Four Part Harmony on Two Staffs (Treble/Bass)

• Feb 7, 2014 - 19:29

Completed a four part piece with four individual lines for my four voices (soprano/alto/men's tenor/bass) I'm now trying to combine the Treble and Bass Clefs. Using the "exchange voice 1&2" method, the soprano stems (for example) point up, but the alto points down. This makes for a confusing looking piece. Like it to appear like a NORMAL piano composition. Still not sure what a "stave" is. Please try to keep your explanations simple. I am still very new to this. Thanks

Comments

• Feb 7, 2014 - 19:47

"Staves" is the plural of "staff". "Stave": isn't anything, really, but if you see it somewhere, assume someone accidental wrote that instead of "staff".

I can't tell for sure what you are trying to do, though. It sounds like you have a vocal piece - four parts on two staves, written as two voices per staff - and convert it to a piano piece. Thus, you want to combine the notes from voices 1 & 2 into a single voice so they share stems. This is only possible if they have the same rhythm - normal piano music uses opposing stems too when trying to notate independent rhythms on the same staff.

I am not sure if there is a direct way to combine voices into one. You could try the VoiceCaster plugin from the Plugins menu at right of this page to split the music into four separate staves, then using the Implode plugin to combine them again. Depending on how complicated the piece is, it might actually be easier to simply flip the stems on the alto part to make them appear to join the soprano, or vice versa when you need stems down. Or just re-enter it.

Reply

• Feb 7, 2014 - 19:56

Appreciate the feedback. How do I "simply flip" the stems?

My composition is a Hymn. Wrote the four parts on four different Staffs (two treble, two bass). I'm trying to put my song in a basic Hymnal format or a basic four part piano composition.

Thank you again.

Reply

• Feb 7, 2014 - 21:13

Thanks Michael, but every Hymnal I've ever used is not as you describe. Understand the though, but I'd prefer to have the stems pointing the same way, except when the vocal lines differ in either words or beat. I do believe that if the beat and the words are the same in a hymnal, the stems will normally point in the same direction.

Reply

• Feb 8, 2014 - 12:08

The hymnals you are using then are not standard, but of inferior quality as produced by many American publishers during the late nineteenth century - as I commented there are many questionable music engraving practices to be found in old hymnals.

I refer you to Hymns Ancient & Modern, and New English Hymnal, and the Kevin Mayhew editions of Hymns Old & New to see the proper way of formatting hymntunes - even Redemption Hymnal largely adheres to this way of formatting.

It is done this way so it is absolutely clear which part sings what - having stems jumping direction all the time leads to confusion.

Hymnals a formatted in this way for the benefit of singers, and was standardised as far back as the 18th century.

Reply

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.