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Conducting signs, measure grouping signs

Context properties control the grouping of beats within a measure: beatStructure lists the length of each beat in units of beatBase. Default values are established in scm/time-signature-settings.scm. These properties may be changed particularly with \set.

Alternatively, \time optionally accepts a beat structure to use instead of the default. \time applies to the Timing context, so it does not reset values of properties that are set in lower-level contexts such as Voice.

If the Measure_grouping_engraver is included in one of the display contexts, measure grouping signs will be created. Such signs ease reading rhythmically complex modern music. In the example, the 9/8 measure is grouped in two different patterns using the two different methods, while the 5/8 measure is grouped according to the default setting in scm/time-signature-settings.scm. For the 4/4 measure you have to explicitly set beatBase to eighths so that the bar’s irregular pattern gets displayed.

\score {
  \new Voice \relative c'' {
    \time 9/8
    g8 g d d g g a( bes g) |
    \set Timing.beatStructure = 2,2,2,3
    g8 g d d g g a( bes g) |
    \time 4,5 9/8
    g8 g d d g g a( bes g) |
    \time 5/8
    a4. g4 |
    \time 3,3,2 4/4
    \set Timing.beatBase = #1/8
    f4 d8 f4 d8 g4
  }
  \layout {
    \context {
      \Staff
      \consists "Measure_grouping_engraver"
    }
  }
}