Dividing a note into two notes

• May 12, 2016 - 09:09

When editing a score, I know that we can change the note type from, for example, a quarter note to a eighth note. This gives us the eighth note with a silence after it, to fill in the gap created.

What I am needing to do on certain occasions, taking the same example, is to divide the quarter note into two eighth notes.
This is particularly the case when I am placing French lyrics under what was an English song.

Can this be done ?


In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

I always thought it would be also interesting to paste together consecutive notes... Is it possible to do that?

(Very often, while I'm writing some melodies, I would like to write only 1/8 notes and then change some of them by pasting together that notes and the consecutives)

In reply to by M4rco

You don't have to 'paste together' consecutive notes.
Increasing the duration of a note will overwrite a 'consecutive' note.

So, if you have only eighth notes written and wish to change two consecutive eighth notes into a single quarter note, simply select (click on) the first eighth note, then press 5. The second eighth note will be assimilated by the new (quarter) note.

To change four consecutive eighth notes into a half note: select the first note, press 6.


In reply to by redmezzo

Not clear what "this" you are referring to, but selecting a chord and then pressing a duration button does indeed change the length of the chord, and selecting a chord and then pressing "R" does indeed repeat the chord (be sure to select the whole chord, not just one note).

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

"This" refers to the procedure outlined above. I'm asking the question because of the result I'm getting is not what you describe, but what I described. I tried this process in two ways 1) selecting each notehead in the chord, and 2) selecting the 'big beat' that generates a square around the chord. In fact, now that I'm trying it a second time, I'm not even getting it for part of the chord. I posted in case someone recognizes my error and can correct me.

In reply to by redmezzo

there are five different posts above yours, so it isn't clear exactly what you are trying to do. When asking for hep, it is best to attach the specific score you are having problems with and give precise step by step instructions to reproduce the problem. But the following works as it should:

1) click any note within a quarter note chord
2) press "4" to change the chord to an eighth (leaving a rest to the right)
3) select the full chord (so a rectanlge appears around it - eg, press Esc then Shift+click a note in the chord)
4) press "R" - the chord is repeated, replacing the rest

For example... say you have a song already written out. You wish to change a quarter note into two eighth notes (same pitch) to accomodate the change from a one syllable (English) word to a two syllable (French) word.

Try this:
1. Select (click) the quarter note and press N (to enable note entry mode).
2. Press 4 (eighth note duration), then R.

