Shorten length of final system
As I finish up my score, I noticed that the final system of music is stretched to fit the full width of the page. However, that stretches the notes very far apart relative to the previous systems in the score. Is there a way to make the final system not stretch across the entire page, so that the notes can be similar to their spacing in the previous systems? I tried changing the "last system filled threshold" in the Page Settings, but it didn't do anything significant.
Comments
append a horizontal frame and size that to your needs
In reply to append a horizontal frame… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thank you for the advice but ... what is a horizontal frame and where do I find it? I'm still fairly new at this.
In reply to Thank you for the advice but… by SisterM
1 year and 3 months is not exactly new ;-)
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/frames
Also see https://musescore.org/en/handbook/layout-and-formatting#style-edit-gene… esp. Last System Theshold
In reply to see https://musescore.org/en… by Jojo-Schmitz
Okay, it worked! I selected the last measure and chose "append horizontal frame," then I increased the width until the music looked correct again. Thank you very much!
BTW, "last system fill threshold" does do something significant, and could also be a solution. As the name implies, this is a threshold - if the last system is more full than this, it stretches to fill the page, otherwise it doesn't. So the way to keep your system from stretching is to make sure it doesn't exceed the threshold - raise the threshold to 100%, for instance.
In reply to BTW, "last system fill… by Marc Sabatella
Last system fill threshold does nothing with 4.2.1 version.
In reply to Last system fill threshold… by pmusso
Update to 4.4.4 first.
In reply to Last system fill threshold… by pmusso
It does, but maybe it doesn't work the way you assume. It's a threshold setting, not a width setting. So as noted, 100% is the way to get the last system to not stretch.
But indeed, 4.2.1 is pretty old, best to update - hundreds of bugs have been fixed since then, plus quite a few new features and other improvements.
In reply to It does, but maybe it doesn… by Marc Sabatella
I'm trying to do this simple thing, common to every musical score. Move the final double bar measure to the left to the appropriate size so that I don't have the big last system with only two bars. The threshold adjustment makes them too small to the left. Picture attached.
In reply to I'm trying to do this simple… by pmusso
Append a horizontal frame and adjust its width. See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/systems-and-horizontal-spacing#hori…
In reply to Append a horizontal frame… by SteveBlower
Which was my first reply in this thread
..
In reply to Which was my first reply in… by Jojo-Schmitz
But reading threads is for wimps ;-)
In reply to I'm trying to do this simple… by pmusso
Format / Page / Last system fill threshold
Increase the threshold to make it less likely to fill the system. 50-75% should do the job for your particular measures.
When the measures no longer fill the entire system, they will decrease in size to exactly the space required by the current settings for the notes, rests, and other notation. If you think that is too close together, select both measures and click on Format / Stretch / Increase layout stretch until it looks like you want it.
In reply to Format / Page / Last system… by TheHutch
This works also. Or use the shortcut “}” to increase stretch, or increase the width of the selected measures in the Appearance section of Properties.
To me this approach is a little ”scarier” than the frame approach because it relies on some settings you can’t see in your score and if the layout of your score changes so those measures are no longer all by themselves on that final system, you’ll need to remember to reset that stretch. It’s not a deal breaker, but between that and just being more steps, I tend to prefer the frame method.
In reply to This works also. Or use the… by Marc Sabatella
I don't change the stretch. OP had said something about the measures being too compact. (Ridiculous, but his opinion.)
In reply to I don't change the stretch… by TheHutch
No, it’s quite normal that if you don’t crease the threshold to disable the last system fill, the result is very measures that are noticeably narrower than the rest of your score. That’s because everything else in your score is stretched to fill the system. It typically requires only a small amount, but if you are adding g breaks every four bars as is common, then many of those measures will be quite wide for their contents, whereas that unfilled last system won’t be.
In reply to Adjust the "Last system… by johndavid9880
where is this setting?
In reply to where is this setting? by pmusso
In Format> Style ...
In reply to where is this setting? by pmusso
If you mean the horizontal frame, it’s not a “setting” - it’s something you add to your score. Since you want it at the end of your score, you want Add / Frames / Append horizontal frame. Then just drag the handle to make it wider, which in turn makes the other measures on the system narrower.
In reply to If you mean the horizontal… by Marc Sabatella
Thank you so much. I see now.