Key Signature for multiple staves (also hello)

• Oct 15, 2009 - 14:17

I am new to the forum and wanted to say hello to everyone. Also, a huge thanks to the developers of MuseScore. It is a great program.

I am having trouble understanding the key signature feature. I have a standard piano piece (two staves) that starts in C-Major. I'd like to change the key signature to G-Major after 30 or so bars. When I change the key signature (by dragging it in from the palate to the top staff) only the top staff changes key signature. In order to get both staves to have the same key signature, I must also drag the key of G onto the bottom staff.

Is that "normal" behavior for MuseScore? If not, how does one change all the staves in a system to a new key, midway through a piece.

Thanks for your time,
Mitch

Mac OS 10.5.8, MuseScore 0.9.5 (rev. 2012)


Comments

Glad if you are happy with MuseScore on Mac :)
As far as I know, it's normal behavior. I guess you may want to change the key signature on one staff and not another one.
Changing to all staves is a matter of dragging several times the keys.

I've seen a couple pieces for piano that have one key signature for the top staff and another key signature for the bottom staff.

One problem with the current MuseScore behavior in 0.9.5 is it makes it tedious to change key signature for large ensemble scores.

In reply to by David Bolton

Understatement. Sorry to be dragging up a bunch of old topics as I find my way around MuseScore, but hey, at least I am using the search function :-). I didn't find an issue in the tracker, so I'd like to suggest one get created and if someone tells me I should do this myself, I'm happy to).

I like the *ability* to have key signature on a per staff basis. But having that be the default key signature action seems *crazy* to me. Situations where you want different different key signatures in different staves have got to be the exceptions, not the rule. Aside from transposing instruments, of course; but I'd still expect the key signature facility to interpret a given key signature as the ensemble-wide *concert* key signature) . Inserting a key change in an orchestra score right now would be *incredibly* tiresome and error prone. Seems to me key signatures should work like barlines do: drag onto any staff you please and it affects all staves. Then in the rare cases where one wants to create exceptions for particular staves, there could be some way of accomplishing that either after the fact on a particular key signature change (eg, via right click menu), or globally for a given staff (eg, via a staff property).

In reply to by David Bolton

I very much agree with Marc Sabatella. On the to do list?

As for the workaround, that doesn't seem to work correctly at all for me... if I have no key signature change on the measure yet, it won't put one, and if I do, in 0.9.6.3 it has very odd results, and in nightly 3727, still nothing happens to the key sig.

(Mac 10.6.5)

In reply to by David Bolton

What I'm doing:
New score with piano and defaults.
1. Enter 8 quarter notes on C (filling two measures)
2. Create key signature of 1 sharp on the second measure by dragging it on
3. Select full second measure
4. Notes --> Transpose: Transpose by key, closest, A major, Transpose key signatures is checked.
Expected: Measure 1 is untouched. Measure 2 is now 3 sharps, and notes in second measure are changed to D

0.9.6.3 using Mac 10.6.5:
Actual: Measure 1 is now 4 sharps, notes are correctly C-natural. Measure 2 is now 5 sharps, notes are correctly D-natural.

R. 3727 using Mac 10.6.5:
Actual: Measure 1 is untouched. Measure 2 is still 1 sharp, notes are correctly D-natural.

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