Slashes

There are two kinds of slashes, or hash marks, used to indicate improvised chording or comping. If you want to indicate ad lib comping, but you don’t require a specific rhythm, you can let SongWriter fill the measures with stemless slashes, spaced according to the time signature (four slashes in a 4/4 measure, for example, at right in the figure below). If you want to indicate a specific rhythm of comping, SongWriter can turn the noteheads of any passage into slashes, still beamed and stemmed (at left in the figure below).

You can also create a passage of mixed normal notation and slash notation.

To create ‘comping’ slashes

1. Click the Staff tool  , and select the measures in which you want slashes to appear. See Selecting music for some region-selecting shortcuts.
2. From the Staff Menu, choose Apply Alternate Notation. The Apply Alternate Notation dialog box appears.
3. Select Rhythmic or Slash Notation and click OK. Slash Notation hides all the music and replaces it with evenly-spaced hash marks. The number of hash marks is determined by the bottom number of the time signature. Rhythmic Notation turns the music into beamed and stemmed slashes, all on the middle line of the staff. See Alternate Notation dialog box for more information.
4. Click OK (or press enter). Any music that was in the selected region is now hidden; to restore it, choose the measures again, then choose Clear Staff Styles from the Staff Menu.

To combine notes with rhythmic notation slashes on one staff

1. For each beat where you’ll want a slash, enter any pitch; we’ll convert them to slashes next so what counts are the rhythms.
2. Click the Staff tool  , and select the notes that will contain slashes. See Selecting Music - To select part of a measure for more information.
3. From the Staff Menu, choose Apply Alternate Notation. The Apply Alternate Notation dialog box appears.
4. Select Rhythmic Notation, and click OK. See Alternate Notation dialog box for more information.

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