A floating measure must be based on a “real”
measure. For most purposes, then, you’ll need to create a “scratch staff”
on which to notate the actual contents of the ossia measure. You then
choose “hide staff” in the Staff Attributes dialog box (see Hiding staves for
full instructions).
- Choose View > Page View.
- In a scratch staff, enter the music you want
to appear in the floating ossia measure.
- Choose Window > Advanced Tools.
- Click the Ossia tool
.
- Double-click the spot on the page (in Page
View) or double-click the measure to which you want to attach the floating
measure (do not double-click a measure on your scratch staff).
The Ossia Measure Designer dialog box appears.
- Select whether you want a measure or page-attached
ossia.
- Enter the number of the Source Staff and Source
Measure. The Source Staff is the scratch staff, and the Source
Measure is the measure in which you entered the music. (If you don’t know
a staff’s number, click the Staff tool and select the staff’s handle.
Select Staff > Staff Usage. The Staff Number appears in the
resultant dialog box.) If you want to specify a clef other than the default
treble clef, click the Clef Select button; to set a key or time signature,
click Key Signature or Time Signature. You can change the ending barline,
too, by clicking one of the barline types.
- Specify the reduction value by entering a number
in the Scale To box. Generally, 50% to 85% (of full size) looks
good. If there are elements of the scratch staff you don’t want to include
in the floating measure, deselect the appropriate boxes in the Items to
Display section. You can also specify various positioning aspects of the
floating measure, such as the Top or Left Margin; for full descriptions
of these elements, see Ossia
Measure Designer dialog box.
- Click OK (or press ENTER).
The (Page or Measure Assignment) box appears. If you wish, specify horizontal
and vertical coordinates for the measure (in the currently-selected measurement
units). If you’re entering a page-attached ossia, you can also specify
the barline-to-barline width of the floating measure.
- Click OK (or press ENTER).
You return to the document, where the floating measure is in place. If
you’re in Page View, you can drag the measure’s handle immediately to
position the measure. In Scroll View, you have to click the “real” measure
to which you attached it; a handle appears, allowing you to drag the measure
into position.
