Alternate Notation dialog box

How to get there

Choose the Staff tool . The Staff menu appears.
Choose Staff > Edit Staff Attributes or Define Staff Styles. The Staff Attributes dialog box or the Staff Styles dialog box appears, respectively.
Beside the Alternate Notation checkbox, click Settings.

What it does

This dialog box allows you to fill the selected staff with one of several alternative notation styles, such as slashes, measure repeats, or blank measures. Alternate notation applied as a Staff Attribute will affect the entire staff.

Tip: You can also apply alternate notation to portions of staves using Staff Styles. Alternate notation applied as a Staff Style will affect only the selected region.

Slash Notation • Add dots to slashes in compound meters. Select this alternate notation style to fill every measure with one slash per beat. In cut time, for example, there would be two slashes per bar. If you want a dot after the slash in compound meters, such as 6/8, check the Add dots to slashes in compound meters checkbox. Slash notation is useful for indicating that the player is to "comp," or improvise, a part with an unspecified rhythm.
Rhythmic Notation • Stems up. Select this alternate notation style to convert every note or chord to a stemmed slash. All slashes are centered on the middle staff line, and all stems point down unless you check the Stems up checkbox. Use this form of slash notation when the player is to "comp" or improvise in a specific rhythm. See the Document Options - Alternate Notation dialog box for changing rhythmic notation character positioning settings.
Blank Notation. Choose this option to hide all music in the selected staves. If View > Show > Hidden Notes and Rests is selected, any notes in the selected staff will appear gray but will not print. The advantage to this option is that anything attached to the notes in the selected layer—such as lyrics—remain in view. This feature opens up many notational possibilities, such as lyrics beneath blank measures.
One-Bar Repeat(s). Select this alternate notation style to hide whatever music is already in the measures and instead, display the one-bar repeat symbol, indicating that the player is to repeat the contents of the previous measure. See Staff Styles to apply one-bar repeats to selected measures.
Two-Bar Repeat(s). Select this alternate notation style to hide whatever music is already in a pair of measures and instead, display the two-bar repeat symbol, indicating that the player is to repeat the contents of the previous two measures. See the Document Options - Alternate Notation dialog box for changing the vertical positioning of the number. See Staff Styles to apply two-bar repeats to selected measures.
Blank Notation with Rests. Choose this option to hide all music in the selected staves and display rests instead. This option is useful when using multiple voices in a linked part that display, for example, a single note to specify a tutti (both or all players) section in some measures and a solo in others. Use this alternate notation style in a Staff Style to temporarily change extra notes to rests for printing.
Normal Notation. Choose this option to display the selected staff in standard music notation.
Apply To: [Layer] • Show: [Articulations • Lyrics • Expressions • Smart Shapes]. Use the Apply To dropdown menu to choose which layer you would like the alternate notation applied. Select from the Show checkboxes to display various items attached to notes in the selected layer.
All Layers • Show: [Chords • Fretboards]. Chords and fretboards are attached to the beat and not a specific layer. Select these checkboxes to display chords and/or fretboards.
Other Layers • Show: [Notes • Lyrics • Articulations • Smart Shapes • Expressions]. Similar to the checkboxes in the Apply To section, but these options apply to the layers without alternate notation.
OK • Cancel. Click OK (or press ENTER) to confirm, or Cancel to discard, the changes you’ve made and return to the Staff Attributes dialog box or the Staff Styles dialog box.