slurs shorten sometimes for no apparent reason
I'm finding that when I input a slur over, eg 8 notes, and repeat this for eg 4-6 bars (2 slurs per bar of semiquavers/sixteenth notes), sometimes when I return to that section of the piece later on I find that the slurs have shortened to just over two notes instead of the eight that I put it over before, and the other 6 notes are left unmarked. I have no idea if I'm doing something unbeknownst to myself (I'm certainly not shortening each slur deliberately) or if it's something the program is doing unknown to me. I'm also wondering if, when I go to print the individual parts, perhaps the slurs will return to being over eight notes in the printed parts?
Comments
Pleas share the score
I'm guess you shortened them visually only - the slur is still attached to the original note, but made to look shorter. So indeed, if the score layout change,s that adjust, meant probably won't line up right. Best to reset the score then re-adjust properly, so the end point is on the correct note. See the Handbook under Slurs for more info.
If that's not it, then indeed, please attach the score and explain in more detail so we can understand and assist better.
In reply to I'm guess you shortened them… by Marc Sabatella
So I looked up slurs in the handbook, and two things. 1) I didn't see any reference to resetting the score and I don't really know what that means or how to do it.
2) This is possibly important. Having looked at the page on slurs, I realise I haven't been extending slurs as advised in the handbook. What I've been doing is inputting a slur, then clicking on it so that all those empty boxes appear in the slur, then clicking on the box furthest to the right, and pressing the right arrow on the keyboard to (slowly) extend the slur to the note I want it to finish on in the score. Whereas one (much easier) method in the handbook says to input slur, then just shift plus directional arrow. I wonder if my way of extending the slurs means that the program isn't recognising them permanently for some reason?
If this isn't the issue, or if it's still unclear what the issue is without the score being uploaded, then let me know and I'll upload it. Thanks
In reply to So I looked up slurs in the… by ajmu
Yes, that is the issue. Select the slur, press Ctrl+R to reset it to default, then extend it the right way
In reply to Yes, that is the issue… by Jojo-Schmitz
great thanks. Is there any advantage to ctrl+r versus just deleting the slur (I'm going to have to re-do a lot of slurs over various pieces now)?
In reply to So I looked up slurs in the… by ajmu
For the record - it's not that adjusting the length of the slur isn't recognized permanently - it's that this adjustment is recorded in terms of the actual physical amount of the adjustment, but that same adjustment won't be correct if anything about your score changes. If the measure gets narrower, now that adjustment is too much; if the measure gets wider, now it's too little.
Also, the easier way to get the slur right is to simply enter it correctly to begin with - select the range you want to apply to, press "S", done.
One other thing - for the relatively uncommon cases where you do need to move something manually, instead of pressing the cursor key by itself, pressing it with Ctrl moves in larger increments (a full staff space instead of a tenth of a space). So it's both faster to move a given distance, and easier to get a consistently reproducible amount.
In reply to For the record - it's not… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks for all that.