Bar count for cued bars

• Jul 8, 2018 - 14:50

I have looked for an answer to this, but haven't found it.
I am transcribing an orchestral part which has quite extensive cuing (a trombone part).
In the original there are bar numbers for these - which is helpful - but I haven't found a simple method in MuseScore.
I have used adding text, but have to add each bar number separately, and I have used lyrics to add the bar numbers. This is a bit more convenient, but the numbers can't be added to the rests - which is to be preferred so that the count ends up in the middle of the bar. I also had to change the lyric setting so that it appeared above the stave (I used a vertical setting of -4, which is OK but not perfect). But sometimes it would be easier to have the numbers below the stave. This can be done, but only individually to each number.
I'd find it really useful if there were two settings for adding empty, but cued, bar numbers that related to the rest, and could be place above or below the stave - according to convenience.
Any better answers?

Attachment Size
AddBarNumbersAndCueNotes.JPG 32.71 KB

Comments

Lyrics are the easiest way to accomplish this. To make some above and some below use odd number lyrics for the more common one and even numbered lyrics for the other one. To get to lyric 2, press ctrl+L then enter. In the text styles, the even and odd lyrics are independently adjustable.

In reply to by mike320

Thank you - that was a remarkably quick response!
I'm afraid I thought the the even and odd lyrics (which I had found, and changed both to -4) referred to pages (which doesn't really make sense).
I've just tried, and the result is that the bar count is automatically above the stave if the vertical offset is negative, which is how I've arranged the Even setting. However, if I press a space (as one does when adding lyrics), the number reverted to the Odd position, below the stave and had to be altered after each entry.
So it would still be handy if the "lyrics" stayed at the same level after every new "word". The preferred location depends on the cued notes - if high on the stave, it's good to have them below the stave, and vice versa.
Perhaps I'm still missing something! I'll keep trying.

In reply to by KMKelsey

I went brain dead for a moment there. You correctly pointed out the problem with using lyrics, you can't put one on a rest. I suspect the problem is that when you press space and encounter a rest, the process falls apart. Negative numbers move the text above the top line of the staff and positive numbers move it below the top line of the staff.

There really is no easy way to automatically center a number above as measure unless the measure is full of whole notes, then the lyrics method works very good. As a work around, you could put an invisible not played whole note in voice 3 and attach lyrics to that in the appropriate voice. Notes can be marked invisible and not played in the inspector (F8).

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