Changing bar numbering without affecting later bar numbering changes - possible?

[michaelstarobin]

I have a question about bar number changing that applies to how we alter bar numbers in the theater.

To explain - in NY we put a piece of music on the orchestra stands and then start 2-3 weeks of preview performances. During that time, cuts are made, bars are inserted, etc. - because a two bar cut really affects just one page of the player’s music, the copyist wants to avoid having to reprint the whole song for the player with all new measure numbers following the cut (or insert). These measure numbers are being used in MainStage to indicate programming changes and in Ableton or QLab to coordinate timecode with lighting and other departments. So an insert is usually done with subordinate letter bars (measures 22, 23, 23a, 23b, 24, 25) and cuts are done with lacuna (21, 22, 25, 26). So a song that went thru many changes in previews might run:

1 thru 15, 15a, 15b, 15c, 16 thru 45, 47 thru 75, 76, 76a thru 76m, 81-98

All fine and good - Dorico can handle that.

But now I need to add two bars between 7 and 8 - 7a and 7b. Doing that throws off everything that follows. (Yes, if we made all our changes in sequential order life would be easy - but we don’t and it’s not.)

I hate to ask for something that Finale had … but is it possible to open up a master list of the measure regions and simply ask that all the following measure regions have their Primary numbers reduced by two? Or if not a master list, a command to reduce all selected primary measure numbers by a desired amount without affecting the subordinate numbers? Does something like this already exist?

Thanks!

[asherber]

I hope I’m understanding you correctly.

After you insert your two bars, add a bar number change on the first one, changing to a subordinate sequence. You should see 7a and 7b.

In the third bar, where you want to return to regular numbers, add a bar number change, of type Continue Primary. That bar should now be numbered 8.

If I’ve missed some details of what you’re looking for, can you upload a project file to demonstrate? It doesn’t even need to have any music, just measure numbers.

[michaelstarobin]

No, you didn’t miss anything - I did. I assumed the addition of a change in front of another change deleted the changes I made. But it worked perfectly. Thanks!