Using and loving Dorico 4. How can I change a meter signature (adding a beat)? I’m altering the score from 5/4 to 6/4 but the measure stays in 5/4.
The new Insert Mode features should help with this, Keith. It sounds like you’re trying to add a beat to a single measure. If I’m understanding you correctly, do this:
First, before editing the meter, use the system track (the gray boxes above each measure in Write mode) to set a rightmost boundary to Insert editing, to prevent the meter change from affecting music further down the line. Say you want to change the meter in measure 33. Select the system-track gray box belonging to measure 34, the measure AFTER the measure you want to edit, and then click/tap the minus-in-a-circle icon. A vertical red line will appear on the barline between 33 and 34.
Next, select measure 33, press Shift-M, and type the new meter. Press Enter. Your extra beat should appear at the end of m. 33, and m. 34 (and all following measures) should be unaffected.
Lastly, click the system track in m. 34 once more, and click the minus icon again to remove the Insert blocking line, as you no longer need it.
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I’ll give it a shot! Thanks much.
Sure thing!
The new beat isn’t showing up after changing the meter. I got the red barline, and changed the old meter signature.
It worked after I added a bar, which I then deleted.
You probably didn’t have Insert Mode activated.
Another way, use the Bar popover to insert a beat.
<Shift>B
Type 1q into the popover.
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Could someone confirm that the first method described above, using the stop-position and changing the meter with insert mode activated, does in fact work? I’ve tried it myself and can’t seem to replicate it. When I put the stop-position in place and change the meter before the stop position marker, it affects the music that follows. I’ve tried with insert mode set to voice, but also with insert mode set to global. It’s entirely possible I’m doing something wrong of course, but want to make sure it is in fact my mistake before I go back and keep trying everything again.
You don’t need to use the stop position: when you add a time signature change with Insert mode on, if Dorico needs to extend the bar in order to make it match the new time signature’s length, it will shunt everything along, so that everything that was following the next time signature is still doing so.
I see now what you mean. However, the behavior I was expecting is a little different. For example, if I currently have four measures of 6/8 followed by a measure of 4/4, and then select the first 6/8 measure to change to 12/4, it uses up all four 6/8 measures to make into one 12/4 measure. Thus, it isn’t changing that one first measure of 6/8 into a 12/8 bar by inserting beats. I understand I can add beats to a measure with the popover, but it feels more musically intuitive to be able to select a single measure and simply convert it to another meter including whatever extra beats are needed without affecting anything beyond that single measure. Not a complaint, just a comment based on my own work flow.
Thanks for the info.