Score editor - Rhythmic notation (lead sheets / big band / drum parts)

Hi everyone, I have been using logic for many years, now I'm discovering the score editor because I would like to do everything in logic without using external software for writing (Sibelius). One of the few things that I have not been able to do in logic, are the rhythmic notes below or above the staff as shown in the attached screenshots made with Sibelius. I use them a lot to make lead sheets or drums parts. I tried creating a dedicated voice in the staff style and changing the note heads but the result is not the same, I can't remove the staves on the rhythmic notes. Can you help me? Thank you very much!

Giuliano

Lead sheet

Drums part

As explained by volovicg on another forum:

• "...using a font that has musical symbols, such as the Bravura font. adding the font to the text style and using either unicode or Fontbook, then dragging in the notes you want. Those notes being text could be positioned anywhere on the score as needed..."

There might be other method(s)...

You can do something like this in Logic but it is kind of fiddly - not nearly as quick and intuitive as writing it in Sibelius ...

Here is what I did:

For Example 1:

1. Go in Staff Styles create a treble Staff Style which is just one midi channel - single voice. Select HIDE RESTS

2. Write in the rhythm on a high note at the top of the stave and make the Stems point upward - insert USER RESTS from the Inspector to compensate for the lack of rests - and these you can position where you like because they are graphic symbols with no midi value.

3. In Note Attributes select the note head with the slash ( you can only do one at a time not group - so do any notes of the same value just shift copy them to the new position to save time

4. As you are listening to the arrangement you dont want those Drum accent notes to sound so select all in the Piano Roll and reduce the Velocity to 0 and they will mute but look correct in the score.

5. Use the Object Resize Tool to make any of the graphic symbols and note heads acceptable to the eye. ( For the RPT bar sign graphic I am indebted to Volovic who introduced me to Bravura Fonts - I keep one of this in my Project Template in a dedicated little Region so I can cut and paste it when I need it without having to generate it each time. Again this is incredibly useful to have a Graphic repeat bar sign - as opposed to the Logic Repeat bar sign in the Inspector which is a MIDI value symbol and so it literally repeats midi wise what is in the bar before hand ( which you dont want)...

WOULD BE GREAT IF ONE HAD THE OPTION TO TOGGLE MIDI AND GRAPHIC ON ALL SYMBOLS IN THE INSPECTOR!!!

* * *

Example 2:

1/ Same procedure as above but create a Staff Style with two midi channels - on Channel 1 you have your normal melody as you have written.

2/ On Channel 2 you have your drum hits accents with noteheads specialised as above same procedure

NB the problem with this is that one Channel 1 the rests are not sizeable or moveable because they are represent Midi info. You could in Staff Styles hide Rests in Midi Channel 1 but then ALL the rests would disappear and you would have to spend ages putting in User rests.. though again this might suit one because presumably in Sibelius one doesnt mind writing in rests. The advantage of these User rests is that you can Size them with the resize tool and move them around which you cant do with the normal Midi rests which are locked in place when Show Rests is selected in Staff Styles.

Anyway here are the version I made of your examples - so it is possible in Logic - as Atlas says you could also adjust the fonts to the more Hand Copy type which you have .. but I am in the habit of using the ones you see in these examples so I just leave them for now.

Hey thanx Music Spirit!

Really great tips!

Will this work for you.....? if not what specifically is incorrect or needed beyond the possible solution below.

Will this work for you.....? if not what specifically is incorrect or needed beyond the possible solution below.

 

Screen Shot 2021-08-08 at 5.37.29 PM.png

This looks spot on! - I'd be curious to know if the methods/procedure I outlined above is what you followed.

It took me a good 15' - 20' of fiddling about to replicate the OP's two examples.

The main drawback of Logic in my opinion from a 'pro arranging' point of view is that the graphic style and the fonts need a lot of editing and sizing to get the uniform look that is available in Sibelius or Digital Performer or Finale from what I have seen - particularly in constructing Lead Sheets, Drum Parts and Drum hits..

But I may be mistaken .. would be curious to hear from anyone regularly doing Arrangements in Logic for Studio sessions...

I posted this without seeing your examples - but #2 is basically what I did…

And what graphics do you want to toggle on off - ?

.... what graphics do you want to toggle on off - ?

It could be useful to Toggle on and off the Repeat Last Bar signs in the Inspector - also dragging in Notes - the option to make them Graphic Symbols not related to Midi - or Midi as they now are

Thanks to everyone for your helpful tips guys!

I'm doing some experiments and I have some doubts:

1) You wrote the rhythmic accents on the low D or on the high G for the drums. However, if I have a situation similar to that of the example attached (lead sheet with low accent), I need to write the rhythmic notes further down but in this way the lines are visible ... is it possible to hide them?

2) I installed the "Bravura" font but I didn't understand how to use it for the "%" repetition symbol. If I take it from the toolbox it works exactly like the internal font and covers the whole bar, if instead, I use it as text I don't find the symbols but only the normal alphabetic letters.

I'm sure I'm wrong but I can't figure out where I'm wrong...

Lead sheet with low accents

Drum bar with accent

Repeat symbol cover everything

Bravura as text 1

Bravura as text 2

...

1) You wrote the rhythmic accents on the low D or on the high G for the drums. However, if I have a situation similar to that of the example attached (lead sheet with low accent), I need to write the rhythmic notes further down but in this way the lines are visible ... is it possible to hide them?

Great question - I dont have the answer .. I know exactly what you mean - the need to write in just rhythmic accents free floating without them sitting on a line.

Greg would you have a solution?

.

2) I installed the "Bravura" font but I didn't understand how to use it for the "%" repetition symbol. If I take it from the toolbox it works exactly like the internal font and covers the whole bar, if instead, I use it as text I don't find the symbols but only the normal alphabetic letters.

I'm sure I'm wrong but I can't figure out where I'm wrong...

The % sign for repeat the last bar is dragged from the Inspector - to a bar when it is a MIDI function. ie what it does is tells the midi to repeat and just blanks out the bar but you still hear whatever was in the previous bar when you play back.

The % sign via Bravura Text which Greg introduced to me some while back is just that a TEXT sign. So you have to do the following to generate it once the fonts are installed ( which you clearly have):

• Change the Keyboard Symbol in your Mac top bar ( ie where battery, wifi, sound date etc are displayed to) Unicode Hex Input then when the Text cursor is blinking in the space on the Score Part you want the the % repeat sign, generate that sign as per the examples below. ie for the single repeat sign type in U+E500 etc

• But the workaround I use to avoid this tedious procedure is that in all my Project Templates I have that % repeat sign generated already on a tiny piece of score region and when I need it I just cut and paste it once to the Score I am working on and then clone it over and over again, deleting my tiny piece of Score region that was part of the template. This I find is the quickest way without having to generate each time. There are some pretty cool extra symbols in the Bravura font but they all need to be generated with Unicode Hex Input so best to put all the ones into a tiny piece of Score Region once and for all and then clone as needed.

* * *

Also this was what I was referring to in a previous post where I talked about wanting to be able to TOGGLE the % Repeat sign directly in the Score Inspector - ie toggle between its Midi Function and its Text Graphic Function

PS Another useful thing to use with this Bravura Hex Generated % Repeat Sign is that it responds very well to the Resize Tool - as do user input rests which you can move about - but... the resize tool does not work on normal midi rests ( ie ones that are part of a Staff Style in which the rests related to Midi info as opposed to graphic info) nor can midi rests be moved around graphically by the Layout Tool or altered by the resize tool.. which is a pain frankly. ie the only way you can get rests moved is by Hiding Rests in the Staff Styles and then dragging in User rests from the Inspector.

Thanks, Music spirit, now I understand how to do it, certainly, it's a bit complicated but possible. Having a region ready with the symbol is a good solution.

Have a nice day!