without time-sig?
Hello all, Is it possible to create a score without any time signature? (I don't mean just make it invisible, I mean not have it there at all taking up space and being faintly visible in a screen-shot etc.) This ought to be do-able, since people certainly write music with measures of varying numbers of beats without showing all the changes of time-sig. But how?
Thanks, Ch.S.
Comments
You can make the time signature invisible as well as the bar lines. The time-sig appears greyed out in Musescore so you have something to select when you want to make it visible again!
You mentioned screenshots. If you want an image file of your music, you can save the score as a PNG file.
See attached sample.
Is this what you want?
Charles
No I don't think so.
You can, however make invisble elements truly invisible by unticking "Show invisible" in the Display menu.
You can turn them back on to grey by ticking it again.
I have yet to work out how to get rid of the space taken up by the invisible time signature, but you can use Edit Mode to move notes into the space.
HTH
Michael
In reply to No I don't think so. You can, by ChurchOrganist
One could have the time sig in a hidden (and otherwise empty) measure, I think?
First, it would not be "common" to write music with changing time signatures that are not explicitly displayed, but the need does very occasionally arise. The best way to accomplish this in MuseScore is to pick one nominal time signature for the piece, but then use Meausre Properites (which you will find in the right click menu with a measure selected) to change the *actual* time signature for that measure. Unlike the case with hiding time signatures, this doesn't leave inneeded extra space at the start of each bar.
In reply to First, it would not be by Marc Sabatella
The replies from ozcaveman and ChurchOrganist get me very close to what I need, but I would still like to get rid of most of the space taken up by the invisible time sig. Adjusting "note properties --> Additional leading space" for the first note to some large negative value doesn't let me move it far enough. Marc's reply is tantalizing since it promises no unwanted space at the start of the bar, BUT I can't see how to do it-- if I change the actual time sig to something other than the nominal, I've still got a time sig, and when I set it invisible I'm no further ahead... Am I misunderstanding something?
So I'm very close, and willing to settle, but still wondering "what if,... in a perfect world..."
Thanks to all, Ch.S.
In reply to almost perfect... by JSB_
Have you actually *tried* changing the actual time signature using the dialog I mentioned? It does *not* create any time signature at all. So there is nothing to set invisible, and no extra space. That's why I suggest setting one time signature at the beginning of the piece (no way I know to avoid that) but then not changing time signature at all afterwards unless you want the time signature to actually display (as you would normally want 99.99% of the time). The only time signature that will ever display is the one at the beginning, and that one you will simply have to hide.
In reply to almost perfect... by JSB_
I'm using constantly changing time signatures all the time, so probably the best plane is for me to attach a score so you can see how I do it.
The secret is in the Measure Properties dialogue.
Open that by right-clicking the measure and you will see two boxes one above the other relating to the time signature.
The top one is the nominal time siganture for the bar, which can't be altered from this dialogue.
The bottom one contains the actual time signature which can be adjusted to anything you like.
Set the actual time signature to suitable values and then close the dialogue.
Your new time signature will now be applied to the bar without displaying it.
HTH
Michael
In reply to I'm using constantly changing by ChurchOrganist
"Have you actually *tried*..." Yes, of course!! But it's that first measure I've been mucking around with, and getting rid of the offending space there seems to be impossible. But on subsequent measures your method works a treat (and seems to me damned clever). Combining with Jojo-Schmitz's suggestion of a hidden dummy first measure, I'm now 99.99% satisfied, -- which is good enough for me ;-)
Thanks Marc and all others for great help.
Ch.S.
In reply to ahah! by JSB_
Michael, in your Advent attachment, I'm curious why you show 4/4 at the beginning?
Why not hide it like all the other time sigs?
(Just curious)
Ch.S.
In reply to Advent by JSB_
Because the Antiphon is in 4/4 time - the only regular bit in the piece.
It is repeated after each of the irregular verses.
In reply to Because the Antiphon is in by ChurchOrganist
OK, I'll have to take your word for it. I can only see the first occurrence of the Antiphon, right at the beginning of the piece-- it consists of 3 measures, with 3, 6, and 2 beats, respectively.... (which means BTW the initial halfnotes in the second measure should be dotted?)
But all this has nothing to do with MuseScore, so I'm happy to let it go.
;-) Ch.S.
In reply to Antiphon by JSB_
The first bar is an anacrusis, the second contains 2 crotchet triplets, but yes the last minim should be dotted!
In liturgical music we tend to hide things like triplets and rely on word rhythms to give us the clue to performance :)
Ok, I may be missing something here. When I write a tune and do not want a Time signature I leave the First Measure Empty and start in the second (See test 1). I then can change any measure I want with the actual measure duration (Measure properties). Then When I am Finished I delete the First measure (delete Selected Measures) (see test 2).
Is This what is wanted? It does not seem to be very Hard.
Todd
In reply to No Tme by Todd
Hi, I can't open your 2 attachments, but as you describe it, that's pretty much it.
I had been trying to muck around with the first measure, which in hindsight was just plain dumb.
;-) Ch