how do I move a rest?

• Jun 29, 2021 - 03:12

In 2/4 time, the rest defaults to after the first note. How do I move the rest, to be before the first note?

Comments

• Jun 29, 2021 - 09:23

In a 2/4 time blank score, all measure rests (2 beats each) don't (yet) have notes.
I can only surmise that...
...someone might click on the rest and at once place a quarter note -- unaware that they are placing the note on beat 1.
Were the measure rest presented instead as 2 quarter rests, a WYSIWYG mouse clicker would likely gravitate to the second quarter rest, which is actually where they want the note placement.

Reply

• Jun 29, 2021 - 15:47

It seems the OP did want a quarter rest on the first beat, but -- "the rest defaults to after the first note."
Hence, seeing quarter note + rest, the OP wonders: "How do I move the rest, to be before the first note?"
So, rest + note is wanted rather than note + rest.

Now, we grizzled users all know that...
Quarter note duration (being very popular) is 'selected automatically' as one enters note entry mode. In a 2/4 time signature, clicking on the measure rest forthwith and entering a note name will produce note followed by quarter rest - but the OP wanted rest followed by note.
(Yes, yes, yes.. the rest should have been entered first as a zero -- but that did not happen. Not the first time, either.)

To expound further...
My point is that a WSIWYG mouse clicker may not fully grasp that the measure rest 'glyph' -- which populates a brand new blank score -- represents 2 quarter durations (in 2/4 time sig).
So, being that quarter duration is (automatically) selected upon note entry mode, if a WYSIWYG mouse clicker saw two quarter rest glyphs displayed (as opposed to a single full measure glyph) and they wanted the quarter note to fall on the second beat (what the OP wanted), they would visually gravitate to the second quarter rest (inferred as a placeholder for where they want the note). Clicking on that rest and entering the notename produces rest + note -- the desired outcome.

(BTW... I am not proposing any changes to note entry.)

Reply

• Jun 29, 2021 - 15:59

But if they wanted a measure rest at the start of that stave they wouldn't have one by default. They (and everyone else) would have two quarter rests and we would get questions like "Why can't I have a measure rest in the first measure?".

How would your suggestion work if the user wanted a three eighth note pick up. Or the last two notes of a triplet? You can't have the rests divided up every possible way.

If a user wants a rest at the start of a measure, it seems reasonable to me that they should put one there, just as they would enter a quarter note on beat one, then a quarter rest on beat two and a quarter note on beat three if that is what they want.

Reply

• Jun 30, 2021 - 01:54

What happened was...I'm trying to enter a solo guitar version of an excerpt of the first Movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (in A minor). The notes of the first measure are all E; one eighth note and two quarter notes. The measure begins with a rest. But when I entered the eighth note, the rest was already past the note. That's why I asked for help.

Reply

• Jun 30, 2021 - 03:28

OK... So you clicked on the rest and entered an eighth note (I thought perhaps it was a quarter) saw the note followed by a rest and wanted to switch them. (Many others have done the same.)

Anyway, be aware that rests are entered just like notes -- only instead of typing the letter name of a note, number 0 (zero) is used.
So, if an eighth rest is needed at the beginning of a measure, that's what gets entered.

Thanks for the follow up. User input is always welcome.
In fact, talking about rests, years ago the toolbar icon for rest was a quarter rest glyph. On occasion people would ask where the eighth rest (or other) could be found. Consequently, the current icon was created.

Regards, and welcome aboard.

Reply

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.