No. 703

A Setting for the Minimum Distance between Hairpins and Barlines

IWBNI there were a setting that could be used to specify the minimum distance to be allowed between the starting or ending point of smart shape hairpins and barlines. As is it now, there is no such setting.

For example, when a hairpin ends just before a dynamic marking that is attached to the first note of a measure that is not the first measure of a system, some prefer to have the hairpin end at some predefined distance before the barline as shown in the following figure:

Also, some also apply this limitation to hairpins that are placed below a staff for which the barline does not extend below the staff as shown in the following figure:

This could be implemented by adding the following controls to the Smart Shape Options dialog box:

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Smart Shape Options Dialog Box
 
 
Hairpin Endpoint Barline Location Minimum Distance between Hairpin and Barline
(EVPUs)
Before Barline After Barline
Right System Interior 9 24
Right System End 7 24
Left System Interior 24 9
Left System End 24 9

[ ] Enforce Below Staves

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The barline location System Interior refers to any barline that is not the first or last barline of the system in which it is contained. The barline location System End refers to any barline that is located at the rightmost extent of the system in which it is contained. The Before Barline (After Barline) distances would be measured as the horizontal distance between a hairpin endpoint and the left (right) edge of a barline.

The option Enforce Below Staves could be selected to specify that the minimum distances should be enforced for the lowest staff of a group or system for which the barline does not cross through and below the lowest staff line of the staff. In this case, distances would be measured to imaginary barlines that project through and below the staff.

A checkbox called Hairpins and Barlines could be added to the Avoid Collision of section of the Music Spacing Options dialog box. If this option is selected, when music is respaced, endpoints of all hairpins would be adjusted as needed, to satisfy the minimum distances specified on the Smart Shape Options dialog box.

Also, a check menu item called Repel Hairpins from Barlines could be added to the SmartShape menu. Selecting and deselecting this menu item would have no affect on existing hairpins. If this menu item is selected, when a hairpin is created that is too close to a barline, the endpoints of the hairpin would be automatically repelled away from barline, either during the process of creation or immediately thereafter, in order to satisfy the minimum distances specified on the Smart Shape Options dialog box.

In any case when a hairpin is adjusted automatically, a right (left) hairpin endpoint that falls too close to a barline would be moved left (right) to be repositioned at the minimum allowable distance before (after) the barline.



Created: August 17, 2000
Last Updated: August 17, 2000
Version: Finale 2000b