Count-in flexibility: Requesting a setting that governs the number of count-in measures

• Mar 17, 2021 - 17:36
Reported version
3.6
Type
Functional
Frequency
Few
Severity
S5 - Suggestion
Reproducibility
Always
Status
active
Regression
No
Workaround
No
Project

In MuseScore 3.6.2:

When the first measure of a selection is a full measure—or when the user has selected the first note of a full measure—MuseScore plays one full measure of count-in clicks.

Generally I've observed that students need 2 full measures of count-in. Ideal MuseScore would offer a convenient way for them to chose the amount of Count-in they prefer.

I'm requesting that MuseScore allow users an option to set the number of full Count-in measures to a value between 0 and x. MuseScore's default is 1. And there is no other choice.

I like the way MuseScore handles anacrusis. At an anacursis—or when the user has a note other than the first note of the measure selected—MuseScore plays the Count-in for 1 full measure ... plus the "empty" portion of the anacrusis, or the portion of the measure preceding the selected note.

With Count-in measures = 1 we get the default behavior
With Count-in measures = x MuseScore plays x full measures of count-in clicks
With Count-in measures = 0 MuseScore plays the "empty" portion of the anacrusis only (or the portion of the measure preceding the selected note.)


Comments

fwiw, I agree with this suggestion. Sometimes I need the extra countin just to get my hands from my computer keyboard to my instrument in time. I'd also like add that in my opinion a partial-measure count should be added when there is a pick-up measure. For example, in 4/4 if the song starts with a quarter note pickup then I'd think a proper count-in would be one (or more) full measures + the 'empty' portion of the pickup measure (at least, this was how I was taught to do my count-ins - [1, 2, 3, 4, | 1, 2, 3] ).

In reply to by rocchio

Frequency Few Once

rocchio wrote>> I agree with this suggestion. Sometimes I need the extra countin just to get my hands from my computer keyboard to my instrument in time.

Yes, a longer count-in provides more time to get one's hands set to play along. This is important for students and practicing musicians.

Regarding pickups I had expressed similar sentiments. Glad to have your supporting opinion.

There was discussion recently about the pickup count-in behavior being broken and failing to "prepend" a full measure count in two situations:

    1) in the case of an anacrusis
    2) the user has pressed play after clicking a note other than the first note of the measure.

Interestingly 1) and 2) work here in MuseScore 3.6.2 on MacOS. MuseScore plays a full measure count-in, plus—for the lack of a better term—the "contra anacrusis" portion of the bar, and finally, as desired, the anacrusis portion without clicks. Just what we want.

In reply to by scorster

The comment "[EDIT] I think that the cause is this: by instinct I enabled the checkbox "Exclude from bar count" for both anacrusis bars - and that's the difference between the two scores..." in discussion recently about the pickup count-in behavior being broken seems correct. I just now checked 'Exclude from Measure Count' in one of my scores and Musescore did indeed do the count-in correctly. Now my problem is that my score is one part in parts/scores being made and tweaked around with by several others, using different programs, and they are numbering their 1st pickup measures; so I gotta number mine to stay in sync as we discuss revisions. So to my mind, Marc's point, in that same post, about the vast majority expected behaviour should actually carry the day on this one.

FWIW, it will probably still be possible to workaround that by excluding the measure from the count, but then adding 1 to the next measure's count.