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note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:58 pm
by nhmusic
Finale 2014, Mac, 10.8.5
I have searched and not found this addressed exactly. I have a situation where the strings are playing steady 16ths, and the flute is playing a solo passage with an assortment of 1/4 notes to 32nd notes, making the string part very irregular. Is there a practice to address this?

Thank you.

Re: note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:27 pm
by N Grossingink
I'd try the following:

√ Have fewer measures on the systems that are affected. You will still see some ragged spacing among the 16ths but it will be less apparent.

√ Respace just those measures with a wider spacing width and a ratio of 2. To make the settings, go to Document Options > Music Spacing and hit the "Spacing Widths" button. Try the settings in the picture below - you should experiment with larger or smaller widths to get the effect you're after.

N.
Spacing.png
Spacing.png (23.54 KiB) Viewed 2914 times

Re: note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:48 pm
by nhmusic
Thank you! I will try this.

Re: note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:32 pm
by nhmusic
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to make any difference. I wonder if something is overwriting the setting. I tied several and nothing changed. Making one meas. per page helps, but looks clunky. Perhaps reduce the staff size further?? I have it at 75% already. I added screenshot.

Re: note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:53 pm
by Peter Thomsen
nhmusic wrote:… Perhaps reduce the staff size further?? I have it at 75% already …
I suppose that you by 75% mean the resulting, overall staff size as a result of Page Scaling, System Scaling, and perhaps also Staff Scaling, right?

Try a size of 70% - that is not too small, In My Opinion.

Re: note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:41 pm
by N Grossingink
Another way to approach it would be to select only the measures with the 16ths and triplets and run music spacing. That should result in even spacing for those rhythms, but now the flute part is messed up. It might be possible to use the Special Tools Note Position Tool to fix the flute spacing, albeit with some judicious departures from true vertical alignment. I do this quite often with the blessing and encouragement of one of my publisher clients.

N.

Re: note spacing in orchestra score

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 8:41 pm
by nhmusic
That works! And the flute part seems to adapt OK as well. Thank you.