Easy navigation around a large score

• May 22, 2020 - 16:26

I have started using Musescore and find it amazing, especially for an open-source programme. I have found answers to most things on YouTube. But... Once the piece gets longer than one page, it starts getting really hard to move around the score.

I have found 'view + Navigator' which is already a big improvement. But moving around the page is hard, because (in default mode) anywhere you click you are liable to either accidentally modify a note or stretch the bar, or add some crazy high note, when all you wanted was a hand tool to move around freely without accidentally editing the score. This problem happens as much when dragging with cursor as when moving using arrow keys... (A 'jump to bar X' would also be useful).

There must be a better way of moving around a page or from page A to page B and back. I just can't find it.

Please help.

Simon Daisy.


Comments

The best way is normally to using your mouse scroll wheel, or equivalent gesture (e.g., two-finger swipe). Also the standard navigation keys like PgUp/PgDn, etc.

Really helpful, thanks... already using 'jump to'... command.
As for other tip about using mouse, I don't have access to mouse when I'm working at my keyboard. I have tried the navigation options you mentioned and they still result in unwanted edits to my score. Is there no way of turning off the score edit function during navigation (as would be the case if there was, say, hand tool)?

In reply to by Simon Daisy

When you say "keyboard" here, do you mean your computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard? If computer keyboard, and you have no pointing device like a touchpad where you can use two-finger swipe, then PgUp/PgDn definitely work and never modify the score in any way. If MIDI keyboard, well, I'm not quite sure how you would want to navigate if you have neither mouse nor computer keyboard. But I'm confused you mention clicking, which implies to me you do have access to a mouse or other pointing device. Are you perhaps using a touch screen and trying to drag the score that way? MuseScore is not well optimized for touch screen interfaces indeed, and really, this would just be the tip of the iceberg as far as that goes.

In reply to by frfancha

I'm not sure I'd agree it would feel that natural, after all the cursor keys normally do something entirely different (eg, change pitch). So if people got in the habit of relying on cursor keys just to drag a score, it might actually exacerbate the problem of accidentally moving things when they are just trying to navigate.

But anyhow, I can't say I remember this specific request coming up much - do you have a link to an issue with prior discussion?

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Hey. Thanks for all the help folks. Confusion arose when I said I was at my keyboard. I meant at my midi keyboard. All I meant was that when I'm writing at my midi-keyboard, my little laptop is more or less sitting on top of the midi keyboard. No ability use a mouse. But I was using the trackpad and arrow keys. And, yes, it does modify the pitch of the note if (when navigating) you accidentally highlight a note in blue ... which happens all the time. I have no problem with using arrows not being available, but something like a hand tool, or basically anything that allows you to navigate without accidentally changing something would be great. ... Unless there is already some way and I haven't found it (I'm a newbie to this). Thanks to those who replied.

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