MuseScore Keypad

• Aug 5, 2015 - 17:49

If anyone has the time and expertise to put this prototype keypad into production, I'll buy one:
https://musescore.org/en/node/69886

It makes entering complex music easier.

Cheers
Don.

Comments

• Aug 6, 2015 - 06:20

Are you aware you can use Edit / Preferences / Note Entry to assign keys on your MIDI keyboard to perform those functions? Also the keyboard shortcuts are available; not sure if a standard USB keyboard could be used for this.

EDIT: ok, I see you are aware, sorry. Still, it seems you could use a standard USB keypad, say, a numeric keypad, couldn't you?

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• Aug 6, 2015 - 12:03

A numeric keypad does work, but then I have to remember which number means which note length, and the note lengths on a numeric keypad are not laid out in a line with shortest note on the left and longest on the right.
A custom keypad is an affordable Rolls-Royce solution where each key is correctly labelled and laid out logically and ergonomically. It's a bit like touch-typing: I need to look at the music I'm transcribing, or the screen showing the results, not down at my hands.

The prototype cost me peanuts and I would think that a modest production run would give a very reasonable price.

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• Aug 6, 2015 - 16:20

Good job! It's an interesting hack if you need it but I'm not sure how many people actually need it.

For those with a smartphone or a tablet, it would should be pretty easy to create an app or use an existing OSC app to layout some buttons and communicate wirelessly with MuseScore via OSC. Something like TouchOSC http://hexler.net/software/touchosc or Lemur https://liine.net/en/products/lemur/ or one of the free alternative http://alternativeto.net/software/touchosc/

Most of the shortcuts are available via OSC. Maybe not left and right though but we could make it happen if necessary.

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• Aug 7, 2015 - 08:54

A real keyboard will be much more productive as you get tactile feedback. Touch-typists like me would not have to look down at the keyboard all the time, particularly if the crotchet (quarter note) key had a raised bump like the F and J keys on a standard keyboard.
Think blue LED backlighting... mmmmm.

Anyway, I'll also look into an Android version of what you suggest. From the MuseScore side, I'd need OSC functions for all the features in my PDF and also an OSC function to get the name of the application (so I know that MuseScore is running on the port); perhaps the version of MuseScore too.
As most home routers supply dynamic IP addresses, the Android app would have to do some searching to find a PC that is listening on the OSC port & then check that it is MuseScore that is doing the listening.
I'll also have to look into whether Android and MuseScore support IPv6.

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• Aug 7, 2015 - 15:53

Again, not to talk anyone out of trying, but I really think a numeric keypad would serve most people's needs here pretty well if not better. You could simply design an overlay to label the keys, although of course the overlay would be unique to that particular model of keypad. But I think most people are familiar enough with the layout of the numbers on a standard numeric pad that finding "5" (the center square, the quarter note) by touch is quite easy, and finding everything else by "touch" from there is also quite simple. In fact, I'd argue it would be easier for most people to find, say, the eighth note by touch using a standard 3x3 grid arrangement of the duration keys than a linear one. Just as is easier for me to find the number "4" by touch on a 3x3 grid than in a linear arrangement. That is part of why they are so popular in the first place (although to be sure not the only or even main reason).

Anyhow, I think starting from a numeric pad and then designing an overlay would be at least as effective, certainly easier / cheaper to produce, and I suspect would sell better too :-)

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• Aug 16, 2015 - 17:11

I have now got a prototype Android app working with MuseScore 2; it's all fine except the left and right don't work (as you thought). I have tried various "previous" and "next" commands, but I think you guys at MuseScore need to "make it happen" when you get time.
If this gets as far as a proper Android app, shall I just keep it to myself, or would you like it branded as a MuseScore app?

Finally, is there somewhere on the MuseScore website that I can document my adventures in OSC land? The documentation on OSC is a tad sketchy.

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• Aug 18, 2015 - 10:06

For previous and next commands, you should be able to use "actions/next-chord" and "actions/prev-chord". Let me know if it doesn't work.

Depending on the level of the documentation you want to write, you can
1/ Create a page in the handbook https://musescore.org/en/handbook
It needs to be a reference then. See for example the command line options page in the appendix.

2/ You can create a How to. https://musescore.org/en/howto This is a shorter form to answer a simple question. How to use MuseScore with TouchOSC for example. A video is great for a how to.

3/ You could create a tutorial https://musescore.org/en/tutorials In general, tutorials are more in depth and long writing.

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• Aug 18, 2015 - 15:55

None of these commands seem to do anything:
/actions/prev-chord
/actions/move-left
/actions/prev-element
/actions/select-prev-chord
/actions/next-chord
/actions/move-right
/actions/next-element
/actions/select-next-chord

What I need is basically what the left and right cursor arrow keys do on a full keyboard.

Thanks.

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• Aug 21, 2015 - 20:11

It would be good for the app to have a "search" feature so that people don't have to faff around finding the IP address of their PC. The Android app would call this OSC command on the IP addresses 192.168.0.X and stop when it got a useful response.
Can I have an OSC command that I can use to make sure that MuseScore is listening on a port? I was thinking perhaps of a /app-id command that would return "MuseScore". Perhaps also a /version command to return a string with the version number?

My knowledge of OSC is low & currently I'm not sure how I can get a return value when sending a command - in fact with JavaOSC there does not seem to be any way to get a return value (there also seem to be problems in the latest version on GIT with String args & more than 2 args, but I need to spend some time looking at the source to work it all out).
I can listen on a port, but then the same problem occurs - how does MuseScore know the IP address of the Android app? Perhaps it's a two-part handshake: Android sends an OSC command & MuseScore uses the same IP address to reply?

[The app should use IPV6 too, but that's another topic I'd have to research.]

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• Aug 13, 2015 - 20:41

[Sigh] Seriously chaps and chapesses - still driving around in horseless carriages? Can't see a need for more than four or five computers worldwide? ;-)

I'm looking at an Android app to do this, but it isn't working yet. What with IP addresses, firewalls and routers, it's much easier just to plug the MuseScore Keypad in - PlugNPlay - "It just works!" etc.

I did think about Kickstarter, but I think the best place to find out about interest in a MuseScore Keypad is... MuseSore.
Any chance of putting a survey on musescore.org and musescore.com to gauge interest?

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• Aug 31, 2015 - 22:13

For me this Musescore keyboard.jpg
works fine although a dedicated Mac keyboard or overlay would even be better.
Next to the "R" is a rest, the * is the dot, I did not succeed asigning the real to to act as a dot because it changes from , to . sometimes...

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