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How are 2 voices notated on a single staff?

Staff layering will allow you to notate each voice on a separate staff and then merge the staves for printing and viewing. The sample song file layering.nwc demonstrates this feature, as does the SATB.nwc template.

To get started with layering:

1. Start a new work using File, New, and select satb.
   
2. Use the View, Allow layering menu command to temporarily turn off the Layering feature. Now you can see how each voice is on a separate staff. Here you can edit each staff.
   
3. Click the top staff to make it active.
   
4. Press F2 (Staff Properties) and select the Visual tab. For the top staff, you will see that Layer with next staff is checked. Press OK. Press Page Down to make the next staff active. Press F2. Here you will see that it is not layered because the top staff will layer with it. Continue this process to see the third staff is layered with next and the fourth staff is not layered.
   
5. Use the View, Allow layering menu command to turn layering back on for the file. The staves should be layered again. You can still use Page Up and Page Down to cycle through the staves and you can use Shift+F5 to play only one voice.
   

You will also notice some lyrics have been entered with the Edit, Lyrics command. When you get ready to add your lyrics, go to Edit, Lyrics for the staff and under the Lyric 1 tab, delete the example lyrics and enter your own. If you do not want lyrics, setthe Line Count to 0 in the Configuration tab. See faq #15, Getting started with lyrics, for more information.

Starting a blank new song with layering

If you want to start a new song with layering, the key is that for the staves you want to layer, you need to set the same Clef. For the upper staff, you will need to go to Staff: Staff Properties, Visual tab, and check Layer with Next Staff. This staff will then be layered with the staff below it when "Allow Layering" is turned on.

Layering Tips

• There are 2 commands associated with layering.
  
  • Staff: Staff Properties, Visual tab, Layer with next Staff
    
  • File: Page Setup, Contents tab, Allow Layering
    
  
  You can use the View, Allow Layering menu command to quickly turn layering on and off during the edit process.
  
  
• To move through layered staves, use Page Up and Page Down.
  Look for the active staff color to show what staff you are working with. Once you have the staff active, you can edit the notes, use Tools: Staff Play (to just play that staff), etc.
  
  
• Use Extra Note Spacing
  To make space for notes that overlap more that you want, select the note, press Alt+Enter, under the notes tab, set Extra Note Spacing.
  
  
• Use Vertical Offset for Rests
  To move a rest up or down on the staff so it does not overlap a note, select the rest, press Alt+Enter, under the rests tab, set Vertical Offset.
  
  
• Change Direction of Tie or Slur
  If you need to change the slur or tie direction of a note, select the notes, press ALt+Enter, under the notes tab, change the direction.