It is not so rare, that composers when composing for instance many triolic eightnotes in a 2 quarter (2/4) bar just switch sometimes even only in one of the systems to a six eightnote (6/8) bar, expecting, that both bar remain the same length, what would mean that in one system (where is still a 2 quarter (2/4) bar) a quarter (1/4) has the same length as a punctuated quarter (1/4+1/8) at the same time in the system which is defined as six eightnote (6/8) bar.
As far as I know Sibelius or other notationprograms are not yet ready to do things like that. Would it be to futuristic, to ask if Dorico can or will be able to sooner or later?
That would be at least a great help even for many conventional scores not to talk about more sophisticated 20th century music.
You can fake this fairly easily. For the notes, use triplets and hide the numbers and brackets.
To make the 6/8 time signatures, press M and type 6/8,4 (to create the 6/8 signature with a pickup bar with four 8th-notes) and press Alt-Enter to create the time signature on only one staff.
Then create a 2/4 time signature at the start of the next bar, and hide it.
This is what the score looks like showing the signposts for the hidden items.
There is a limitation with this - you can’t “fake” a time signature change in the middle of a bar, because Dorico will create a new bar line and there isn’t any way to hide it.
Let me thank you first for your kind suggestion.
But OK that means real “polymetric” notation even in this triolic meaning is currently not possible. (as it seems to be also impossible in the other Notationsoftware available)
(Since Dorico has obviously the most innovative Staff) I still wonder: Will it be perhaps possible once?
Dear fahl5,
I’m quite surprised that you say polymetric notation is not possible, when Rob explained clearly how to do it. Granted, it is not as straightforward as metric notation, but it does work very well. I might add I never crossed the situation where a change of meter would be inside a bar… But the example you gave is absolutely writable in Dorico, using the trick described by Rob.
Yes of course is Robs workaround a possible solution to achieve the same impression.
I just asked for if it would be even some day possible to define identic bar length for different bar-types. This would be just technically a bit different, and perhaps very wellcome for more sophisticated avantgarde composers or many exsisting 20th century scores and would even make things for me while writing perhaps a bit easier.
But dont get me wrong I am very thankful for Robs suggestion and you are absolutly right there is of course already at least the possibility to imitate the appearance of the concrete example what I currently need.
BTW.: The new “Tempo-Equation” Feature in Dorico 2.2 might be perhaps a hope raising first step, since it helps at least in a linear way to keep the tempo equal while changing the notated bar type
Dorico supports polymetric notations where the duration of the note lengths is the same on all staves, but each staff can have its own time signature and independent bar lines, as in the attachment
It does not support notation where the bars are the same lengths on all staves but the division into beats is different - though that can often be faked using hidden tuplets, as in my previous post.
If you do need to create more exotic polymeter, here is a thread on creating time signatures as shift-X text (not yet as convenient as Sibelius, but it works just fine) -
I do apreciate the new Equation-Tool in the Tempo definition.
Presumably it is kind of naive suggestion, but it seems to me from the view of the user as if it would be realy smart to realise those even in traditional Scores often in triolic notation occuring “polymetric” notations if it would be possible to apply this tempoequation not only limeary but also simultaneosly on different systems of the same bar. I don’t know if this could ever be technical realised, but for me as the user it would be presumably the most intuitive way to write things like that - if ever this might be possible.
