Apple Logic Express 8 User Manual
Page 791
Chapter 33
Working With Notation
791
Cross Staff Beaming
Music for keyboard instruments or harp (which is notated in two staffs) sometimes
contains passages where notes in the upper and lower staff (played by the left and
right hand) are connected with a beam, to emphasize the continuing musical phrase.
In the Score Editor, notes can only be connected with beams if they belong to the
same voice. Notes that belong to the same voice, however, will be displayed in the
same staff. You will need to use the Score Editor’s Staff Assignment commands to
display same voice notes in separate staffs.
As an example: The following screenshot depicts a piano passage, displayed in the
Piano staff style. The notes in the upper staff belong to voice one, using MIDI channel
one. The notes in the lower staff belong to voice two, using MIDI channel two. Imagine
that you want to connect the eight notes in the first bar with beams, to emphasize the
continuing musical phrase.
To beam notes that do not belong to the same staff:
1
Change the voice assignments for the notes that you want to connect with beams (in
the lower staff ) by doing one of the following:
 Draw a line below these notes with the Voice Separation tool.
Cross staff beamed notes