Showing and Hiding Instrument Names

Composer optionally displays instrument (track) names in the left margin of the window or printed page. Each track has a long name and an abbreviation. Many MIDI files have track names that are so long that too much of the printed page or viewing area of the screen would be wasted. Therefore, you may want to make the track names shorter. In addition, you can specify a somewhat longer track name for the beginning of the score, and a shorter track name for subsequent pages of the score. This is a common practice in orchestral scores.

Composer allows you to specify whether a long name or an abbreviation is displayed after the first page of a part. Or, you can omit the display of instrument names altogether.

You can specify how instrument names are displayed on a per-part basis. For example, in a conductor's score you might want to display the instrument name abbreviations; whereas in individually printed parts, you might want to display no instrument name at all, except as page text at the top of the first page of the instrument part.

To change the long name (or abbreviation) of an instrument name for a given track:

     See the topic Editing Instrument (Track) Names.

To show (or hide) instrument names in the current score part:

     Toggle the checkmark for the Show Instrument Names command in the Part menu.

-- OR --

Type "qsin" for Quick Show Instrument Names.

To specify whether short or long instrument names are displayed or printed in the current score part:

1.      Choose the Instrument Names Display Options command in the Score menu.

     -- OR --

     Type "qin" for Quick Instrument Names.

     Composer will display the following Instrument Name Options dialog box:

2.      Set the checkmark for Hide Instrument Names according to whether you wish instrument names to be shown or not. Setting a checkmark here has exactly the same effect as turning off the checkmark for Show Instrument Names in the Part menu.

3.      Choose options under "How Instrument Names are Displayed" to distinguish whether long or short (abbreviated) instrument names are displayed in Window View versus Page View and on the printed page. The following example, shows how the above settings are reflected in the first and second systems of a score:

Note that you can edit the long and short instrument names for each individual track using the Track Setup command in the Track menu.

4.      Click OK to save the changes.

To specify the instrument name display options that should be applied to any newly opened MIDI file or any newly created song:

1.      In the Part menu choose the Instrument Names Display Options command.

     -- OR --

     Type "qin" for Quick Instrument Names.

2.      In the Instrument Name Options dialog box, select the options that you wish to apply to subsequently opened MIDI files or newly created songs.

3.      Click the Save As Default button.

4.      If you have changed any settings while the Instrument Names Display Options dialog box was opened, then click OK to apply the changes to the currently viewed score part. Otherwise you can click Cancel to exit the dialog box.

If you create a new song using a template, then Composer will use the instrument name display options saved with the template. If you want to apply to this song the instrument name display options that you most recently saved as a default, then after you create the song you will need to follow the next procedure. If you want to always use the same instrument name display options with the template, then open the template .not fle, and edit its instrument name display options.

To apply the most recently saved Instrument Name Options the current score part:

1.      In the Part menu choose the Instrument Names Display Options command.

     -- OR --

     Type "qin" for Quick Instrument Names.

2.      In the Instrument Names Display Options display box, click the Restore Default button, and then the OK button.

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