Up/down arrows should prefer diatonic note spellings
MuseScore 1.1, Vista.
1. Create a score in A major
2. Enter an A
3. Hit down arrow
Current result: Ab
desired result: G#
Currently, this produces an Ab, because the up/down arrows prefer to keep the note names except that they will respell Cb as B, etc. However, given that we are in the key of A, it would seem more *practical* to have the down arrow change an A to G# instead of changing to Ab. If you really need an Ab, you can create one using the flat sign in the palette (although the outstanding feature request. I think this would actually be more consistent with the behavior of Cb et al as well - that is, it would make the automatic changing of Cb to B not seem like an random isolated exception, but part of a basic principle: prefer diatonic spellings.
You might wonder why anyone would try to enter a G# by hitting down arrow from A, and indeed, it's not so much the case of initial note entry I am concerned with. It's more what happens if you select a region than try transposing it this way. I am not 100% positive this would be an improvement overall, but I am do feel it probably would be. It's just fairly uncommon that one would want an Ab in the key of A.
I see an older issue, closed as "by design" (which of course it is), that is essentially identical: http://musescore.org/en/node/5097.
This bug report is probably also relevant: http://musescore.org/en/node/7510.
Comments
You mean #5097: "Up" adjustment uses enharmonic when in key signature and #7510: Up/Down arrows skip diatonic notes for some key signatures, don't you?
Yes, thanks, I keep forgetting about the shortcuts for linking issues?
Also see Marc's and my comments here: http://musescore.org/en/node/13892
As things stand working in any key which has one of the enharmonic sharps or flats in a relative key is made highly frustrating by not having E and B sharp available on the up arrow and Cb and Fb on the down arrow.
This is further aggravated by MuseScore entering sharps from the palette despite that sharp being previously present in the bar - the workaround of editing them from Right to Left runs counter to creative thought!
What are these shortcuts?
I would add, though, that the ability to add a (visible) sharp to a note that already had a sharp earlier is not something I'd be willing to give just to solve the left-to-right issue. There are times - certain atonal and highly chromatic sixteenth notes, for example - where it is common practice to add a courtesy accidental on a note toward the end of a bar even though it already had that accidental earlier in the same bar. I would not want to lose this ability. So I think the behavior of the palette accidentals should remain as is - it adds the symbol in all cases. It's really just the up/down arrow behavior I think needs to changed. Either to prefer diatomic spellings as suggested here, or to always keep the same letter name and thus allow Cb et al to be entered directly.
Even though the "prefer diatonic spellings" idea sounds like a big change to the user, it really wouldn't be (even if it still might be from an implementation perspective). I am pretty confident that in the cases where it comes up (not that often, really), it would be the preferred behavior most of the time anyhow. My only concern is that right now, hitting up then down, or down then up, serves as a handy way to change enharmonic spelling of a given note, and that would go away. So I'd want a new shortcut for change enharmonic spelling.
See the legend in fine print below the text box while posting - put a # in front the issue number and then surround it in square brackets.
This has been working for a while now. Arrow keys now prefer diatonic spellings, shortcut exists to cycle through alternate enharmonic spellings.