Beginning Bars of a Piece of Music - Specfic Name?

[Crazyfist]

Hi everyone,

It's pretty standard for musical notation to have the beginning bars shorter than the rest for any piece of music with any amount of instruments. I'm recently getting into Sibelius a lot more, and I've been desperately searching, but I simply cannot find anything about how to correctly format a piece of music as a whole and an answer to the title of this post!

What is it called when the first few bars of a piece of music are shorter? Does it have a name? Is there any website/book on writing and the layout of a piece of music? All I can seem to find is your standard "beginner's guide to notation" and nothing much more than that (I'm beyond that stage and it is frustrating to see them as the only result).

Thanks!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...Prelude_7.svg/2041px-Chopin_Prelude_7.svg.png
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...Prelude_7.svg/2041px-Chopin_Prelude_7.svg.png

 

[RustyAxe]

I'm scratching my head cuz I should know this. Just an aside; usually the last bar will make up the full measure. In the piece you listed, there's one beat (of three) in the first measure, and the last measure has two.

Got it! "anacrucis", more commonly "pick up" ... try Googling "sibelius pickup measure" ... lots of hits.

 

[tubatodd]

You mean the staff is indented on the first line? I don't think you mean there is a pickup measure.....unless that measure has less beats than the next measure without changing time signatures.

 

[tubatodd]

I'm not a Sibelius user, but this is likely what you mean.

first system indent | The Sibelius Forum

I use MuseScore. It's free.....and awesome.

 

[Crazyfist]

I'm not a Sibelius user, but this is likely what you mean.

first system indent | The Sibelius Forum

I use MuseScore. It's free.....and awesome.

That's exactly what I meant! Thank you very much!! I also thought it was called a pickup bar or anacrusis at first, but I think that implies that only the first bar is different

 

[Don Kasper]

That's exactly what I meant! Thank you very much!! I also thought it was called a pickup bar or anacrusis at first, but I think that implies that only the first bar is different

If the first notes played DON'T start on the first beat/strong beat of a measure, then this is an Anacrusis - many tunes begin with an "incomplete" bar of music.
For example, The Star Spangled Banner, begins - "O-oh, Say can you see...."
"O-oh" occurs on beat #3 of a 3/4 measure - this is an Anacrusis.
(Very similar to the Chopin Prelude Op. 28, No. 7, above.)
Thanks.

 

[dreamadream99]

There are a few conventions to adhere to when notating:
Generously use rehearsal markings to demarcate sections.
Distribute measures between rehearsal markers so the marker begins a line.
Forecast time and key changes at the end of the prior bar, and the beginning of the actual bar.
Use and know the standard Italian expression markings (a2, unis.,soli, plus all tempo and dynamic words).