Instrument changing line

• Jun 9, 2016 - 17:24

Is it possible to create a line (like 8va or vibrato) that acts like the "Instrument Change" text?


Comments

Not directly, but you can create the text, mark it invisible (select it and press "V"), then add an ordinary text line from the Lnes palette (eg, the one that defaults to VII) then change the text (right click, Line Properties).

In reply to by marloso2

I'm not sure what sort of change you have in mind, but normally one can't actually switch instruments for just one note - it's physically impossible. Normally one needs a few measures to put one instrument down and pick up the other, and then again at the end of the passage to switch back. So it's very rare you'd ever ask someone to do that just to play one note. But even if you did, the correct way to notate it would be with a text before and after. That's what the musician playing the part would expect to see, so that's what you mneed to do in MuseScore as well. Again, if you really have some sort of unusual special case reason to require something else - and are sure it's physically doable - you can fake it as I mentioned, but you'll still need an invisible instrument change at the end of the passage to make the switch back.

Do you just want the visual appearance of a line or do you want it to have a particular effect?

You can achieve both (within limits). Here is a line (from the Lines palette) which has the following tweaks:
1] Moved upwards (reduce Vertical offset in Inspector)
2] Text added (right-click and select Line properties)
3] Text placed above line
4] Value for hooks changed from negative to positive (make them go down)
5] Click on the ... button in Line properties and set the vertical offset (this is for the text WRT the line) to -0.75.

To fiddle the pitch I did:
6] Change the instrument's range in Stave properties (avoid nasty red noteheads)
7] Bring the notes down an octave visually by using the Fix to line property in Inspector

You can also fiddle the pitch by using a different clef and making it invisible. Let us all know if it's something different that you are after.

You can even save this new line to a custom palette (although you then need to fiddle with its vertical and horizontal offset settings in the palette to get it sitting in the right box).

Attachment Size
Instrument change line.mscx 54.94 KB

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