Time signatures

To change the time signature

• Click the Time Signature tool  , and double-click the measure where the time will change. The Time Signature dialog box appears.
• Click the scroll bar arrows for the upper and lower numbers until the window displays the desired time signature. The upper scroll bar governs the upper number (beats per measure) of the time signature; the lower one governs the bottom number (the basic rhythmic value) of the time signature.

The way you define your meter is important, because it also governs beaming. In the case of cut time, for example, you should set the scroll bars so that the display shows two half notes, meaning that the eighth notes will be beamed together in groups of four. This is particularly important when you’re working in time or other compound meter; if you “spell” the time signature as a string of six eighth notes, PrintMusic won’t perform any automatic eighth-note beaming, as shown below (top example). If you “spell” it as two dotted quarter notes, however, PrintMusic will beam eighth notes in groups of three (bottom example).

Unless you tell it otherwise, PrintMusic displays the common-time symbol instead of , and the cut-time symbol instead of .

• Specify the range of measures you want to be affected by the meter change.
• Click OK (or press return). You return to the score.

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