# Anacrusis and non-metered bars

## Creating an anacrusis bar

An **anacrusis** bar, also known as an **upbeat** or **pickup**, is a partial, or incomplete, bar at the beginning of a score or section.

**Note**: By convention, measure numbering starts at the first *complete* measure.

### Specifying the anacrusis duration during score creation

1. Click on Measures in the "Additional score information" page (page 2) of the New Score dialog;
2. Check "Create anacrusis bar";
3. Choose an underlying time signature using the spin controls below.

### Converting a bar into an anacrusis

1. Right-click on the measure and choose Measure properties.
2. In the **Measure duration** section, next to "Actual", choose an underlying "time signature".
3. Click `Apply` and `OK`.
   * Alternatively, use the `←` (previous) or `→` (next) buttons to configure an adjacent measure.

It is accepted musical practice to omit the same duration as the anacrusis from the final bar of the piece or of the same repeat section. The same method of shortening the bar applies here.

## Creating non-metered measures

A non-metered measure is one which is less or greater in duration than the indicated time signature.

A bar of *less* duration than the indicated signature may be created in exactly the same way as a anacrusis bar (see above).

Other ways of creating non-metered measures are described below:

### Inserting notes and rests

Extra notes/rests can be inserted in a measure with the help of either a keyboard shortcut, or by using a special mode of entry called **Insert mode**:

#### Using a keyboard shortcut

1. Select the note or rest in the score before which you want to insert notes/rests;
2. Enter note-input mode;
3. Select a duration;
4. Press `Ctrl`+`Shift` (Mac: `Cmd`+`Shift`) while adding the note/rest from the keyboard or mouse.

#### Using Insert mode

1. Make sure you have the element selected where you want to start inserting notes/rests;
2. Click and hold the Note input icon, and select **Insert** (or if Insert is the current default, just press N);
3. Enter a note or rest as you would in step-time mode. Each note is inserted before the current cursor position;
4. Move the cursor forward and backward if required (using the arrow keys), to change the insertion point.

If, at any time, the total duration of the notes and rests within the measure does not match the time signature, a small + or - sign will be shown above the measure.

### Joining measures

This command joins selected measures into one measure.

*Method A. To join two measures only*:

1. Select the barline between the two measures;
2. Press `Ctrl`+`Del`; or select `Tools`→`Remove selected range`.

*Method B. To join any number of measures*:

1. Select the measures you want to join;
2. From the menu bar, select `Tools`→`Measures`→`Join selected measures`.

**Notes**: (1) If you select measures on only one staff in a score with multiple staves, the same measures will be joined in each staff of the system. (2) Beaming may be automatically modified.

### Splitting a measure

This command inserts a barline before a selected note, splitting the measure into two.

Use one of the following methods:

* Select a note; then hold `Ctrl` and click a barline in a palette.
* Hold `Ctrl` and drag a barline (from a palette) to a note.
* Select a note; then, from the menu bar, select `Tools`→`Measures`→`Split Measure Before Selected Note/Rest`.

## See also

* Working with non-metered music.

Other measure-related pages:

* [Bar numbering](/en_gb/notation/rhythm-meter-and-measures/measure-numbering.md)
* [Bar and multibar rests](/en_gb/notation/rhythm-meter-and-measures/measure-and-multimeasure-rests.md)
* [Bar properties](/en_gb/notation/rhythm-meter-and-measures/measure-properties.md)
* [Adding and removing bars](/en_gb/basics/adding-and-removing-measures.md)
* [Mensural notation and Mensurstrich](/en_gb/alternative-notation/mensural-notation-and-mensurstrich.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://handbook.musescore.org/en_gb/notation/rhythm-meter-and-measures/pickup-and-non-metered-measures.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.