (but should not have), the chorales were in different keys, so the new key signature at the beginning of each song was treated as a key change.  This resulted in printing several systems with "cancelling" naturals if the keys had fewer sharps or fewer flats than the preceding one. 

It's easy enough to correct before printing if one remembers, but I didn't think about it nor proof-read visually before printing.  I had already printed, cut up and started taping the 41 staffs before I noticed, so I will live with the result (the project is just for my own use), but my carelessness could have cost me another six sheets of paper. 

I  thought posting a reminder here might save someone else from making the same mistake.

Re: Printing surprise - key signatures - a reminder

Reply #1 –
Experience is the sum of all your mistakes made in the past.
Always look on the bright side of life!

Re: Printing surprise - key signatures - a reminder

Reply #2 –
I've done the same type of thing, sort of. I sing in a church choir, and we have several "alleluias" that we rotate between on a week to week basis. It was convenient to put them all on a single sheet. They too are in different key signatures (and in some cases, different time signatures). However, I caught myself before printing, because I always do numerous "Print Previews" to make sure that everything is going to fit.

Just in case you did not know about the setting, there is a checkbox on the Key Signature properties called "Hide cancellations" that will prevent these from appearing.