How do I set the split between bass and treble clef?

• Jan 10, 2020 - 05:01

I arrange and compose music for handbells and I would like to set the split so middle C is notated in the bass clef automatically. How do I set this as a default?

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• Jan 10, 2020 - 12:19

It is not clear what the problem is. I assume you are using a grand staff with treble clef on the upper staff and bass clef on the lower staff. When you are entering notes on the upper staff middle C will appear on the first ledger line below the staff, and if you are entering notes on the lower staff middle C will appear on the first ledger line above the stave. If this is not happening please tell us what is happening and attach a score that demonstrates the problem.

Also note that when you start entering notes MuseScore puts the first one within the stave (e.g. for treble clef from F above middle C to E a 7th above that) but you can change octave after the note has been entered by pressing CTRL+up/down arrow. Thereafter MuseScore guesses which octave to put notes in by keeping them within a range of (I think) a 5th above or 4th below the previous note and you have to adjust octave as needed and as described above (can be tedious when entering an Alberti bass but it gets almost automatic - like playing an Alberti bass).

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• Jan 10, 2020 - 15:06

Notes are entered onto the staff you have selected when you enter note input mode - there is no automatic determination of what staff to use when entering notes. Are you perhaps referring to the "Split Staff" function available when you right-click a staff? A dialog appears and asks you for the split point. Or maybe you are trying to import a MIDI file? By default, in the cases where it seems to make sense to use two staves at all, MuseScore will try to be intelligent and assign notes to staves based on what seems logical, not with a fixed split point, but you can override this using the import panel.

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• Dec 13, 2021 - 14:21

And the split function during import does not use a fixed split point (so there is nothing there to edit).

You can import without splitting and then use the Split Staff function available from the staff context menu, which does allow setting a split point.

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• Dec 13, 2021 - 14:32

Indeed, what I wrote was misleading. I should have been clear that the import panel doesn’t allow you to set the sit point (since as I had already explained, there is no set split point), but rather, that it allows to disable split staff completely. And then you can split later as described.

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• Oct 28, 2023 - 14:25

I successfully split my piano recording into Bass and Treble clef in my MIDI file recorded on my Casio PSX3100. Basically you need to set the split point in your digital piano. For me, it is the middle C note. Anything below the middle C note will become the Bass clef while the rest (right of the middle C) will become the treble clef notes. However, this only works if I record the MIDI file on my casio digital piano and then save the file onto a USB drive and then copy to my PC and open with Musescore. If I were to connect directly from my casio to the PC via a printer cable type A, I can still record my piano notes directly to Musescore, however, it is not able to detect the "split" line and hence all notes will go to the treble clef only. Perhaps some may offer a real time solution for direct inputs.

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• Nov 15, 2024 - 09:49

Marc - thanks for replying. I’m looking for a feature to be implemented in MuseScore that automatically assigns notes to the correct clef during MIDI note input. Specifically, notes above a designated split point should appear in the treble clef, while those below should appear in the bass clef. This is standard behavior in many note editing programs, and MuseScore’s current implementation is an exception, making it nearly impossible to input left- and right-hand parts simultaneously on a MIDI-capable piano.

My question is less about whether this feature is missing (it clearly is) and more about how to make it a reality. How can this functionality be added to MuseScore?

For reference, many music notation software programs already include this feature. Examples include:

Sibelius: Automatically assigns MIDI input to the appropriate clef based on a customizable split point.
Finale: Similar behavior, with dynamic clef assignment during MIDI input.
Dorico: Offers advanced MIDI input functionality, intelligently handling clefs and staves.
Notion: Dynamically splits MIDI input into treble and bass staves according to split-point settings.
Logic Pro (Score Editor): Handles MIDI input with customizable clef and stave assignments.

This feature is essential for seamless note input using MIDI keyboards, especially when entering both left- and right-hand parts simultaneously. I’d appreciate guidance on how this feature could be implemented, whether through community development, collaboration, or a formal feature request.

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• Nov 15, 2024 - 17:28

So you're hoping for a way to play the piano in real time with both hands and have MuseScore automatically sort out which hand plays which parts, as well as figure out and quantize the rhythms, as well as how to handle overlapping notes using multiple voices, etc? That's a lot more than just choosing a clef, I am afraid. It's just not really viable to expect to see that sort of thing any time soon. For now, and until AI technology gets a lot more advanced than it is, it is going to be way way way more efficient and accurate to just enter the notes on staff at a time normally.

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• Nov 16, 2024 - 10:37

As far as I understand, the OP does not hope for any AI feature or some other complicated feature. Only that the already existing support for inputting notes with a MIDI keyboard into a staff is extended to input notes in a grand staff and that the decision to add the note to the "left hand" bass clef staff or the "right hand" treble clef staff is based on a "split point note". A feature that the OP points out, is implemented in several other score notation software programs. Nothing more.

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• Nov 18, 2024 - 06:38

@Marc - i tried to be clear and am astonished how my clear question what i should do leads to a discussion that is off the point. I want to be able to set a split point and any note below it goes to the bass cleff and any note above it goes to the treble cleff. The input will of course never be perfect but a major step in fixing the input is already done - this is why this is a standard feature in so many score programs and why it is so frustrating that musescode does not have this feature. I consider it a must-be feature according to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_model - and if such a feature does not exist it is a major drawback. So my question at this point is about the process for getting the feature - does is first have to be discusses and agreed or is there an issue/ticket system where this happens?

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• Nov 18, 2024 - 14:01

The discussion is not off the point at all. Your idea is not sufficiently clearall, and that is why we are simply asking for clarification. It is not at all obvious how a split point feature should work in a step time system. Should the program be managing two separate cursors and every time you enter a note on a different staff, the cursor either jumps ahead or backwards accordingly? Or should there be a single cursor that always moves forward and autofill rests when changing staves? If so, how should it handle overlapping rhythms? If you want to be able to enter a chord for right and left hand "simultaneously", how would you specific the durations if they differ between the hands? And what would the procedure be for the very many cases when you need to enter a low note on the upper staff or a high note on the lower?

In order for anyone to even begin contemplating implementing a split point feature in a step time system, you would need to be able to explain how you would expect it to handle these cases and more. So if you are aware of as split point feature in the step time note input system for another program, a pointer to the documentation of that feature would be a good start, and then perhaps collectively we can answer the questions I just raised. Then the proposal would be clear.

And once there is a clear proposal, as mentioned, the next step is to present your proposal as a feature request on GitHub - with screen shots etc to demonstrate how it would work, based on the consensus reached in the discussion here.

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