Hello Friends! I’d like to refresh a request I’ve seen pop up a few times in earlier years, but doesn’t seem to have gotten much attention.
It would be tremendously helpful if every fermata had a switch in the properties panel to force it to show at the precise metric position in all parts.
As an active composer/publisher and a university teacher, virtually every piece I work on has instances where a resting player needs to know exactly where a fermata is. If the fermata is on beat 3 and half the ensemble sees it on a whole rest, they then have to mark it by hand. Or, the creator has to go through the process of forcing the rest durations and copying them across parts and tied notes. While this workaround is not hard, it is pretty labor-intensive for something that is a REALLY common need. I know we invoke Gould a lot in here, and this issue aligns with those guidelines as well.
I have to admit I don’t see this very often at all and Gould merely states that “accompanying parts may not require this precise information”. I think if a conductor is doing their job then it shouldn’t be necessary.
Nonetheless, I don’t think it would hurt to be able to have a switch as you have suggested!
At some point in future we do plan to add an option to take fermatas into account when notating rests, so that we can show the rhythmic position in the bar where the fermata takes effect. I can’t say for sure when we will implement this, however.
And about conductors doing their job… yes, but it doesn’t feel like a good use of time to have a conductor taking a valuable minute of rehearsal time to explain something when the notation could preempt this by simply having the fermata in the same place for everyone. I certainly see published works both ways, but conductors and players are always happier (in my experience) with the clarity of seeing it on the page at the same place where the conductor will observe it.
Of course, the default setting can remain as it is now, but if a properties-panel option could be introduced, I know there are others who would welcome it.
Thanks, all! I’m deeply invested in this wonderful software and so grateful to your openness to feedback and conversation on these issues!
I want to clarify that my advocacy for this is primarily for chamber/concert situations where players are looking at only their part and cannot otherwise know where the fermata falls.
The easiest way to overcome this is to create a custom playing technique which comprises a fermata glyph. You can place it in the bar exactly where you want and copy it up and down easily. Creating custom playing techniques
How is that an advantage? A ‘real’ fermata can also be placed on any grid position; and if you have a note or rest there, it will show on that position. As said, Force Duration on a rest, and copy it to other staves, and you’re done.
Actually, yes, sorry…I didn’t realize that there was an x and y offset for individual fermatas in Engrave Mode…I must have missed when that feature was implemented.
I’m glad I can stop using my Playing Technique fermata!
