Lines
The Lines palette of the Advanced workspace contains the following lines:
As you can see, the palette includes: Slurs, Hairpins, Volta brackets, Octave lines, and many others.
Applying lines to the score
Most lines (except Slurs, Volta brackets and the Ambitus) can be applied from a palette in the following ways:
To apply a line to just one note
- Click on a note, then Ctrl+Click on the next note;
- In a palette, click on a line (double-click in versions prior to 3.4).
To apply a line across a range of notes
To apply a line from a note to the end of that measure
Use any of the following methods:
- Click on a note, then, in a palette, click on a line (double-click the latter in versions prior to 3.4).
- Drag and drop a line onto the score.
To apply a line across a range of measures
- Select one or more measures;
- In a palette, click on a line (double-click in versions prior to 3.4).
To repeatedly apply the same line
To efficiently apply the same item again, such as adding end to end pedal marks to a piano phrase, setup and use a keyboard shortcut, see Palettes.
Lines and playback properties
Some lines, such as Hairpins, Voltas, Ottavas etc., also have an effect on the playback of the score itself. Each end handle is connected by a dotted line to an anchor on the staff (visible in Edit mode). These anchors indicate the extent of the playback effect.
Adjust vertical position
In Normal mode, apply one of the following methods:
- Click on one or more lines and change the vertical offset in the Inspector;
- Click on a line, press and hold Shift and drag it up/down with a mouse.
Note: You can also adjust the vertical position in Edit mode.
Change length
Note: The following two methods move the end of the line and its anchor together. This ensures that correct playback of the score is maintained (if applicable), and that the line can be extended between systems if required.
Using keyboard shortcuts
- Enter Edit mode and click on an end handle;
- Apply one of the following shortcuts:
- Shift+→ to move the end handle, and its anchor, to the right by one note (or, in the case of Voltas, one measure)
- Shift+← to move the end handle, and its anchor, to the left by one note (or, in the case of Voltas, one measure);
By dragging (as of version 3.5)
- Click on the end handle of a line and drag it with the mouse.
Fine adjustment
To make fine adjustments to the position of the line end (without changing the position of the anchor):
- Enter Edit mode and click on an end handle;
- Apply one of the following shortcuts:
- → to move the handle right by 0.1 sp (1 sp = one staff space = the distance between two staff lines).
- ← to move the handle left 0.1 sp.
- Ctrl+→ (Mac: Cmd+→) to move the handle right one sp.
- Ctrl+← (Mac: Cmd+→) to move the handle left one sp.
Text lines
A text line is a line that has text embedded within it—such as a volta, ottava, guitar barre line etc.
When you apply a text line to the score from a palette, the line properties always remain unchanged, but the text properties may, under certain circumstances, assume those of the current style for text lines. For details, see Behavior of applied text and lines.
Custom lines
Any line in the score can be customized by adjusting its properties in the Inspector, as follows:
- Select the line;
- If line hooks are needed, make a selection from Begin hook, End hook and Height (in the Text Line Core section);
- To add text, tick Begin Text, Continue Text or End Text, then type in the "Text" box:
- Begin: Text added here appears at the beginning of the line;
- Continue: Text added here appears at the beginning of a continuation line (in the next system, if any);
- End: Text added here appears at the end of the line;
- Edit text properties and alignment as required;
- Edit Placement: "Above" or "Below" sets the text so that it is on the line. "Left" places the text to the left of the line;
- Make adjustments to the line color, thickness and style (solid, dashed etc.) in the Line section. The Diagonal option allows you to create a diagonal line by dragging the end handles;
- To save the result for future use, see Custom palettes.
Copying lines
Once applied to the score, lines cannot be copied using the usual copy and paste procedures. However, you can duplicate lines within a score:
- Press and hold Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift), click on the line and drag it to the desired location.
Extended ornament lines
To add an accidental to an extended ornament (e.g. a trill line), select the line and click on a symbol in the Accidentals palette (double-click in versions prior to 3.4).
External links
- Piano pedal marks at Wikipedia
- Guitar Barre at Wikipedia