Nudging Beat Chart Handles and Selecting More Than One Handle - Measure Tool

[superuser]

I am sure I am not the first person to think of this, but I'm frustrated with the Measure Tool's inability to nudge beat chart handles or select multiple handles simultaneously in the beat chart. Has anyone tried using the NUDGE tool? It appears to be the solution, but why didn't the developers incorporate this function?

Also, I think it would be more convenient if I didn't have to constantly switch between measures in the beat chart by clicking out and then selecting another handle each time I want to make edits for the next measure. Not to mention, the beat chart is very unforgiving... if you miss the handle by even a smidge, it disappears and you have to click back into it. I wish it was more like the lyric tool, where you can choose the type of function you want to edit throughout the entire score.

[motet]

I don't use the beat chart much and am somewhat baffled by it. What's the purpose of the top row of handles? You can select multiple handles, but then what?

If you hold down Shift while dragging one of the lower handles, it moves all the handles to the right as well.

[miker]

I use that beat chart often, when the spacing has to be tweaked for lyrics. A long word on an eighth note, for example.

I don’t know what the upper row of handles is for, either!

[superuser]

The upper row likely represents the spacing of beats or notes, depending on the measure setting in use. The top row shows the default spacing and illustrates how the actual notes deviate from this standard.

[superuser]

If you hold down Shift while dragging one of the lower handles, it moves all the handles to the right as well.

Thank you for this! I had no idea!

[motet]

superuser,

It is indeed awkward difficult to make fine adjustments to the beat chart with the mouse. I looked at Robert Piéchaud's Nudge tool, which appears to be part of his (for purchase) Medieval2 system for typesetting neumes and the like. Not needing neumes (despite my avatar here) but embarking on a project where I need to adjust the beat charts often, I was able to implement nudging on Windows with AutoHotKey. I know you're on the Mac, but maybe there's something similar to AutoHotKey?

Here are the Windows AutoHotKey definitions. Alt+period nudges the beat chart handle under the cursor right one pixel. Alt+comma nudges it left one pixel. The shifted versions of these nudge the handle and all handles to the right in the measure. With these four you can makes adjustments pretty quickly and easily. I'm excited about this!

Code: Select all

!.:: MouseClickDrag L,0,0,1,0,50,R   ; Alt+period: click-drag right one pixel

!,:: MouseClickDrag L,0,0,-1,0,50,R  ; Alt+comma: click-drag left one pixel

+!.::                                ; Shift+Alt+period
Send {Shift down}
MouseClickDrag L,0,0,1,0,50,R
Send {Shift up}
Return

+!,::                                ; Shift+Alt+comma
Send {Shift down}
MouseClickDrag L,0,0,-1,0,50,R
Send {Shift up}
Return