The only way I can find would be to use an invisible barline, and then replace the barline with an expression in the other three parts.

Thanks, and yes - I hit upon that solution myself after a while. Not the prettiest solution though. Odd that finale doesn't give the option.

Thanks!

Actually, Finale can do it, but the trick is definitely for “Finale beginners”.

In this example let's say that you have a 6-staff score where you want a certain barline to display as a double barline in the two upper staves, as a single barline in the two middle staves, and as a tick barline in the two lower staves.

1) Lock the system (where the barline is).

2) Staff Tool.

In the two upper staves, select the measures in that particular system, and go to

Staff menu > Group and Brackets > Add...

In the dialog box Group Attributes, click "Use Alternate Group Barline", and choose the double barline.

(If you want the group to draw double barlines "Only On Staves", select that option in the pop up menu)

Now all the two upper staves' barlines in that system are double barlines.

3) Repeat step 2) for the two lower staves, to get tick barlines in the two lower staves.

Now all the two lower staves' barlines in that system are tick barlines.

4) You probably don't want all the measures in that system to display the alternate group barlines.

To override the group barlines in a particular measure:

Measure Tool.

Double-click the measure.

In the Measure Attributes, select "Override Group Barlines".

Peter Thomsen

By The Way:

When you - in the Measure Attributes - select Double Barline or Final Barline or Solid Barline, Finale will by default automatically select “Override Group Barlines”. You can de-select “Override Group Barlines” afterwards, but Finale will at first automatically select it.

Ah, Peter! Another brilliant solution, but I think you mean not for Finale beginners.

That's why I said that I couldn't find another way, not that there wasn't one!

Thanks, but I am afraid I am feeling awfully dumb - I lost you at stage 1. By system do you mean the relevant staff? If so, how do I lock only that and not the whole lot? I must have done the wrong thing because when I went to stage 2 and tried to opt for invisible barline, all the barlines in that voice disappeared. 

I am attaching my final product using "hide barlines" and addition of fake barlines with expression tool (the bottom keyboard is in 2/4 displayed as 4/4). If that is possible using the method you are suggesting, I would really appreciate some guidance for dummies.

Thanks very much!

… I lost you at stage 1. By system do you mean the relevant staff? …

I mean ‘system’ in the “Finale-speak” (Page Layout) sense of the word = in Page View all the (simultaneous) staves in one horizontal line of music.

To see a system you must be in Page View.

You can not see the systems if you are in Scroll View.

To lock a system:

Selection Tool.

Click inside a staff in that system to select it.

Utilities menu > Lock Systems

 Finale displays a padlock icon at the upper right corner of the locked system.

… I must have done the wrong thing because when I went to stage 2 and tried to opt for invisible barline, all the barlines in that voice disappeared …

You must have done the right thing, because all the barlines are supposed to disappear if you opt for invisible barline.

To get the normal barlines back in a specific measure, use stage 4)

Thanks again. I have tried again - stage 2 has no effect. Nothing changes now. I have tried closing Finale and re-entering, opening new files, praying, changing my name and kicking the computer. Nothing seems to work. 

One thing I am wondering about - if finale allows assigning an independent time signature for a staff in a system, and if finale also has an option of beat spacing, why is there no way to benefit from both of those to solve my problem, without all barlines having to line up with one another?

Thanks for the help. 

… I have tried again - stage 2 has no effect. Nothing changes now …

If I understand you correctly, the first time all the barlines disappeared, right?

And now when you tried again, no barlines disappeared, right?

Obviously something must have changed from first time to second time.

Unfortunately it is not possible to upload/attach a Finale document in this forum.

You can contact the folks in Tech Support, and send the Finale document to them.

Or you can upload the Finale document elsewhere, and here in the forum add a hyperlink to the document.

You can e. g. upload the document in “the other Finale forum":

http://www.finaleforum.com/index.php 

Wow. I was going to ask this same question - to remove bar lines in one part out of ten - but it seems really complicated. Perhaps I'll choose the "beginner" method of doing invisible and then adding an expression in the appropriate places instead.

Unless... in the year since this post was made something has changed and there's a better way now...

It may not be so complicated after all, but we need more info from you:

1) Do you need to hide the barline in both the part and the score?

2) I suppose that there is a staff group, too, right?

In the Group Attributes, what are the settings for Barlines?

3) Is the part a one-staff part (like e. g. a flute)?

Or is the part a two-staff part (like e. g. a Piano)?

Thanks for the extra questions.

1. Yes, I'd like to hide the barline in both part and score.

2. I did not make any groupings of the instruments.

3. Yes. It is a one-staff part.

I hope this helps.

In that case, try to hide the barline with a custom staff style. Apply the staff style to both the score and the part:

In the pane “Items to Display”, make sure that the check box for Barlines is de-selected.

Attach the staff style to the measures where you need to hide the barline.

By The Way:

If you need to hide the barlines in all the measures of that part, then you can use the Staff Attributes instead of applying a custom staff style.

Hi Peter

Thanks for your continued help.

I'm missing (or not understanding) a few pieces of information though. Perhaps I left out a few important details? This is not for the ENTIRE part, but just for about ten measures. I clicked on the staff tool, highlighted the measures I wanted, then went in to "edit staff attributes" and de-selected barlines. This removed bar lines for the entire part. I couldn't figure out how.I could do it for just the measures I need.

Am I missing something??

Lawrence Axelrod,

My guess is that you are confusing the Staff Attributes with a staff style, perhaps because I mentioned both.

Staff Attributes are “global” (= for all the measures in the entire document).

You can apply a staff style “locally”, and thus change the Staff Attributes “locally”, in a selected region only.

Staff Tool.

Staff menu > Define Staff Styles…

You get to the dialog box Staff Styles which looks very similar to the dialog box Staff Attributes.

Read my previous post again.

This ranges from difficult to impossible, all because MakeMusic does not provide an option for the bar line of a measure to be different from all other bar lines, in all other staves, in both the score and a part.  The bar line for a measure being different in the score and part I can see as being very rarely used, but I have many scores where one instrument needs a special bar line for a particular measure and it should not affect the bar line of every other instrument in the score.

The only solution I have found is to finalize the score, print, alter the appropriate bar lines in the part, print that part, then undo all changes.  There is no apparent way to properly typeset the score.  And, no, I'm not willing to manually place a 'bar line' expression on every staff of every measure in the score that faces this issue.