How can I write Cello and Double Bass on the same stave?

• Aug 14, 2018 - 07:49

Cello and Double Bass often plays the same melody, so I wish to write them on the same five line stave, instead of two seperate staves. How can I do that? And how can I indicate where I want only cellos playing?

EDIT I don't want to write the two instruments as two seperate voices. They are in unison, so they should be written in ONE voice.

Comments

Jojo-Schmitz

• Aug 14, 2018 - 08:03

Use voices and staff text

Femme fatale

• Aug 14, 2018 - 08:23

I know how to label the staff "Cello and Double bass". I know how to write two seperate voices on the same stave. But (1)the two voice always have the same timbre; I don't know how to assign them different instruments. (2)What I want is that Cello and Double bass playing the same lines of music in unison, so they are NOT two seperate voice. I wish to present them as ONE voice.

Jojo-Schmitz

• Aug 14, 2018 - 08:35

You could (mis-)use channels to assign different sounds to different voices, see https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mixer#mid-staff-change
The above won't work with a single voice. Add a 2nd staff , enter the notes, then hide it, so it is for playback only

mike320

• Aug 14, 2018 - 13:20

What I do is copy the cello staff onto a bass staff and hide the bass staff. If the bass is the only instrument playing, then keep the bass notes on the cello staff, select those measures on the cello, in the inspector click the "Notes" button and remove the check from "Play" so only the bass notes will be heard. For cello only sections, delete the notes from the bass staff. To indicate changes as to who is playing, use staff text on the cello staff such as "Cellos only", "Tutti" (or "Cello and Bass"), "4 Basses only" and so forth. When all of this is set up, use the Instruments dialog (press i) and make the bass staff invisible. This is the easiest most realistic way to do what you want. One more situation you will occasionally is the bass and cello play different rhythms. You will need to use voices for this. Put the cello in voice 1 and bass in voice 2. Use the selection filter (F6) to deselect voice 1 and silence voice 2 in the cello using the inspector. Of course you will only want the bass part (voice 2) copied to the bass staff.