Issue with polymeter and rehearsal marks (bar number) in parts

Dorico
1

Rehearsal marks with sequence type bar numbers display as empty boxes in all parts that have per-staff (individual) time signatures. Score layouts as well as parts that only use global time signatures are unaffected by the issue. Bar number changes do not help.
Furthermore, it specifically seems to affect only rehearsal marks, as “regular” bar numbers display as expected regardless of frequency setting, etc.

To reproduce:

  • Add one (or several) instrument(s)
  • Set a global time signature (e.g. 4/4)
  • Set an individual time signature (e.g 2/4) on one instrument using Alt-Return in the popover (this works even if the flow has a single instrument).
  • (Optional: Set a new global time signature at some point after the individual time signature change, and optionally a bar number change at the same point.)
  • Add rehearsal marks (at will. The whole flow is affected by the issue).
  • Make sure to set Engraving Options > Rehearsal Marks > Sequence > Sequence type: Bar numbers. (The same setting may also be set for an individual rehearsal mark in the bottom panel and propagated.)
  • Show the part layout of the instrument with the individual time signature change.

Attached is a somewhat minimal example from v. 2.2.20.1286 to highlight the issue.
Polymeter and rehearsal marks.dorico.zip (414 KB)

2

Welcome to the forum, khavik, and thanks for taking the time to express this clearly. We’re aware of this issue, and it is as you’ve found caused by the fact that there is a tension between the number of bars in a specific instrument’s timeline and the global timeline when using polymeter.

3

Thanks for the quick feedback!

I can definitely see how such a tension would be problematic, especially in “true” polymetric music. In my particular use case, some of my parts are in fixed meter while the remaining are in open meter. If I did this by hand, I would probably number the big open “bars” 1, 2, 3, … and the fixed bars 1a, 1b, 1c, …, 2a, etc., to do away with that tension. (I realize it’s not quite as easy with one staff in 4/4 and another in, say, 3/4.) I tried playing around with primary and subordinate bar numbers, but I was unable to find a way to accomplish this. Are you aware of a solution in the current version (aside from creating them all manually as text objects), or will I have to resort to rehearsal letters for now?

4

I’m afraid you’ll have to use rehearsal letters for now, sorry!