Intelligent note placement
It would be a good feature if the program was to understand Instrument's written range.
For example, when entering a Bass part, the notes should not appear outside of the range unless moved there specifically by me. I often have a problem with MS anticipating which octave I want the note with it often going outside the instrument's actual written range.
Best regards,
Comments
There is a step in the right direction on this though. It looks like the next revisions of musescore will color-code those notes that are outside the range of an instrument as red, and those that are outside the normal range of the instrument as yellow. It's good that these red notes are still available, however, because there is some obscure music that calls for them. An example is a delightful bassoon quartet by P.D.Q. Bach that calls for a low A to be played by inserting a paper tube into the bell. Also, you could write pieces for infrequently encountered instruments such as the Oboe D'Amore which is like a mini English Horn pitched in A--a minor 3rd below the oboe. I've actually threatened to get one of these because the band I play oboe with seems to always play pieces in D-flat which is very awkward for oboes. it drives me crazy because it's right between the key of C, which is easy, and the key of D which is the easiest of all.
In reply to I agree by MDMilford
Both your and David's responses are very good, and I agree that this is a step forward and that the composer, not the program should make the decisions.
However, it seems to me that a switch would easily solve the problem for standard notation. I am sure that most music written is within the instrument's range, so far more effort is used now as the program, presently going to the nearest note in the previous direction, often move outside the range.
As to your oboe situation, this sounds like a plot to get you to buy another instrument??? :-)
Regards.
In reply to Octave note placement by xavierjazz
I know! I ramble and run off on tangents. :-) Too bad they don't make one in A-flat. That'd be perfect for bands that play music written by pianists. Darn pianists, always writing music in 5 flats! haha
MuseScore picks the octave that is closest to the previous note. Most of the time this is correct but if you have jumps of a fifth or more then MuseScore picks the wrong octave. What I like about the current system is it is easy for me to understand and anticipate. I don't even have to look at the screen to know where the note is since the current system is simple to understand.
There is a risk of software trying to be too clever, trying to guess what I want. In extreme situations it means you have to check constantly to make sure the computer is doing what you told it to do and and not second guessing your instructions.