How to control how the software automatically clusters notes with same time value?
Would have tried simply searching for this but didn't know the jargon for what I'm seeing. I have a sequence of notes with the same time value (8th notes). MuseScore wants to automatically connect these notes via the "flag" at the top of the note symbol, where not separated by a rest. The reason this sometimes bugs me is that although some of these notes technically have the same meter, they "feel" or "sound" separate because they are played as staccato. I'd prefer not to see them hard-wired to previous notes but haven't figured out how to control MuseScore's behavior here. Any tips???
Comments
there is handbook page that describes beaming
You can use the tools in the Beam Properties palette to control beaming
http://musescore.org/en/handbook/beam
If you can't figure it out from the handbook come back here :)
Hehe mtherieau beat me - lol
In reply to You can use the tools in the by ChurchOrganist
Arggg. I thought I was saving you all the trouble of telling me to read the manual, when I first asked a professional musician about the right term for lines coming from the tops of the notes. She said, "You mean those little squiggly things?"
Beams beams beams .....
In reply to Arggg. I thought I was saving by earmuse
LOL -- just on a whim, I searched here for "squiggly" . Most of the hits are for glissando.
regards,
markt
In reply to LOL -- just on a whim, I by mtherieau
Not all professional musicians read music. Even the ones that do sometimes just look at the blobby bits.
In reply to Arggg. I thought I was saving by earmuse
Chances are, by "little squiggly things", she was referring to the "flags" - the curved lines that are attached to eighth notes (quavers) that are *not* connected by beams. Beams are the flat horizontal or diagonal lines used to connected eighth notes when appropriate. FWIW, I'd say the term "beam" would be instantly familiar to most who read music, but the term "flag" might be somewhat more obscure. Or maybe it just seems that way because all notation programs give you control over beams and use that term, but flags are more seen as "what happens if you don't use a beam".
Anyhow, you should also be aware that breaking beams does not tell the performer to play the notes shorter. That is what staccato is for, and staccto can be used on beamed notes. Breaking beams at places other than on the beats is done only for very specific purposes, such as in vocal music (especially older vocal music) to indicate notes that get their own syllables as opposed to melismas. It's better not to use a notation for a purpose other than its actual intended purpose, as it won't help the musician reading and may just confuse him.
In reply to Chances are, by "little by Marc Sabatella
I use beams to indicate the word rhythms in unmetrical music, together with slurs to indicate melismas.