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Measure parameters

Subjects covered:

• Time and key signatures indication
• Measures numbering
• Multimeasure rests
• Free measures
• Justification and staff lines

Time and key signatures indication [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist]

By default, Pizzicato handles the display of the time signature at the beginning of the score and when a change occurs. Similarly, the key signature is shown at the beginning of each staff as well as when a change occurs. It can be interesting to modify this automatic behaviour in order to force a time or key signature indication, or to hide one.

Open the Ex075 example. Select measure 5 on both staves:

In the Edit menu, select the Measure parameters... item. The following dialog appears:

We want for example to hide the key signature displayed in this measure and to force the display of the time signature.

• Click the Time signature check box. The multiple choice is by default Automatic. It means that Pizzicato handles the time signature indication automatically. The second choice forces the indication and the third hides it. Select the second choice.
• Click the Key signature check box. By default it is Automatic. To hide it, check the Hidden box.
• Click OK . The score becomes:

Measures numbering [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist]

This dialog lets you modify the way in which measures are numbered. Before that, you need to enable measure numbers, because it is not automatically active. To do so, see the lesson entitled Characteristics of Staves.

Normally, Pizzicato numbers the measures by starting from the first. It can be interesting to modify this arrangement. A typical example is an incomplete measurement (for example with only one beat) to start a score. This measure is not counted by convention.

• Select the first measure
• Call the measure parameters dialog box
• Check the Measure numbers check box
• The first choice is Automatic and means that each measure is numbered. Check the second option and the measure will not be counted. The third choice lets you assign an arbitrary number to the measure. In this case, the following measures will be numbered according to this arbitrary number.
• Click OK . The score becomes:

Number 1 is assigned to the second measurement and the first one is not counted. If the first measure must only contain one beat, it should be specified to Pizzicato in the following way:

• Select the first measure
• Call the measure parameters dialog box
• Check the Measure duration box
• Just below, check the Fixed item and fill in the text box with "1"
• Click OK.
• Add a quarter note in the measure and four quarter notes in the next measure, to get:

Listen to the score: Pizzicato plays the first measure as if it had only one beat. You may also reduce the size of the first measure.

Concerning the display of the measure numbers, the basic rule is determined by the characteristics of staves dialog box (no number, each measure, each system or every X measures). But with the present dialog box, you may override the rules for the selected measures. The dialog contains a frame entitled Number indication where you can choose the number display mode for the selected measures between Automatic (will follow the general rule), Forced (the measure number will be displayed) or Hidden (the number will not be displayed).

Multimeasure rests [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist]

When an instrument does not play during several measures, it is common to write only one measure, with a rest sign surmounted by a number of measures to count. Here is for example how to create a multimeasure rest of 10 measures to be counted starting from measure 2:

• Select measure 2
• Call the measure parameters dialog box
• Check the Measure duration box
• Just below, check the Multiple measure choice and fill in the associated text box with "10"
• Click OK
• In the Graphic symbols tool palette, select the tool
• Click on measure 2, first staff. The score becomes:

The "10" number specifies the number of measures to be counted and the numbering goes from 2 to 12 automatically.

Free measures [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist]

Pizzicato lets you create free measures, i.e. measures which do not contain a fixed duration. You can thus add notes freely and they will be equally distributed in the measure. When Pizzicato plays a free measure, it goes on to the following measure when all notes has been played. The time signature indication is thus no more necessary (you can hide it). Let us see how to transform measure 12 into a free measure.

• Select measure 12
• Call the measure parameters dialog box
• Check the Measure duration box
• Just below, check the Free on the basis of a "Quarter note" box
• Click OK
• Fill in 7 quarter notes in measure 12, you get:

By listening to the score, Pizzicato plays the first 2 measures, waits during 10 measures and then plays the 7 quarter notes before going to the next measure. Notice that when you use the measure parameters dialog box, it affects all selected measures. In all cases, it affects all the staves of the selected measures, because the various staves of the same measure must have the same duration and number.

Justification and staff lines [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist]

The Measure justification frame is used to enable (which is the case by default) or disable (choice Never) the automatic justification of measures. If some measures were adapted manually, this option ca certify that Pizzicato will never change the measure layout again, for instance after a page layout modification.

The Staff lines frame is used to change the visible lines of the staff in the selected measures. This is for instance used to create contemporary music notation where some measures have no lines at all.

Professional

Notation

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Drums and Percussion

Guitar

Choir

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