Bar numbers

• Apr 20, 2012 - 16:24

Following a 1st/2nd time bar, the next bar is numbered as if the 1st and 2nd time bars count as one bar each. For example, the first bar of a new phrase after a repeated four-bar phrase where 1st time bar is played first time, and 2nd time bar when repeating, will be numbered bar 6. Is it possible to renumber as bar 5, or should I switch off bar number facility? (Thank you to Musescore Team. I am finding the programme very useful).


Comments

In reply to by joy.slade@ntlw…

BTW, you are of course free to notate however you like, but do be aware that what you are proposing is definitely *not* standard behavior. Measures in voltas are almost invariably counted in published music. Otherwise, you,lack the ability to reference those measures uniquely in rehearsal, which is the whole point of measure numbers.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

According to this essay (5.4, it's a good practice to put the same number on the second volta (and so to omit it) and to denote the different measures with a and b for example. When you extract the parts and the music is the same below the two voltas for a given part, you can then use a double bar, and measure numbers are the same.

In reply to by [DELETED] 5

I think this is already evolving as music has gone away from hand-written and hand-typeset to computer-drafted. Originally it made sense to have bars numbered, say, 44(1) and 44(2) or 44A and 44B to avoid clashes with parts for instrument where there are no voltas (just simple repeat bars). But I remember even 30 years ago seeing pieces for, say, third cornet where the bars under |1------ and |2--------| were identical or even empty and wondering why anyone would bother to do this. Then it was pointed out to me that the conductor's score would have this for all parts if even just one repeat had the voltas and that the numbers weren't for the sake of counting bars but to uniquely identify each bar and that giving a bar a number was easier than saying "4th bar after [B]". At least in MuseScore you can choose whether to have the bars counted "extra" (default) or not.

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