How to add or remove staves in Flat
Last updated September 23, 2026
A stave in Flat belongs to a part, and a part can carry more than one. Flat lets you add staves to an existing instrument or remove the ones it no longer needs, from the same settings where parts are renamed, so an instrument such as a piano or an organ gets exactly the staves its music requires.
Where do I manage parts and staves?
Once you created a score, you can rename the parts in the document settings. To manage the instruments and part settings, open the Instruments tab in the left panel, then click Manage instruments.
How do I add or remove a staff for an instrument?
Open the part's settings from Manage instruments, go to Staves, and add a new stave for the instrument or remove an existing one. Changes apply to that part only, so the other instruments in your score keep the staves they already have.
Open Manage instruments
In the left panel, open the Instruments tab, then click Manage instruments to reach the document settings.
Edit the part
Click the Edit button next to the part you want to edit. You can also directly click on a part name if this one is displayed to open this same page.
Add or remove a stave
Click Staves, then click Add a new stave for this instrument, or click the remove icon next to an existing stave.
Frequently asked questions
Why would one instrument need two staves?
Some instruments are written on more than one staff by convention: a piano uses a grand staff with a treble and a bass staff, and organ or harp parts often need extra staves. Adding a stave to the part keeps that music inside one instrument instead of splitting it across two.
What is the difference between adding a staff and adding a voice?
A staff is another line of notation for the same instrument, managed in the part's settings. A voice is a second rhythmic line written on an existing staff, which is what you use for a divisi or for chords whose notes have different durations.
Can I move music that is already written onto a second staff?
Yes, that is what split staff is for: it takes a staff two instruments are sharing and extracts its content onto two staves, either inside the same part or as two new parts, instead of leaving you to re-enter the music by hand.