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        General >> Melody Assistant / Harmony Assistant >>  Time signatures
        
(Message started by: CarlosAndres on Nov 26^th, 2025, 11:02am)

Title: Time signatures
Post by CarlosAndres on Nov 26^th, 2025, 11:02am

Hello. I want to write this score which has the peculiarity of having staves with different time signatures simultaneously. How can I do it? ???

Title: Re: Time signatures
Post by ANdre_B on Nov 26^th, 2025, 11:49am

Formally, it cannot... since it should not mean anything sensible.

There can be some workarounds, which could be acceptable when the TS' would be somehow compatible. And alternatives in some cases.

Different Time Signatures may also mean different tempo's (tempi?).

To allow us to be positive (and perhaps creative), would you join a written example of something you would like to get?

Title: Re: Time signatures
Post by Oliveira on Nov 26^th, 2025, 12:22pm

Si. Lo mejor es que adjunte un ejemplo de lo que le gustaría hacer y cree que no puede hacerlo en H.A. :)

Title: Re: Time signatures
Post by CarlosAndres on Nov 26^th, 2025, 12:37pm

Thank you for the replies. I've attached an image of what I want to achieve.

Title: Re: Time signatures
Post by ANdre_B on Nov 26^th, 2025, 4:16pm

Carlos,

"Engraved" scores do not face the implementation rules made necessary by music editing software.

What you should decide upon, is your priority:
1. you want a computer score which resembles like twins to the original one; then, do you care that the program plays it correctly, or do you just want to print the result?

2; you want a computer score which plays the original music, even if it alters the look of the score? Has it a value that the score would be easier to read and understand by nowaday's musicians? by training musicians?

My own priority would definitely be the second one. So, I would not hesitate to select a single time signature, taking into account:
- the second and third staves' signatures are practically the same; except for some theoreticians, 12:8 would fit for both (without any change to the notes), and is quite common even with the presence of 16th notes.
ntat
- the first staff (and some bars within the other two, which might actually be 4:4, considering the double time signatures) can easily be made to fit a 12:8, by simply dotting all notes and rests.

If your priority is more like the first option, you would need
- an internal time signature of 4:4
- some graphic only representation of the other signatures
- have the notes be actual triplets with a hidden 3.
Since I haven't done it, and wouldn't, I cannot advise more that just these general lines.

Title: Re: Time signatures
Post by bubu42 on Nov 26^th, 2025, 5:08pm

I gave it a try... I kept the C time as a base, and used tuplets on the second and third staves where I added text elements to the clefs (Stoccata 78 pt) to display the numbers. The size of the clef changes can be adjusted (I used 80%) I added a brace to join the first two staves and a "no symbol" junction between staves #2 and #3. Here is what it looks like.
By the way, it plays fine !