Non-Specific Meter (No Time Signature)
Is it possible to have measures that do not have a time signature.
I'm thinking of the case where the music is to be very rubato, where a specific pulse of three-time or four-time really has no meaning. There would be note durations, but of a relative nature, rather than tied to a pulse or metronome.
Comments
Someone may have a better solution, but one way is to simply mark the time signature invisible
In reply to Someone may have a better… by Joshua Pettus
The only problem I see with that is the automatic management of notes and rests. Unless I'm missing something, MuseScore will force me to make the notes and rests conform to a time signature.
In reply to The only problem that I see… by Herb Ray
More ideas here https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/mensural-notation-and-mensurstrich#…
And here
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/pickup-and-non-metered-measures#non…
Or you can create a time signature that gives you long duration measures 100/4 say and work in continuous view.
My favourite when composing is to use the split and join measure commands to adjust measure lengths if I am experimenting with a fluid pulse.
In reply to More ideas here https:/… by SteveBlower
I think that a combination of Joshua's and Steve's suggestions will work: create a large-ish time signature after the fact, so that it fits the passage, and then hide the time signature so as not to give the impression of an intended meter.
Thanks, guys.
In reply to I think that a combination… by Herb Ray
You will probably need to split the measures at some stage in the process as it is unlikely that a 100/4 measure will fit within the page margins. Musescore doesn't autowrap within a single measure, only at measure boundaries.
In reply to You will probably need to… by SteveBlower
Maybe better is you can make individual bar lines themselves invisible too and use invisible custom time signatures to define the groupings. Therefor you can fake a wrap in between measures