Defining or altering instrument names / settings

• Nov 23, 2021 - 10:21

Hi,
I am writing music for Alphorn. There is the choice of "Alphorn" in the list of instruments, but it is written in the bass clef. Usually Alphorn music is written in the trebel clef (analogous to the horn). Furthermore there are different tonalities for alphorns as well, e.g. in F (again like the horn) or in G minor.
I wonder if and how I can create an instrument or alter the settings.
Thank you!
Vinzenz

Comments

Marc Sabatella

• Nov 23, 2021 - 14:42

Simply add the desired clef from the palette, and you can also set transposition in Staff/Part Properties (right-click the staff to access this dialog).

SteveBlower

• Nov 23, 2021 - 16:59

If you want to go beyond simple you could create your own instrument definitions for the different types of alphorn. This link describes how to do that. https://musescore.org/en/handbook/developers-handbook/references/instru…. It looks a bit daunting at first but after a few failed experiments I found it quite straight forward.

vinzenzmorger

• Nov 25, 2021 - 12:26

Marc and Steve, thank you both for your help! I did not know how to do the transposition. Now, it is perfect. And for the future I hope to find out the daunting way to define the Alphorn types that I need. Great!

Jojo-Schmitz

• Nov 25, 2021 - 13:04

Maybe my reply below helps

Jojo-Schmitz

• Nov 25, 2021 - 12:52

Hwere's what the current definition looks like

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<museScore>
<!-- ... -->
      <Genre id="world">
            <name>World Music</name>
      </Genre>
     <!-- ... -->
      <InstrumentGroup id="brass">
            <name>Brass</name>
            <!-- ... -->
            <Instrument id="alphorn">
                  <longName>Alphorn</longName>
                  <shortName>AlpHn.</shortName>
                  <description>Alphorn</description>
                  <musicXMLid>brass.alphorn</musicXMLid>
                  <clef>F</clef>
                  <barlineSpan>1</barlineSpan>
                  <aPitchRange>34-67</aPitchRange>
                  <pPitchRange>30-72</pPitchRange>
                  <Channel>
                        <!--MIDI: Bank 0, Prog 60; MS General: French Horns-->
                        <program value="60"/> <!--French Horn-->
                  </Channel>
            </Instrument>
           <!-- ... -->
      </InstrumentGroup>
</museScore>

For it to show in treble clef you may want to replace

                  <clef>F</clef>

with

                  <transposingClef>G</transposingClef>
                  <concertClef>F</concertClef>
                  <transposeDiatonic>-8</transposeDiatonic>
                  <transposeChromatic>-14</transposeChromatic>

For non-C Alphorns the transpose values would be different, and also the pitch ranges,

                  <aPitchRange>34-67</aPitchRange>
                  <pPitchRange>30-72</pPitchRange>

You should probably add (IMHO it is missing from the current Alphorn definition)

                  <genre>world</genre>