Can I remove all bar lines and still add notes?
To compose/practice the basics of melodic contour, devoid of rhythmic value (think Cantus Firmus), I require the ability to remove all bar lines and be able to add whole notes indefinitely and enter a bar line as needed between these uninterrupted lines of whole notes.
I noticed that this might not be possible in MuseScore, is that right or am I missing some option?
I can do this in Dorico 5 SE (added a screenshot), but since it's the free version, I cannot control the engraving and am limited to automatic spacing of the notes. There's a %50 discount ongoing, and was thinking about buying Doric 5 Pro, but if it's possible to do this in MuseScore, I'd pass.
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Comments
There is more than one way to do this:
a) retain a (hidden) 4/4 time signature and make all barlines invisible except at the end of each line
b) change the time signature to match the number of beats required in a line
c) don't change the time signature, but instead change the Bar Properties duration to the required number of beats for the line
[EDIT - thanks to SteveBlower for the following method]
d) And yet another way is to enter the notes using insert mode. In this mode, measures expand their duration to accommodate the motes as you enter them.
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/alternative-note-input-methods
The example below uses the first technique (invisible barlines).
![Hidden_barlines.png]( "Hidden_barlines.png")
Right-click a single barline, then Select > Similar, press V to toggle all barlines to invisible.
Then manually select each barline at the end of a system, press V to toggle to visible.
For the screenshot, I disabled View > Show >Show invisible :
In reply to There is more than one way… by DanielR
Thank you very much Daniel for the prompt response and for even providing a file as an example!
I will try out these options for sure. In the meantime, I experimented, clicking everything I could, and found that most everything I require is possible in MuseScore (and so much more besides), and the learning curve is 1/4th of Dorico's...
Honestly, it blows my mind that this software is free, the engraving capabilities (for what I need), blow Dorico 5 Pro (Pro!) out of the water in comparison, and that software would have cost me about 580 Euros full price.
Apologies, I got excited and wanted to praise this tool...
Thanks again.
In reply to There is more than one way… by DanielR
This is a great workaround for cantus firmus, but is it possible to remove bar lines entirely in other contexts? I am trying to transcribe a piece from Central Asia, where there is a steady pulse but no measures per se, just phrases of different length beats. One workaround I'm trying is to customize each measure length with the correct number of beats, but I'm running into issues with spacing, with it being too cramped or too spread out on a given line, depending on how "busy" the melody is at that point.
For more context, I have a book of the music that is no longer in print, and the publisher is long gone. I have tried to scan the book and import but have had a rough time adjusting and editing for this unusual context, so now I am trying to enter by hand to see if it's any faster. I have attached one page of the scanned book for some idea of what I'm working with.
Thanks in advance for any advice or ideas!
In reply to This is a great workaround… by katiefiddler
By the way, I did find this help page, but it seems that following the advice for version 2+ still spaces the music as though it were following some hidden measure setting. Any ideas how to make it look like the image on the top of the link below? Thanks!
https://musescore.org/en/node/24449
In reply to By the way, I did find this… by katiefiddler
Another way is to enter the notes the usual way and then use Tools > Measures > Join selected measures. I haven’t tried it yet myself but I would just have regular bar lengths, say 4/4, and use CTRL+I to insert the odd extra beat if I wanted to avoid a tie over a bar line. It also has the advantage that you can easily choose where to place the line breaks.
In reply to Another way is to enter the… by Brer Fox
And yet another way is to enter the notes using insert mode. In this mode, measures expand their duration to accommodate the motes as you enter them.
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/alternative-note-input-methods
Since you're entering whole notes only just make your music in 4/4 and simply ignore the bar lines. Then once you're done, make the time signature and bar lines invisible.
For those interested, this is the method I ended up with using:
Using this method, you don't have to hide the measure lines as they simply become the measure lines delineating the different Cantus Firmus lines.
Also, you can adjust how many Cantus Firmus lines appear on a staff by using 'System Breaks' (see screenshot).
I've used MuseScore for only one day now, so I'm sure there are better ways out there, but this works for me.