Managing System Text

[notesetter]

I have a score that contains a dozen or so instances of “G.P.” (grand pause). I’m using System Text for these. They all appear above the staff, rather than below, centered between barlines. It is possible to paste them to a different location, but the positioning reverts to above the staff.

Is there a way to “propagate properties” - taking a repositioned one and applying the positioning globally? Is there a better way altogether to deal with these? There are over 200 of these and I’d like to save the time.

Thanks

[Vaughan_Schlepp]

How about creating a Playing Technique for them? You could set their position and they would be copyable, retaining the parameters you set for them.

[dankreider]

VS has the best idea, I think.

System objects aren’t subject to propagating (at least they haven’t been. I know there are changes to properties in 3.5 which I haven’t explored yet).

[notesetter]

Thanks Vaughan and Dan.

I thought about a playing technique, too, but couldn’t figure it out. Taking another look at the PT editor, there is that dropdown menu of many other categories with which to base your new PT on. Is the proper way to pick a category you don’t use and change the default font to what you need? I’m guessing about style marking size, plain weight.

[dankreider]

@notesetter

Thanks Vaughan and Dan.

I thought about a playing technique, too, but couldn’t figure it out. Taking another look at the PT editor, there is that dropdown menu of many other categories with which to base your new PT on. Is the proper way to pick a category you don’t use and change the default font to what you need? I’m guessing about style marking size, plain weight.

Your list of categories is in Engrave Mode–Engrave Menu–Font Styles. Usually a good candidate is some iteration of lyrics. Lyric Chorus Translation Font is generally not used.

[notesetter]

@dankreider

Your list of categories is in Engrave Mode–Engrave Menu–Font Styles. Usually a good candidate is some iteration of lyrics. Lyric Chorus Translation Font is generally not used.

That’s just what I did and it worked!

Thanks

[Finalished]

I just want to drop in to say I appreciate the above Player Technique solution. I had a similar need.

However I want to request that Steinberg consider making “G.P.” a property of the fermata symbol. When placing a fermata it’d be great to open the properties panel and have a switch there to show G.P. if wanted for that fermata, and also choose whether it is placed above or below. Just saying it would be a nice addition,. There are so many other convenient and intelligent things like that in Dorico it seems in keeping to have it. And I suppose it would have to somehow work for multibar rests in parts too.

Thanks!

[pianoleo]

While we’re on the topic, it would be really good if G.P.s could be available without a visual pause, for situations where no-one is playing for a bar but the bar should last the usual amount of time.

[FredGUnn]

@Finalished

However I want to request that Steinberg consider making “G.P.” a property of the fermata symbol.

Not sure if this helps, but you can take a fermata that you are not using in the project, go to Engrave/Music Symbols, and turn it into a “G.P.” I’ve never had the need for a “Long Fermata (Henze)” so I have that set up to be a “G.P.” in my default file. The downside of this is that it will of course show on every staff, instead of working like System text does in a score.

[Finalished]

@FredGUnn

@Finalished

However I want to request that Steinberg consider making “G.P.” a property of the fermata symbol.

Not sure if this helps, but you can take a fermata that you are not using in the project, go to Engrave/Music Symbols, and turn it into a “G.P.” I’ve never had the need for a “Long Fermata (Henze)” so I have that set up to be a “G.P.” in my default file. The downside of this is that it will of course show on every staff, instead of working like System text does in a score.

I may try that out. Possible issue though. For the score I’m engraving right now, the composer hand-wrote a fermata with G.P. over it wherever he wanted a grand pause. So the only problem with your suggestion I foresee is if the composer definitely wants both the fermata and “G.P.” to appear as he wrote them (you can only have one kind of fermata/pause to a bar I’m pretty sure). Hmmm, maybe with some jiggling and futzing I could make one of the unused Henze marks show both, show the fermata with G.P. above it.

[HeiPet]

I’ve created a line for G.P. (with line thickness set to 0). When I place the line between the barlines, the G.P. is always centered in the bar and over the bar rest. Perhaps another solution …

[FredGUnn]

@HeiPet

I’ve created a line for G.P. (with line thickness set to 0). When I place the line between the barlines, the G.P. is always centered in the bar and over the bar rest. Perhaps another solution …

I think I like your solution better! Because Color and Scale are local properties, you could also effectively hide this from certain staves in the score so it would only show on staves where you have tempi and system text, but still have it appear in all the parts. With the fermata way, as soon as you apply a color or scale change it applies to all of them.

[andgle]

@FredGUnn

@HeiPet

I’ve created a line for G.P. (with line thickness set to 0). When I place the line between the barlines, the G.P. is always centered in the bar and over the bar rest. Perhaps another solution …

I think I like your solution better! Because Color and Scale are local properties, you could also effectively hide this from certain staves in the score so it would only show on staves where you have tempi and system text, but still have it appear in all the parts. With the fermata way, as soon as you apply a color or scale change it applies to all of them.

You could even make it a system attached line by alt-clicking

[FredGUnn]

@andgle

You could even make it a system attached line by alt-clicking

Thanks! I hadn’t used that feature yet and forgot it existed. I think this is probably the best method of inputting a G.P. then.