Rhythmic cues
Rhythmic cues only show the rhythm in the source instrument, whether it is pitched or unpitched, and are positioned above the staff by default. Cues from unpitched percussion source instruments are positioned on the middle line of the staff by default.
Rhythmic cues do not show clef changes, accidentals, or ledger lines. Their default position outside staff lines ensures they can never be misread as containing pitched material.
You can change existing cues into rhythmic cues and vice versa. Changing cues from pitched source instruments into rhythmic cues shows only the rhythm, which can be helpful when multiple instruments play the same rhythm together but each instrument plays a different note, such as in big band music with large unison chords. In this context, showing the pitches of a single instrument in the group could be misleading as the destination instrument might think this indicates a distinctive melody. You can then change the cue label to include information about the instruments playing the rhythm in the cue.
By default, cues from unpitched percussion source instruments are input as rhythmic cues. If you want to save vertical space, you can change them to cues from unpitched percussion source instruments. This positions them on the middle line of the staff by default.
You can change the default staff positions for rhythmic cues and cues from unpitched percussion source instruments in the Rhythmic Cues and Unpitched Instruments sections of the Cues page in .
You can also change the staff position of rhythmic cues and cues from unpitched percussion source instruments individually.
Figure: A rhythmic cue |
Figure: A cue from an unpitched percussion source |