Contents - Index

Measure Number Plus Offset


M+O's user interface refers to musical positions in Measure Number Plus Offset form.  Each score position can be identified as meas + offset where meas is the number of the measure and offset is a fraction describing the position within the measure.  For instance:
  • 3+0/1 is the downbeat of the 3rd measure
  • 4+1/4 is one quarter note into the 4th measure
  • 5+3/16 is 3 sixteenth notes into the 5th measure.  

    If there is, for instance, an eighth note pickup to the piece, this position would be indicated as
  • 1/8-pickup

    and similarly for other positions that begin before the first measure.  Finally, if the piece contains a repeated section, as indicated with repeat dots or a pair of 1st and 2nd endings,  positions lying in a repeated section are indicated with the repetition number in parentheses.  For instance
  • 3+0/1 is the first visit to the downbeat of the 3rd measure
  • 3+0/1(2) is the 2nd visit to the downbeat of the 3rd measure

    While rare, it is possible for a piece to contain several repeats of the same section, e.g. as in a minuet and trio or other structure containing  a mix of repeats and Da Capo "jumps."  In such a case one might see third or even fouth repeats.  

    Several parts of the M+O user interface use this convention, including Choose Range, Set Tempo, and the M+O Status Bar.