Creating crossed voicings

Often, for example in vocal scoring, you have crossed voicings on one system. You can of course move notes manually into voices to get the stem direction and other note properties right, but there is a quicker way. Let’s explain how to do this by example. Without using polyphonic voicing, you have entered this:

1. Open the Score Settings dialog on the Staff page and select the Polyphonic tab.
2. From the Staff Mode pop-up menu, select Polyphonic.
3. Activate voice 1 and 2 only, and make settings for them as in the picture below.

   

4. Click Apply.

   The staff is in Polyphonic staff mode, but all notes are still in the same voice.

5. Open the Scores menu and select “Explode” from the Functions submenu.
6. In the dialog that appears, select the “To Polyphonic Voices” option and activate “Lines To Tracks”.

   Leave the other options off.

7. Click OK.

   The notes have now been split in two “lines”, each in a separate voice. However, from the middle of the bar, notes that are in voice 1 should be in voice 2 and vice versa.

8. Select the two notes that you want to be moved from voice 1 to voice 2.

   
   

   

   
   

   Figure: Two notes in voice 1 selected.

9. Move the notes to voice 2.

   The quickest way to do this is to press Ctrl/Cmd and click the voice Insert 2 button on the extended toolbar.

   
   

   

   
   

   Figure: Two notes moved to the right voice.

10. Select the two notes that you want to be moved to voice 1 and move them, too.

    

    All notes in the right voices.

Result

The voicing is now correct, as you can tell from the stem directions. However, there is still some work to do on the notes graphical positions and the display of stems and beams for some of the notes. When you have made those adjustments, the score may look like this:

Figure: After making graphical adjustments.