Changing built-in default settings for time signature beaming and swing
There are two aspects of MuseScore that default to being a certain way that I change to something different every single time I use them:
-in 4/4 time signatures, the default beaming setting is to beam 4 eighth notes together over beats 1&2 and 3&4. I change this every time (via Time Signature Properties) to beaming 2 eighth notes together on every beat (no beam between eighth notes on the &of1 and 2, and on the &of3 and 4).
-When adding "Swing" system text, the default is a swing ratio of 60%, and I always change it (via System Text Properties) to 67%.
I cannot find a way in any of the settings interfaces to change these defaults so that they are set from the beginning to the way I change them to on every project. Am I missing a way to do this, for one or both of these examples? Alternatively, is there some way I could circumvent the settings interface to make this change, by editing some code in one of the application files on my computer?
Or is my only option to suggest a change to the settings interface for future releases of the program that allows users to change these defaults?
Comments
You wrote:
I change this every time (via Time Signature Properties) to beaming 2 eighth notes together on every beat
OK, so save (Ctrl+Shift+drag) that custom signature to a palette. To distinguish it from the default 4/4 signature, you can re-name the tool tip. Notice the 2x2 tooltip for the custom time signature:
![time sig.png]( "time sig.png")
.
For the "swing" text, you can do the same: create a swing setting in the score and then save it to a palette:
![swing.png]( "swing.png")
To distinguish from the default, you can modify the text, or the tooltip, or both.
See:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/palettes#add-element-to-palette
In reply to You wrote: I change this… by Jm6stringer
Thank you, this is very helpful. The Swing issue is completely solved, and this makes changing the beaming quicker.
However, when a new score is created with a 4/4 time signature, it still defaults to the 4x4 beaming rather than 2x2x2x2. I still have to change the time signature to my custom 4/4 when I start each score. Even when I create a custom template with the 2x2x2x2 4/4 time signature, the process of starting a new 4/4 score from that template overrides the time signature (not unexpected, since starting a score from a template with any other time signature, say 3/4, also overrides the time signature used on the template).
It's really a tiny hassle, and it would be insane not to be able to just live with it, but just on principle I wish I could directly modify the default beaming of the standard 4/4 time signature that gets placed when you choose 4/4 when creating a score.
Note, though, that beaming 4/4 in groups of 4 is definitely the standard used in most published music and what most people reading the music are accustomed to and rely upon to help them visualize the rhythmic structure of the piece. There could be special cases where beaming in 2's makes sense (like creating faithful reproductions of 19th century French scores or whatever where it was fashionable to beam in 2's), but I definitely wouldn't be changing it all the time without a specific reason like that..
In reply to Note, though, that beaming 4… by Marc Sabatella
almost all of my scores are vocal arrangements of pop standards, parlor songs, tin pan alley songs, etcetera. I see a lot of that type of sheet music where the eighth notes aren't even beamed at all! Beaming two at a time together seems like a good compromise, and it's the recommendation of the style guide of the organization whose genre I mostly arrange in. I agree beaming 4 together would work better for normal instrumental scores.
In reply to almost all of my scores are… by pjkeller5595
For vocal staves sometimes the beams follow the syllables, There's a plugin that does this for you, see https://musescore.org/en/project/traditional-vocal-beaming
In reply to almost all of my scores are… by pjkeller5595
Indeed, on the vocal part only (not the piano part), it was common in the past to not beam except for melisma. Modern arrangements seldom hold to this convention - and that's especially true for modern music, which tends to be much more highly syncopated. But when trying to follow that older style for whatever reason, instead of beaming in twos, why not actually follow the convention for real Yu can break all beams by default just as easily as you can set them to be groups of twos. but better yet, see the plugin for traditional vocal beaming in the Download / Plugins menu on this site.
But are you saying that beaming in twos is actually recommended by a style guide you have access to? Would it be possible to link to or upload that? Are you referring to the Barbershop Harmony Society, perhaps? I've seen a few of their guides but not one covering this.
In reply to Indeed, on the vocal part… by Marc Sabatella
Yes, it's the Barbershop Harmony Society. Their current notation manual says about beaming: "Beams and flags should show the metrical divisions within the measure, but should only beam together contiguous notes within a beat. Thus, in common time (four beats per measure) beam two eighth notes together to show the beat, or in cut time (two beats per measure) beam four eighth notes together to show the beat. Do not beam together notes if they are on different beats."
I didn't have any prior thoughts about the merits of different beaming configurations, so I just got in the habit of following that advice. Perhaps it's actually suboptimal, but I've grown to prefer the way it looks.
In reply to Yes, it's the Barbershop… by pjkeller5595
I see, thanks for the reference! It's definitely quirky in a kind of old-fashioned way, but perhaps deliberately so in this case :-). Anyhow, then the method described earlier of simply adding such a modified time signature to your palette should work. You will just need to add it from the palette - upon initial score creation you'll get the standard 4/4 instead.