Pick-up notes in strophic songs
In a song or hymn with several verses a pick-up note forms an incomplete first measure and is completed by the last measure. So in 3/4 time with a pick-up of a quarter-note, the last measure would only have a half-note equivalent. Thus the last measure is completed in the return to the beginning of the next verse.
In MuseScore I am forced to start with two quarter-note rests and end with a complete measure including another quarter-note rest.
How can I get rid of the unwanted rests?
Comments
When you first create your score, MuseScore gives you the option to specify the pickup duration. I guess you skipped that step, but it's easy enough to change the first measure to a pickup after the fact: right click it, Measure Properties, then change the "Actual duration" to 1/4 (or whatever). If you've already entered the deisred note on beat 3, you'll want to copy it first then paste it back, since shortening the measure after the fact in this way actually removes the *last* beats rather than the *first*.
Same process for shortening the final measure - except here, presumably you already entered the final notes starting on beat 1 so there is no need to copy them.
In reply to When you first create your by Marc Sabatella
For the 1st measure you usualy also want to exclude it from getting counted, so tick/untick the appropriate option in the same dialog
In reply to When you first create your by Marc Sabatella
Thank you very much for a quick and thorough answer.