Changing instrumentation
I wish to end one movement and start another, with completely different instrumentation.
Movement 1 = SQ + oboe
Movement 2 = String Trio + Voices
How do I do this - do I use a section break? I tried a section break, but can't edit the list of instruments / voices without it affecting all the score.
Comments
In general, if you wish to do this all in one file, you add all the instruments you want and just leave their staves empty in the movements where they aren't used. Then enable hid empty staves. For cases like this where the movements are completely unrelated in instrumentation, might be simpler to just have them as separate scores and export them as PDF and join those using a separate tool for that. Depends on your specific score and your specific goals.
In reply to In general, if you wish to… by Marc Sabatella
It's a shame that it isn't possible to have some form of ability to enter a wholesale change of instruments at a point in the score rather than have to hide instruments rather artificially. A cleaner solution, ne c'est pas?
In reply to It's a shame that it isn't… by Ali Wood
Could be cleaner for some specific scores indeed. For others, a single global hide empty staves option is already the cleanest possible method. Especially if you consider the possibility of changing your mind about using oboe in the first movement or cello in the second, etc - much simpler if all the instruments are always available to use, but only the ones actually used appear, no need to manually add or delete them movement by movement.
If you attach your score and describe your use case in more detail, we can help see if there are other methods that make more sense for your specific score. Every case is different, that’s why it’s difficult to design one-size-fits-all solutions or give equally generic advice.
In reply to Could be cleaner for some… by Marc Sabatella
I am familiar with the idea of hiding empty staves, and I could do it that way, but sense that that is a "dirtier" (and I don't really mean that!) way of handling it. I speak partly with a software designer hat on.
The use case I have in mind is a score with disparate instruments featuring in different sections, and my illustration lacked an attachment because I have only just embarked upon such a project. I suppose a real life example that you will be familiar with is Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, where the disparity is extreme.
My project as far as it's worth saying is a workspace where I am experimenting with different colours for different sections and the music is indeed quite different - not only do I have changes of instrument but at the same time changes of time signature and mood - almost separate pieces, but NOT separate in the presentation.
During the experimentation I am constantly changing the instruments or voices with the intention of settling on a particular combination, and a large palette of instruments it is.
SO if at the start of each "section" or "variation" I was able to explicitly specify up front the instruments, and have it completely forget the choice of instruments in the previous section, I would be very happy.
With the current "hide" method, I see a large number of instruments in the left hand column instead of a "clean" picture of just the instruments I am dealing with. Also, during development, if I am sometimes not providing notes for one instrument (although having fully the intention of doing so) I can easily forget my original intention!
The workaround of keeping the score split and merging PDF's is not really an option I'm afraid.