Wrong Playback Rhythm for 12/8 Time
Has anyone noticed that the playback rhythm for 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, etc. time signatures is in correct? 1/8th notes should sound like triplets when using these time signatures, instead, they play like standard 1/8th notes. If you tell the program that the dotted quarter rest is a triplet, then it plays correctly, but this is not the standard way to represent the notes in a printed score.
Comments
I think you need to use either the 8th note or dotted 1/4 note to indicate your tempo. All tempos in the inspector are converted to 1/4 note BPM but if, for example, you use the dotted 1/4 note = 80 from the tempo text and change the 80 to the appropriate number, the inspector will do the math correctly so your tempo is correct. You do not need to use triplets in x/8 time to fix playback.
In reply to I think you need to use… by mike320
Thanks - that does seem to do it but it isn't the normal way to write the tempo ..... 1/8 note = 156 vs. dotted quarter = 52. But at least that is better than writing it in actual triplets.
In reply to I think you need to use… by mike320
by the way .... what fixed it was to use the 1/8 note = 156. I was already using the dotted quarter and that was what was giving me the problem ..... the actual timing was still correct, but the way the notes were played made them sound like actual 1/8 notes. I'll set up and attach an example audio file.
In reply to by the way .... what fixed… by PDP57
OK - Weird, now when I convert it back to dotted quarter = 52 it still plays correctly. ??????
Oh well, happy that it works, sorry for taking up time and space here.
In reply to OK - Weird, now when I… by PDP57
The "Follow text" option in the inspector can sometimes cause confusion if you're note used to it. I suspect it's probably somehow related to that.
Hi,
I've tried everything I can find in threads on this topic, but my score stubbornly refuses to recognize the triplet feel of 12/8 time. Each quaver note sounds like a semiquaver beat in 4/4 time. Is there a recent fix on this issue please? Or is there a way to work around the problem...? I attached a short portion of my score to show the situation.
Thanks,
Chris
In reply to Hi, I've tried everything I… by cjprose100
Not shure what you mean by triplet feel, is it this when you add a swing text? Triplet feel problem score sample_swing.mscz
In reply to Not shure what you mean by… by Pentatonus
Hi! Thank you so much for coming back so quickly. The time signature of 12/8 represents a 12 beat feel (four groups of three quavers) as well as a 4 beat feel (four dotted crotchets). It's a 'compound' time signature, implying a duality of beat. Musescore happily represents this duality in written score terms, but when it plays the score back, individual quavers are played as semiquavers in straight 4/4 time. If you play the sample I uploaded you will see what I mean. And thanks again for your input.
Regards,
Chris
In reply to Hi! Thank you so much for… by cjprose100
MuseScore plays a quaver as a quaver, in any time signature. Unless you enabled Swing, either per the Swing staff text or via a score wide style setting (and then it plays the quaver on the beat as a dotted quaver, and one off the beat as a semi quaver, roughly). You score doesn't use either setting so plays straight
In reply to MuseScore plays a quaver as… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thanks for your input Jojo. Would you be kind and direct me to the appropriate settings that I need? If you played my snippet in Musescore, then you will have heard the anomoly, and will know which setting is the best for this circumstance. I was a music teacher by trade, but my knowledge of Musescore is taking time to catch up with my scoring requirements! :-)
In reply to Thanks for your input Jojo… by cjprose100
I did play it and I did hear the normality, i.e. quavers playing as quavers, crotchets as crotchets, etc.
Reg. Swing see https://musescore.org/en/handbook/swing
In reply to I did play it and I did hear… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thank you for your time Jojo, and for your handbook reference. I'll get there in the end.
Do you think Musescore will ever rationalize this situation, so that a 12/8 piece will play as 12/8 without the need for a swing workaround, or do the mechanics of the coding not easily allow for this?
In reply to Thank you for your time Jojo… by cjprose100
?? Swing is not the workaround. It is the real fix, if you want something to sound swung.
Compound meters do sound swung if using crotchet, quaver, crotchet, quaver... but not when using quaver, quaver, quaver...
In reply to ?? Swing is not the… by Jojo-Schmitz
Forgive me for coming back on this again. Musically speaking 12/8 is a 'natural' swing structure, just like 4/4 or 5/4 is. Does Musescore have to use the swing mechanism to play back 12/8 realistically? And if so, could this not be applied automatically when choosing the 12/8 time signature? Then playback would behave as any musician would expect when choosing it.
In reply to Forgive me for coming back… by cjprose100
Sorry, meant to say 'like 4/4 or 5/4 is a 'natural' time signature...
In reply to Forgive me for coming back… by cjprose100
If you want 2 subsequent quavers to sound swung, you need the swing setting.
As said having a dotted quaves/semiquafer pair or a crotchet/quaver pair, these do sound swung all by themself, no swing setting needed
In reply to If you want 2 subsequent… by Jojo-Schmitz
Jojo, now I'm really confused. Let me ask you this question instead.
You say you heard my uploaded sample. This bass part was written in 12/8 time, but Musescore plays the individual quavers after the dotted crotchets as much shorter notes than they should, sounding more like a dotted rhythm (1:4) than a 12/8 rhythm (1:3). Are you saying Musescore cannot play this rhythm as it should be played, and that I need to add a swing setting to get the 'real' sound of 12/8?
I won't bother you after this, but as a musician needing to write in 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 from time to time, Musescore does not currently make this easy! That is why I asked you if Musescore would ever be able play compound time signatures of this type without additional tweaking. My uplopaded sample clearly shows that currently Musescore can't do this.
Regards,
Chris
In reply to Jojo, now I'm really… by cjprose100
The natural swing effect of /8 time signature comes from the alternance of 1/4 and 1/8 notes written with that type of time signature.
That has nothing to do with an additional swing effect that is useful in /2 or /4 time signatures.
Just encode any score in MuseScore in 12/8 and playback will properly plays it as 12/8 must be played, there is no issue here.
In case you still have difficulties, attach a small 12/8 score and a recording of you playing it with your instrument as you think it should be played so we can better explain.
In reply to Jojo, now I'm really… by cjprose100
It plays the quavers (after the dotted crutchted tied to a crotchet) as a quaver. Not any shorter than it should
In reply to Jojo, now I'm really… by cjprose100
Attached an example with a additional typical rhythm structure of an 12/8, as mentioned no swing text is needed. Doesn't it sound as a "natural swing"?
In reply to Forgive me for coming back… by cjprose100
You'll find 12/8 time signatures also in classical works, see for example Beethoven's second movement of symphony no. 6, which shouldn't be played as swing.
In reply to You'll find 12/8 time… by kuwitt
Thanks guys, all your inputs appreciated. I think I have found the glitch. You are of course all correct, 12/8 should play like 12/8 in Musescore, and it finally did for me after I moved the tempo indication (dotted crotchet=62) from the second bar of the score to the first bar of the score. It must have been a small bug that stopped my score responding to the correct rhythm. Moving the tempo indication changed everything. Weird, but pleasing :-)
In reply to Thanks guys, all your inputs… by cjprose100
First of all 12/8 is a Compound time signature so it's played as if it's a Big 4/4 Time Signature w/ a 3/4 Time hidden in Each Beat. So the metronome is playing it correctly & if you fill measures w/ Slashes, it's still correct.