Ties not working

• Jan 2, 2014 - 20:40

I have the Windows 7 version of MuseScore. Whenever I try to tie a sixteenth note to a quarter note (I'm in 2/4 time), the quarter note ends up splitting into two sixteenth notes and an eighth note. When I have two notes on top of each other, and I try to tie one of the notes to another note, the other note disappears. The ties also do not play properly in the playback.


Comments

Slurs don't play back......they're only for clarity in the printed score (although this may change in a newer version). Ties do play correctly. Slurs are created with "S" key, while ties are created with the keypad "+" or the tie symbol (just below and to the right of the "play" button.)

Tough to say without seeing the score - the actual MSCZ file - and then describing *exactly* what you are doing step by step (eg, "first I click the sixteenth note A in measure 2, then I press the "+" button to tie it to the quarter note A in measure 3, but the A in measure 3 changes into two sixteenths and an eighth" or whatever.

If I had to wager just based on your description, I'd guess that maybe the passage in question was supposed to be notated in two voices - see Voices in the Handbook. But again, without seeing the score, that's just a guess. You might also want to read the Handbook entery on Tie to be sure you're entering them correctly.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

It was in the same voice.

I'll try telling you the steps I did:

I made a sixteenth note G4 at the end of a 2/4 measure.

I made a quarter note G4 at the start of the next 2/4 measure.

I moved the blue line in between the two notes using the arrow keys, and it was highlighted on the second note.

I pressed the Tie button and the quarter note was broken up. The first sixteenth tied to a new sixteenth note in the second measure, which was connected (not tied) to another sixteenth note followed by an eighth note.

In reply to by kevin.shen

The "tie" facility works differently depending on which more you are in.

In "entry mode" when a note is high-lighted, selecting a duration and adding a note (a, b, c, etc) will produce a tied group with the 2nd note being of the duration selected.

If you want to tie together 2 existing notes, you need to be in "select? non-entry?" mode and then the icon you refer to works. A "+" sign on the keyboard activates the same feature.

Regards,

In reply to by xavierjazz

Since you brought it up...

I am struggling to find a good term for the "non-entry" mode. The code refers to it as "Normal" mode, and as little as I care for that, I can't think of anything better, either.

For that matter, the other mode is sometimes called Note Entry mode and sometimes Note Input. I like the phrase "note entry mode" well enough, but I end up gravitating to "note input" because otherwise it's hard to avoid writing awkward sentences like "press N to enter note entry mode".

In reply to by kevin.shen

...and because the handbook only shows tied notes of equal duration.

You wrote: 'Not sure why the other way doesn't work for me though.'
For your specific case, the other way would be:

Make a sixteenth note G4 at the end of a 2/4 measure.

Next, do *not* make a quarter note G4 at the start of the next 2/4 measure, but rather simply select a quarter note duration from the note toolbar, or enter '5' (for quarter note) using the keyboard.

Then, press the tie button, or enter '+' using the keyboard.... Voila!
Since ties connect notes of the same pitch, you do *not* have to enter the letter 'G' at all for the second (quarter) note. All that's needed is to specify the time value (duration).

This method is for when both notes of the tie are not already entered.

Regards.

In reply to by kevin.shen

It seems to be the case that you have to enter ties the way it says in the Handbook - enter the first note, then select the duration *only* for the second and press the tie button. That is, don't enter the second note - pressing the tie button enters the second note for you. If you enter the second note manually as you describe and then try to back up and enter the tie, it just does't work, and often leads to strange results such as you describe (although the strange results I get are a little different.

If you've already entered both notes and want to tie them, you have to leave Note Entry mode to do it.

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