Setting out bars

• Feb 16, 2024 - 14:09

Hi
I'm new to MuseScore and am getting on pretty well but there are just a few things I'm struggling with. and would be grateful for help please:
1. At the beginning of a piece I sometimes have a single note in a bar before going on to the main piece . . . how can I do this and not have rests filling up the remainder of the bar ?
2. Following on from point 1, at the end of the piece (let's say its in 4/4 time) I only want 3 beats in the last bar, not 4 and a space. How can I do that ?
3. I can't for the life of me see how to insert a dotted minim (ie 3 beats). I know its possible but I can't find how to do it !
4. Lastly, how can I adjust the layout of the bars ? I'd like to force a new line without the bars strecthing out to fill a whole line (left-justified is what I want).
Thanks


Comments

Item 1 and 2:
Right-click on the measure - select Measure Properties - and change the actual measure duration to 1/4 or 1/8, for example, depending on what you want for the first or last measure. You will then see a light gray minus sign indicating that the measure is shorter than the time signature specifies. If you do this later: the measure will be shortened from the right, even if there is already a note on beat 4. So be careful!
The upbeat can also be defined when setting up the score.

Item 3:
Choose the minim duration (key 6) and press the dot on your keyboard.

Item 4:
Use a horizontal frame. Select the measure which should be on the next line and add the frame. You can modify the lenght of the frame (drag the little square) and you can select the frame and press 'Return' to force the next measure to the next line.

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