Looking for a procedural tip changing time signatures

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chuckpuckett
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:44 pm
Sibelius Version: 7.5.1
Operating System: Windows

Post by chuckpuckett » Sun Mar 21, 2021 6:02 pm

Okay, here’s something that happens not infrequently when I’m writing (or editing). Say I’m in 4/4 (90% of the time, that’s true). I’ve written lots of measures, then go back and realize that what I really needed at one point was a measure of 2/4, and I need to chop out out a half measure. That’s the most common situation, although adding a 1/4 (or making something 5/4) also happens.

Out of ignorance, and constrained to the buttons and commands I’ve grown accustomed to, I have approached this in a couple of ways, all unsatisfactory.
  • Change the measure before the cut to 2/4, cut what needs’ cutting, then put it back to 4/4 and clean up the resulting mess
  • Insert a 4/4 marker just after the offending measure (to act as a wall against changing the rest of the score after), then change the measure before to 2/4, then cut the bad measure I want to cut, then put it back to 4/4, delete the (now) extraneous 4/4 marker, and (again) clean up the mess.
Surely there is a more elegant way to accomplish this. I suppose number one on THAT hit parade would be to recognize as I’m writing that I need a 2/4 or a 6/4 or a 5/4 or whatever at. the point I actually needed it. But, as my old dad used to say, hindsight is 20/20.

I welcome all useful procedural tips. Thanks!
Chuck Puckett
Against stupidity, the gods themselves strive in vain.
I don’t want to steal the show. I only want to borrow it for a while.


MikeLyons
Posts: 1631
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2016 7:20 pm
Sibelius Version: Ult. 2024.3.1/7.5
Operating System: Windows

Post by MikeLyons » Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:52 pm

Select just the bar with the new TS, no need to mess about with other ways. Sib, depending on version, will put in the 2/4, follow it with a 4/4 and allow you to delete the 1/2 bar you don't want.

The other examples you cite are a lot harder.
Sib 6.2, 7.5 and 2023.6, Windows 11, 32GB RAM, 16TB 7200RPM Storage, 2TB SSD, Note Performer 3.3.2, EWQLSO, EWQLSC, Harmony Assistant and some others. mike@mike-lyons.co.uk

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