Pizzicato Issues
Hello,
I hope I chose the right forum category. I am currently using the most updated version of Musescore. I am having an issue with pizzicato. I'm not super computer savvy so I'm a bit stumped. I am currently using Virtual Playing Orchestra 1st-violin-SOLO-PERF, viola-SOLO-PERF, and Cello-SOLO-PERF. I tried inserting the "pizz." option into each measure that called for it from the "text" drop down menu, but it did not change arco to pizzicato. Then I tried to do it the old fashioned way in Musescore. I typed my own staff text "pizz.", then tried to change the channel of each of the string instruments. However, pizzicato was not even an option. The only option in the channels was "normal."
It's interesting because pizzicato worked on my other computer, but I switched to my current computer because the other one didn't have enough power to play my piece without glitching. I transferred my file from my first computer which had a completely updated version of Musescore to a computer that had a slightly older version. I then updated the second computer to the most current version because I realized it needed an update. Would this cause issues with being able to use pizzicato? Or perhaps it's the soundfont? Thanks in advance for your help!
Comments
Is that a GM compatible soundfont? Does is habe sounds for pizzicato, can you set those in Mixer?
In reply to Is that a GM compatible… by Jojo-Schmitz
I don't know if it's compatible, but I also tried the default string sound fonts provided by musescore. They didn't do pizzicato either. I couldn't find an option for pizzicato in the mixer either.
In reply to I don't know if it's… by bkalis
In Mixer on the violin click on that right arrow to 'unfold' the available channels, there then check the pizz channel und if need be assign a pizz sound
In reply to I don't know if it's… by bkalis
If you are using the default soundfont and you added a violin or other bowed stringed instrument to your score, you don't need to look at the mixer to do pizz. Just add the text from the palette and everything just works. You can if you choose go to the mixer to see for yourself what ios happening - the text changes the sound to the pizzicato subchannel, which you can see in the mixer if you expand the main channel strip for the instrument.
When using a non-standard soundfont, you will need to tell MsueScore what sounds to use in the mxier, by setting the sounds for main and pizzicato channels of each instrument separately.
If you some reason you choose to type your own staff text rather than use the predefined on in the palette, you will also need to set its properties to do the channel change, by right-clicking it and going to Staff Text Properties.
In reply to If you are using the default… by Marc Sabatella
Marc,
Thank you for your reply. Neither the default sounding nor my downloaded one have the option in the mixer for pizzicato. I tried to expand the violin in the mixer and it wouldn't let me. The program doesn't register the "pizz." option from the palette either.
In reply to Marc, Thank you for your… by bkalis
The default soundfont sure has.
Please share the score.
In reply to Marc, Thank you for your… by bkalis
@bkalis. add Pizz. from palette, click it, open Inspector
Set to pizzocato
I saved my score as an xml file then opened it up in musescore. It now registers pizzicato as an option and I have inserted it into my piece successfully. It must have been something about transferring the score between computers? Thank you, Danke, grazie for your assistance and troubleshooting.
In reply to I saved my score as an xml… by bkalis
Nothing about moving the score between computers would cause such a problem. But most likely, you simply never added the instrument as a violin. maybe you added a flute or some other random instrument then changed the playback sound to violin, but that's not the same.
If you have a score that you are sure you entered the actual instrument as violin and yet you still don't see pizzicato, please attach it here so we can investigate. But I'm guessing it is a matter of the instrument being wrong. And note that MusicXMl import may or may not set up the instrument properly, so if that's where the score came from, that probably explains it right there. You could simply go to staff/part properties and change the instrument to violin - even if it says violin now, this should re-initialize everything properly as if you had added it from scratch.