Pitch before Duration
Hello!
I have been using Musescore for over ten years, and the development in the program has seen leaps and bounds. I feel that the one of the most important features that Musescore is missing that competing programs have is a true Pitch Before Duration method. (Finale's speedy entry, Sibelius/Dorico's pitch before duration)
Many of my music professors that I have worked with regarding music engraving have mentioned that while Musescore has been improving in functionality the lack of this specific function turns users away. I understand that there is a function that uses the pedal that almost (I am not sure if it was my personal pedal or user error but I could not engrave my desired duration after numerous attempts) accomplishes this, but it is not the desired implementation. I have seen a few others write this in a couple of other forums, but the conversation always gets changed into a different discussion.
A description of the method would be:
(Midi keyboard is required)
1: Select desired pitch via midi keyboard (hold this until duration is selected, or the selected duration will become a rest.)
2: Use numeric pad to select duration (5 = quarter note, 4 = eighth note, etc.)
Sibelius does a phenomenal job at this job especially because it displays the pitch(es) on the staff while playing it back through the computer's speakers while previewing pitches.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Comments
I have always said that Pitch-Before-Duration is a more natural way to think about things: if one is physically handwriting music on a staff, you go to the staff position first (the pitch) and then write the duration (the note value).
It would be great if MuseScore were able to do this. And especially for Finale refugees.
In reply to I have always said that… by mhindson
Could not agree more. Why can't Musescore do this?
Having used MuseScore as my sole score writer, I am unfamiliar with the competition and have a question.
Describing your method, you wrote:
1: Select desired pitch via midi keyboard (hold this pitch until pitch is selected...
For now, let's just consider this first part:
"Select desired pitch via midi keyboard" -- and call this step 1a.
So, for example...
To enter a C4, I must first select the pitch by pressing the C4 key on the midi keyboard, yes?
The next part:
"hold this pitch until pitch is selected"
Okay, but didn't pressing the C4 key in step 1a already select the C4?
Then how does holding (keep pressing the midi key?) allow C4 to be selected?
In reply to As a user of MuseScore for… by Jm6stringer
I believe it was a typo. I think he meant “hold this pitch until duration is selected”
In reply to I believe it was a typo. I… by pfmusician@net…
I think he meant “hold this pitch until duration is selected”
Among its alternative note input methods MuseScore has two "pitch before duration" note input methods (for midi keyboard):
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/alternative-note-input-methods#real…
The final step in those two real time entry methods is to release the midi key when the note has reached the desired duration.
This sounds like it meets the requirement.
In reply to As a user of MuseScore for… by Jm6stringer
Yes, sorry it was a typo, my mistake.
In reply to Yes, sorry it was a typo, my… by Aidan_Grivas
Okay, so see:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/alternative-note-input-methods#real…
which uses "Pitch before Duration" where pitch is held before duration.
Wrong thread - sorry.
Sorry, but every time I see the title of this thread, I get a little twitch. I realize that as a mouser, this thread doesn't apply to me. But, there was a comment about how pitch comes first when writing on paper. But this to me is only sort of true. I may think I want to write down a Bb on my staff paper. But until I come up with a duration and actually write the Bb, the Bb does not exist.