Bar repeat counts

Bar repeat counts are numbers shown at regular intervals either above or below bar repeats, to help players keep track of how many bars have passed. The intervals are usually based on typical musical phrases, such as every four or eight bars.

Note

Bar repeat counts are only shown on one-bar repeat regions.

Because bar repeats must start with a fully notated phrase of at least one bar, the bar repeat count starts from the notated bar rather than the first bar in the bar repeat region. For example, the third bar in a bar repeat region shows the count number 4, as that bar is the fourth time the original notated bar is played. Each bar repeat region has its own separate count.

Figure 1. Bar repeat region with counts shown every four bars

In Dorico Elements, you can change the start count of each bar repeat region, how frequently bar repeat counts are shown, and whether they are parenthesized.