How to make new chord symbols
Hi I hope this is not a redundant thread, but I've scanned the forum and haven't been able to work out how to do what I want to do, assuming it's possible.
Basically, is there a way by which to add new chord symbols to MuseScore? For example, I would like to insert a major 7th chord with a sharp ninth (e.g. FMaj7#9). I realise that this can be imputed as is, but then the accidentals are not how they should, and if the jazz font is used, then this particular chord symbol will look different.
Is inserting new chords possible, and if so, how would one go about doing it? Is it a matter of somehow modifying an .xml file?
Also, would somebody please explain the Degrees (i.e. it has Type, Value, and Alter) section of the Chord Properties dialogue? What does it do and how does one use it?
Comments
I am using MuseScore 0.9.6 with GNU/Linux.
I was also looking for this, so was slightly surprised to see no one reply. Although I think the program is MUCH MUCH better than when I first tries it a few years ago - to the point where I've actually scored some work for it ['cello/vibes/piano/text] I'm really not liking the way Musescore notates chord symbols, and was looking to change it...
I found files called jazzchords.xml and stdchords.xml. I performed a small edit on jazzchords.xml so that the flat in C-flat-five went before the number... but there are other alterations I'd like to make too. Is editing these files the right approach?
As far as I can see for the Degrees section:
The Value is the value of the interval from the root; The Alter box lets you shift the interval up or down, up to a tone; and the Type lets you add, take away or "alter"[???] the interval to the chord. Musescore then works out what it thinks the chord should be, based on the rules set in chords.xml - or at least I think that's correct.
In reply to It's necro-posting, but... by epicurious
There are several other threads on this topic; you might want to search for them. But basically, yes, editing the xml files is the way to do this. Others have already posted their own edits that work pretty well. Note those files control the *appearance* of the chord symbols; a different file (chords.xml) controls what you have to type into the parser in order to get those symbols to appear. Both files are customizable. You can pretty get whatever results you want.
Here, BTW, is one of the existing threads:
http://musescore.org/en/node/7785
In reply to There are several other by Marc Sabatella
Thanks very much! that'll give me some work to do today... and also, can I pass on some kudos to you for your Improvisation Primer site! When I saw your name, I thought, "wow...".
In reply to Thanks very much! that'll by epicurious
Glad you've enjoyed the Primer!. It's amazing how far technology has come since I wrote that back in the early 90's. I'm proud to have been one of the first to contribute anything on jazz to the then-brand-new World Wide Web, but that was just a plain text document. Hmm, no, worse, it was a "troff" document. Now, I'm looking forward to checking out the upcoming MuseScore 1.0 release, which is something I would never have dreamed of seeing back then.