Bar manipulation, what am I doing wrong?

Dorico
#1

I have a Flow with four bars: 4/4 then 3/4 twice.

So 4/4 - 3/4 - 4/4 -3/4.

(In Write Mode) I decide to insert a bar’s rest at the end of the first pair, after the second 3/4 bar.

I position the caret on the barline at the start of the second 4/4 bar (the third bar in the Flow); and use the Insert Bars Notations Tool.

Insert 1 Bar at Start of Selection.

Of course this new, inserted, bar is also 4/4.

But if I either change its time signature to 3/4, or if I delete the time signature altogether and re-add the 4/4 time signature, which I need for my old bars 3 and 4 (the 4/4 and 3/4 ones), a fifth, spurious/ghost (?) bar is created with a single crotchet/quarter note rest before the 3/4 bar. It does not seem possible to delete this bar.

I’m obviously not inserting bars properly where there are multiple/different time signatures.

Anyone offer any guidance as to best practice, please… I’m sure I’m missing something - unless this could, perhaps, be a bug?

TIA!

#2

What happens if you just select the 3/4 bar, then hit Shift B? You can add a bar, and it should appear in the right place - does it still display the same “properties” that seem to be the issue? I recall something similar, and I can’t remember what I did to resolve it, as I too had bar that wouldn’t go away. Did you try Shift B, then -1?

#3

Thanks - if all SHIFT - B with a value of -1 does is force the removal of any bar, I’ll try that when one next gets created.

I’d like to know why it happens and how to avoid it in the first place.

Appreciated…

#4

Dorico shifts the music correctly when we change time signatures in insert mode, but unfortunately this works only when a bar becomes longer than before. In your situation Dorico does its best – and fails to divide the 4 beats you inserted in the first place according to the time signatures you input.
The quickest (but not at all obvious) way to get the result you want could be to

  1. activate insert mode,
  2. select the second time signature (3/4), hit shift-M input 6/4, hit enter,
  3. hit shift-M again, input 3/4, hit enter.

I agree that this is not yet very intuitive. Shift-B and -1 or indeed -x is the way to go if you need to delete any number of bars entirely.

Edit: I meant shift-M in the instructions, of course.

#5

It may not be, fkretlow; but if it works, it’ll do. Teach me to plan ahead better!

Thanks so much for taking the time and trouble to explain what and how so carefully - much appreciated :smiley:.