Hiding (empty) staves

[HeinzOchsner]

Hiding empty staves (in the staff visibility section of Layout options) or manually hiding staves in system break properties works fine except for piano (2-line) staves. I did tick “Allow individual staves of multi-staff instruments to be hidden”. Do I need to do something in addition?

I am writing big band charts where the piano part has mostly slash regions with chord symbols - so one piano line is enough. Every now and then, there are notes to played “as is” where I need both lines. Can I hide the bass line when empty or manually?

[asherber]

Automatic hiding and “Allow individual staves” works for me for piano staves. Are your slash regions only applied to the treble staff? If they’re applied to both staves, then they will prevent hiding the bass staff.

@HeinzOchsner

Every now and then, there are notes to played “as is” where I need both lines. Can I hide the bass line when empty or manually?

I’m not sure what you’re asking here. If you have automatic hiding turned on, then Dorico will display the bass staff when there are actually notes there.

If you don’t have automatic hiding turned on, then you can adjust staff visibility manually.

Hiding/Showing staves from system/frame breaks - Dorico Pro - 6.1

[HeinzOchsner]

Thanks for replying. I am aware of these, but they do not work in my case. My piano part looks like this:

I would expect the 1st and 3rd staves single line. Or here the second staff:

My settings:

The notes where originally imported from an XML file and the lines may contain several voices, but all empty.

What am I doing wrong?

[asherber]

In your first screenshot, it looks like you have the chord symbols attached to the bass staff, which would prevent it from hiding, but I can’t tell for sure. And yes, the fact that was an XML import may be affecting things.

Can you share your Dorico file here, so someone can take a look at it? You can delete everything except the piano player, if you like.

[benwiggy]

@asherber

the fact that was an XML import may be affecting things.

XML imports will often bring in custom instrument definitions, which aren’t actually the same as Dorico’s ‘factory’ instruments. (Another case of “too much information” from XML.)

You might want to try Changing the Instrument to a Piano, thus ensuring that you’ve got the correct definition.

Also: for a Single Player Piano, you should be able to just Remove a Staff. (Right click > Staff > Remove staff)

[HeinzOchsner]

Chord symbols are not attached to a line but to the player and I am using the option to place chord symbols between lines in the layout options. But you are right: The problem lies there: Setting to hide chord symbols completely for that player works:

Unfortunately I am loosing now all chord symbols. I’ll be working onward from this …

Thanks for your valuable comments …

[HeinzOchsner]

Just found the solution: Placing the chord symbol above the top line rather than between works.

[asherber]

It’s not the chord symbols per se, but the fact that you’re displaying them between staves – which really means “above the bottom staff” and therefore requires that the bottom staff be shown.

Chord symbols between piano staves, and hiding one staff

Unfortunately, the option to show chord symbols between the staves of a grand staff instrument ultimately takes precedence over the option to allow staves of a grand staff instrument to be hidden if empty. So you will need to show chord symbols above the top staff of the instrument if you want to be able to hide the left-hand staff, and use the Placement property for chord symbols to flip them below the right-hand staff elsewhere.