How can you create a brace over 4 systems?
Because I want to create the score of Rachmaninoff Prelude C sharp minor (Op.3 No. 2), I need to be able to somewhere in the piece a part where instead of using a grand staff (a brace over 2 systems) a brace over 4 systems. Because I know it must be possible (I saw on https://musescore.com/user/33306646/scores/6177451 at measure 45), I want to know how to do it on my own. And do I need Musescore 3.6.2. or can I create it with MuseScore 4.2? I tried the procedure form the hand book for both version 3 and 4, either did not work.
I can change the brace from one system to 2 systems, or from2 systems to 1 system, but not from 2 systems to 4. What is the way to do it?
Comments
Braces (or brackets as they are called in the Musescore handbook) connect staves rather than systems.
You can add them from the Brackets palette.
You can drag the endpoints to include whatever staves you want to include within a system.
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/brackets
In reply to Braces (or brackets as they… by SteveBlower
For MuseScore 4.2.1-240230938 on Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
Neither options:
1. Select the bracket, click on the adjustment handle, and drag it to the desired position.
2. Select the bracket, click on the adjustment handle, and press Shift+↑/↓ to move it from staff to staff.
3. Alter "Span" in the Properties panel.
Does work for me to alter a grand staff, to a situation where 3 or 4 staves have 1 Bracket.
I am doing something wrong, or is it a bug on Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS?
I only can (with option 3 of above), create a bracket with 2 staves to a bracket with 1 stave, but no bracket with a span >2.
In reply to For MuseScore 4.2.1… by cx1964
Without seeing your version of the score I have to base my advice on guesswork, but here goes.
I think what you are looking for is something like this.
You want 2 piano staves for most of the score and 4 piano staves only for some measures. You also want a brace (curly bracket) to join either 2 staves in systems where there are only 2 or 4 staves where there are 4.
You need to have two piano instruments in your score.
Before entering any music you should see something like this
![TwoPianos 2 Braces.png]()
Click on the brace on piano 2 and delete it
Click on the brace on piano 1 and drag the handle at the bottom to reach the bottom of the lower stave in piano 2.
Enter the music leaving piano 2 empty when not needed
In Format>Style Score, tick Hide empty staves within systems and untick Don't hide empty staves in first system. Like this
If I have guessed incorrectly what you are trying to achieve, please come back and explain in more detail what you are trying to do and attach your score (the .mscz) that you are are having difficulty with.
In reply to Without seeing your version… by SteveBlower
Thank you for this information. Yes that is what I want. But I have still two silly questions, which I can not solve on my own, because I can not find it in the handbook of version4. I just found out how to create a score with 2 piano parts. But how, can I manage that piano part only is created between measure 14 and 20? And if you have a existing score, how can I on a specific part of that score insert a second piano part with a specific amount of measures?
In reply to Thank you for this… by cx1964
Both instruments must be present throughout the score (see point 1 above). The staves are hidden when they are not used, i.e. when they are empty (see point 6 above).
In reply to Both instruments must be… by SteveBlower
Yes, thanks again. It works :)