Trill to half-step?

• Oct 13, 2015 - 22:52

Hi Y'all,
Just wondering. I'm writing a Pirates of the Caribbean Medley and I'm writing Up is Down. However, I am trying to get MuseScore to playback a trill from D to Eb/D#. Any ideas? I know MuseScore is a notation program and not playback, but I have to submit a MIDI recording and it won't sound good unless I can get it to trill to Eb. Thanks in advance! Also, I"m not interested in using 32nd notes and making them invisible. I want it to look nice on my computer.

~TheBandGeek


Comments

Perhaps this:
1. Write the score using 32nd notes (D to Eb/D#) for the trill.
2. Export/submit the midi.
3. Remove the 32nd notes from the trill (to make it look nice on your computer).

Regards.

Trills move between the current note and the note above. Whether that means a leap of a tone (full-step) or semitone (half-step) depends on the current key signature and whether there are any accidentals earlier in the bar.

Here are two ways to get what you desire:

1. Change the key signature to include an Eb

trill-key-with-flats.png

2. Put a note with an accidental (i.e. an Eb) earlier in the bar

trill-accidental.png
In this case the first trill is between D and E, and the second one is between D and Eb.

Also, using shoogle's suggestion:

trills.png

A chord can be created with the Eb note, which is then made invisible and silent, using the Inspector.
See the .mscz attachment for audio playback. Click on View -> Show Invisible.

Regards.

Attachment Size
Trills for playback.mscz 5.53 KB

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

This is disaster. I mean not so playback, but notation problem! Change key signature in whole orchestra ONLY for stupid flat in one instrument. ... Gentleman, a little criticism. Old Encore, Overture, Finale, Sibelius Dorico, StaffPad... all have this function. I like MuseScore because my musicians use freeware. I don't see even a plugin for half-step trill for MuseScore...

In reply to by Jm6stringer

That's a clever approach to get the right playback, and indeed it is the only way to achieve it in some situations. But there are two problems with it.

1. A musician playing the printed score cannot distinguish between the two cases.
2. The invisible note leaves behind a tiny stem:

So, to adapt Jm6stringer's suggestion, I'd put the invisible note in voice 2 to avoid the stem problem, and keep the accidental visible and move it above the trill to indicate the trill interval to the musician. (You'll need an invisible rest too now the note is in voice 2.)

trill-accidental-above-hidden-note.png

trill-accidental-above-voice2.png

This is a legitimate way to notate trills and has been used in real sheet music. See the example at the very bottom of this page: http://www.songsofthecosmos.com/encyclopedia_of_modern_music/T/trill.ht…

In reply to by Jm6stringer

Well then, if you can see the stem well enough to click on it, you can make the stem invisible, too. You can also use the Inspector tab (Musescore 2.0.3) to make it so that it will not be heard in the playback, but (I think) will still be heard in the trill itself. It's very clever.

In reply to by SteveBlower

Steve,

My goodness, till now the only Tremeloes I know were a band of my yoof! Brian Poole. I never stop learning.

Yes, the Suppe is really magnificent, even for a humble third clarinet. The fist page has some lovely groups of thirds bars, but exposed if the sole third clarinet. Gotta gettit right.
The score we were given is spidery and a bit confusing, wondering which note of the many 'chords' to play. One moment of confusion and - completely lost! Musescore prints so magnificently clearly, it is worth the effort to re-score.

Thanks for the tip - a lifesaver.

Clive.

P.S. Weren't the Wozzles some creature on Wimbledon Common? Didn't they have an Uncle something from Eastern Europe? Or is it time for my pills already?

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