Inputting bars/beats with the popover

You can input bars/beats using the bars and barlines popover, both during note input and by adding them to or inserting them into existing music. For example, if you want to extend a cadenza in an open meter.

Prerequisite

If you want to input bars, you have input a time signature.

Procedure

In Write mode, do one of the following:
- Start note input.
- Select an item at the rhythmic position where you want to add bars/beats. If you want to add bars/beats to specific staves, select items that only belong to those staves.
Optional: During note input, if you want to input notes and notations onto multiple staves, extend the caret to those staves.
Open the bars and barlines popover in any of the following ways:
- Press Shift-B.
- In the Notations toolbox, click Popovers , then Bars and Barlines .
Enter the number of bars/beats you want to input.

For example, enter 2 to input two bars or 2q to input two quarter note beats.
Input the bars/beats and close the popover in one of the following ways:
- To input bars/beats for all staves, press Return.
- To input bars/beats only on the selected staves or staves across which the caret extends, press Alt/Opt-Return.

Result

The number of bars or beats specified is input.

During note input, bars/beats are input from the caret position on all staves across which the caret extends. If the caret is in the middle of the bar when inputting bars, sufficient beats are added to ensure that the final bar created has the correct number of beats.

When you add bars/beats to existing music, they are added after selected barlines and before other selected items, including time signatures.

Tip

Another way to add bars is by choosing a note duration, such as a whole note when in a 4/4 time signature, and pressing Space repeatedly during note input.
You can assign a key command for Add Bar at End of Flow on the Key Commands page in Preferences.