Instrument change label and key change, placement

In a score, some players play several instruments.

The label to change instrument appears immediately after the note played last in the instrument from which the player changes - and so does the key change, when the next instrument has a different transposition.

So that D major in the B flat clarinet turns into E flat major when changing to A clarinet. Along with the instrument change text, there will immediately be a key change - also in the middle of a bar. Sometimes this produces results that don’t look good. But I can not find a way to put the instrument change, or its accompanying key change, where I want.

(To add some confusion: In one of the attached picture examples of the key change I would like to have the opportunity to manipulate, notice the change to E flat clarinet - it is, for inexplicable reason, placed at the next barline, and not immediately after the last note, as in the other staves. I have no idea what I have done in that particular player.)

I am at a loss.

(Later, I will add a particularly problematic example of why I would like to manipulate the placement of the key signature change that may follow an instrument change. A particularly not good looking example. Haven’t got it available right now.)

Thanks for reading and sorry for the clumsy explanation.


Instrument change with immediate key change.png

Unfortunately this is not possible now. I always prefer to have the key signature change right at the next entry as an additional reminder to the performer that they are on a different instrument. Daniel has said they plan on “early” or “late” options for this in the future, but for now there’s no way to edit this. Here’s the thread where he mentioned this:

Thanks, Fred. It’s good to know, so I don’t have to look in vain for a solution.

If you don’t care about playback, you can get it to appear correctly visually by using an independent key sig (hold down Alt when hitting Enter), but this would likely be a bit of work for a large ensemble like you are using in those images. Here’s what I mean in Galley view where one player is holding the top two instruments:

Here’s how that would look in the score. The bottom staff is how I am accustomed to seeing instrument changes done, and is an option I would like to see in a future version.

Staff labels are wrong in the bottom version of course, so you’d have to use Erase Background with some text using some non-breaking spaces, and then Alt-click to all the needed locations. It would be a PITA, but at least possible.

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Workarounds are really useful to know about. If, as you say, it would be too much of a hassle in my current main project, I may well put it to use some other time. Thanks!