Clefs & Signatures settings

Clefs and Signatures settings are only available when Additional Score Options is selected in Advanced preferences.

These settings define the display of clefs and signatures in the score, and other settings.

Figure. Clefs and Signatures settings.

Clefs settings

  • Clefs pop-up menu: Choose between the following clef display parameters: Every Staff, First Staff on Every Page, First Staff on Page 1, and Hide All.

  • “Display warnings at line breaks” checkbox: Causes warning clef changes to be displayed at the end of a staff or staff system (if the actual change is at the beginning of the subsequent staff or staff system).

  • Smaller Clef Changes pop-up menu: Clef changes (whether caused by a change of staff style, or by a new clef inserted from the Part box) can be displayed at a smaller size than the clefs at the beginning of staffs, depending on this setting.

Key and Time Signatures settings

  • Key Signatures pop-up menu: Choose between the following key signature display parameters: Every Staff, First Staff on Every Page, First Staff on Page 1, and Hide All.

  • “Display warnings at line breaks” checkbox: Displays a warning if key signature changes occur at the end of a staff or staff system (if the actual change is at the beginning of the subsequent staff or staff system).

  • “Automatic key transposition” checkbox: Enables the automatic transposition of key signatures in transposing staff styles. It is usually selected. An exception is for the notation of atonal music. If unselected, all sharps and flats are displayed directly with the notes.

    Note: There is a similar option in the Staff Style window (Key parameter), which allows you to turn off the key signature for individual staff styles, or even for individual staffs in multi-staff styles.

  • “Minimize transposed accidentals” checkbox: Allows the use of enharmonically changed key signatures, if this results in a signature with fewer accidentals. For example, if a piece is written in B major (5 sharps), the Bb instruments are notated in Db major (5 flats) instead of C# major (7 sharps).

    Note: Logic Pro does not display key signatures with more than seven flats or sharps, whether or not this option is selected.

  • “Show naturals” checkbox: Select this checkbox to display naturals at key signature changes, where preceding accidentals are no longer valid (when changing from E major to G major, or to C minor, for example).

  • “Show grace note accidentals” checkbox: If selected, courtesy accidentals are automatically displayed. This means wherever a diatonic note is altered by an accidental, another accidental (a natural symbol, in many cases) is displayed when that note appears (unaltered) in a subsequent bar.

  • Time Signatures pop-up menu: Choose between the following time signature display parameters: Every Staff, First Staff on Every Page, First Staff on Page 1, and Hide All.

  • “Display warnings at line breaks” checkbox: Displays a warning if time signature changes occur at the end of a staff or staff system (if the actual change is at the beginning of the subsequent staff or staff system).

  • Size pop-up menu: Alters the appearance of the meter (often much larger, for conducting purposes) on the staff. It is expressed as regular and percentage values. Single systems will show both numbers (4/4, for example) on the system. Double systems will show the upper number on the upper system, and the lower number on the lower system.

  • “Hide bar lines” checkbox: Use to hide all bar lines, which can be useful for educational material, Gregorian plain chant notation, and other special situations.

    Note: Only automatically displayed bar lines are hidden, so it’s still possible to insert bar lines from the Part box, including the regular bar line, which will be displayed and printed.

Octave Symbols settings

  • +8, –8, 0, +15, –15 fields: Use to edit the text string (and text formatting) of the different octave symbols. Click in the appropriate field, and enter the text.

  • “Follow staff size” checkbox: Displays octave symbols according to staff size.

  • Line pop-up menu: Choose an option to adjust the line: solid, dashed, or dotted.