IWBNI there were a setting that could be used to specify the default minimum horizontal space to be allowed before clef changes independently of the specified minimum distance between items. Here, "clef change" means a mid-measure clef or a clef that is placed immediately before the right barline of a measure. As it is now, if the option Avoid Collision of Clefs is selected on the Music Spacing Options dialog box and music is respaced, clef changes are positioned so that the minimum space before a clef is equal to the value specified in the text box Minimum Distance Between Items on the Music Spacing Options dialog box.

This could be implemented by adding the following controls to the Default Clef Change section of the Notation Options dialog box:

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Notation Options Dialog Box

Default Clef Change:

Minimum Space Before a Clef Change that Precedes a:
  Barline: _____
  Accidental: _____
  Stemmed Eighth Rest: _____
  Other Stemmed Rest: _____
  Otherwise: _____
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If the option Avoid Collision of Clefs is selected on the Music Spacing Options dialog box and music is respaced, clef changes would be positioned so that the minimum space before a clef would be Barline, Accidental, Stemmed Eighth Rest, or Other Stemmed Rest, if the first item that follows the clef is a barline, accidental, stemmed eighth rest, or a stemmed rest other than an eighth rest, respectively, and Otherwise for all other cases. In each case, the space before a clef would be measured as the horizontal white space that exists between the right edge of the item that precedes the clef and the left edge of the clef.

Note: A multitude of options have been proposed because some prefer to have the minimum space before a given clef be a function of the amount of space after the clef and for some, the amount of space used after a clef is a function of the type of item that follows the clef. For a related suggestion, see Suggestion 648: A Setting for the Default Space After a Mid-measure Clef.

Note: In many cases the actual space before a clef change will be larger than the specified minimum value. When music is respaced, clef changes are placed within the space that is allocated for the note that precedes the clef. The minimum value is used in the case when the duration of the preceding note is short and as a result, the space allocated for the preceding note is small. In this case, additional space is added after the preceding note to provide sufficient space for the clef.

Created: July 14, 2000
Last Updated: July 16, 2000 (added options for cases barline, accidental, stemmed eighth rest, other stemmed rest)
Version: Finale 2000b