Courtesy Time Signatures
I don't understand the purpose for Courtesy Time Signatures. Why did they appear? And how can I prevent these from appearing going forward?
Thank you.
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Comments
Courtesy time signatures (and key signatures) are to assure the musician realizes the change that is about to take place at the beginning of the next line. If you play an instrument and sight read, you REALLY appreciate them.
There is no universal style to suppress them, but it's not too difficult to turn off all of the existing ones at once. Right click the time signature of your choice and choose Select>All similar items. Then, in the Inspector, remove the check from Show Courtesy. If "Show courtesy" is blue, click the check box so there is a check then again so there is no check.
I highly recommend you don't do that in music you want anyone to read, however. There is a reason the rules of notation require them - otherwise there is very little chance anyone will notice the time change.
However, if it isn't actually a piece of music but perhaps a worksheet where each line is totally different exercise, then you might indeed not want them. You actually can prevent them from showing up at all, just go to Format / Style / Page and turn off the appropriate option.
In reply to I highly recommend you don't… by Marc Sabatella
I missed the page option in the style menu for turning on and off courtesy items.
Another way to suppress them is to use a section break. It is not normal to show the key and time signatures in the next movement or exercise so using a section break from the breaks and spacers palette suppresses the courtesy items. As Marc said, the tool you use depends upon the purpose of your score.