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No measures or options every measure

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 11:21 pm
by jamesadrian
In Finale, is there yet an option to have no measures? Alternatively, can the number of beats in the current measure be altered?

Thank you for your help.

Jim Adrian

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 1:15 am
by miker
Not sure what you mean by the first question. Can you post a picture?

You can vary the number of beats either by changing the Time Signature, or using JW Meter and Rhythm.

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 6:46 am
by Peter Thomsen
jamesadrian wrote:In Finale, is there yet an option to have no measures? …
I am not sure what you mean by your words “no measures” ?!? That sounds like a piece with zero duration (?)

I think that we need more info from you: What is the problem you are trying to solve ?

Perhaps you mean “no barlines” ?
You can make each system a 1-measure system - with a big time signature.
You can hide time signatures.

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:31 am
by David Ward
JW Conceal Barlines might also be useful. You select a region and apply the plug-in which then hides barlines and time signatures and respaces appropriately: very useful for cadenzas &c.

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 1:49 pm
by Anders Hedelin
If you have a 'measure' containing for example 13 quarters and 3 sixteenths, you can choose to specify that in the Time signature window, or you could choose a time signature "big enough" and adjust the placement of the notes with either the beat chart (Measure tool), or the note position tool in Special tools.
(Even if you define the time signature exactly to what is needed, you might have to reposition the notes, with the beat chart or with the the note positioning tool.)
(To use the beat chart in this way you have to have applied note spacing to the measure(s), as you might already know.)

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 2:58 pm
by jamesadrian
Please tell me where the note positioning tool is.

Thank you for your help.

Jim Adrian

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 3:29 pm
by N Grossingink

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:58 pm
by jamesadrian
N Grossingink,

Thank you for this very valuable link.

I tried to address the problem of getting no measure bars, at least in a long stretch of music, by changing the time signature to 64/2 (64 beats, a half note gets a beat). It worked except that the measures are far too short (narrow left to right). Is there a tool that would allow me to expand the width of the written measure by a factor of 10?

Thank you for your help.

Jim Adrian

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:14 pm
by miker
No dedicated tool for that, but you can specify a measure width in Measure Attributes. Or, you can move adjoining measures up or down to other systems, or you can drag the barlines.

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:26 pm
by Anders Hedelin
It would be more practical to define a shorter time signature so that the music could flow freely from system to system, then select all the measures you want to be shown as 'one measure without barlines', and with the measure tool choose left barline: invisible. In the measure tool you would also want to uncheck "include in measure numbering" for the appropriate measures.

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:47 pm
by Anders Hedelin
P.S. Also in measure tool you can hide the time signature(s) with Time Signature > Always hide.

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:40 pm
by jamesadrian
When I use the Measure Tool, I can extend the length of any measure, but when, within that extended measure, I copy and paste a section into where there were rests further down the measure, the length of the measure contracts severely and I need to expand it again.

How do I made the expanded length of a measure permanent despite modifications to its content?

If the measure length changes, I would expect it to possibly expand further as needed rather than contracting.

Thank you for your help.

Jim Adrian

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:25 pm
by Anders Hedelin
Preferences > Edit > turn off Automatic Music Spacing

Re: No measures or options every measure

Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:02 pm
by jamesadrian
Anders Hedelin,

It worked.

Thank you.

Jim Adrian