Problem adding text
Problem: When I go to Add > Text > Lyrics, I get error message saying "No note or lyrics selected". I assume I'm supposed to select the spot under the measure where I want to add lyrics, (the same way I can select a measure by clicking on it) but when I try, nothing happens. Is the ability to add lyrics a paid feature?
Software: Musescore for Mac Version 2.3.2 Revision 4592407
Computer: OS Mac High Sierra Version 10.13.6
Comments
It's not a paid feature.
By "spot" you mean the note?
.
Select the first note you want and click CTRL+L
There are no paid features in the Musescore program.
To enter lyrics you must have a single note selected where you want to start. You can't add lyrics to rests without some funny business under the hood.
@Chamaigne... Welcome aboard.
You wrote:
I want to add lyrics, (the same way I can select a measure by clicking on it) but when I try, nothing happens.
You don't select a measure (unless you want that error message).
You select a note where the lyrics attach.
Regards.
EDIT:
I just re-read your post, especially this part:
I assume I'm supposed to select the spot under the measure where I want to add lyrics
The spot under the measure is where you would normally place your pencil on a paper score. This is the spot where MuseScore will place the lyrics... but it needs to know to what note that lyric is linked. That's why you select the note rather than the spot under the measure.
See:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/lyrics
Ohhh! Thanks everyone. It's obvious now that I think about it, but my Aunt and husband couldn't figure it out either, and they both use other score-writing programs. Maybe it's worth adding a note about this in the manual, or changing the wording of the error message to make it plain that you have to select an individual note where you want to begin the lyrics. I hadn't yet encountered a need to select an individual note, so that didn't occur to me. Thanks again everyone. :)
In reply to Ohhh! Thanks everyone. It's… by Chamaigne
I think the the error message is very clear.
In reply to I think the the error… by mike320
The way I first interpreted it is that it must be a multi-use error-message, where selecting a single note must have something to do with other types of operations where you're trying to do something to the note, and selecting "lyrics" was the part pertaining to the operation I was trying to perform, which was entering lyrics. It just didn't occur to me that selecting a note was relevant because I didn't want to change anything about the note. Could be a total brain-fart on my part, but if I put it together that way, and the people in my household couldn't figure it out either, then it's likely that other people might have the same problem. After experimenting with it, I would word the error message like this: "Select a single note under which you'd like a lyric to appear, or select a lyric under which you'd like a second line of lyric to appear." Or for a shorter version: "Select single note or lyric and retry. Lyric will appear underneath." I did search the manual and the forum before asking my question here, so for people slow to understand the error message like me, it could just be spelled out in the manual. Just a suggestion. If I'm the first to bring it up, then of course it may not be worth doing.
In reply to The way I first interpreted… by Chamaigne
On the contrary, input from new users is much appreciated. You (yourself) can edit the online handbook.
If you want, you can come back here with your suggested handbook entry for review.
For me, when I read mike320's reply about the clarity of the error message, I agreed with him.
But...
as that error message states -- "Please select a single note or lyrics..." -- I can understand how one can surmise a multi-use error message, used for both note errors and lyrics errors.
At this point frustration can foment, as the user thinks: How can I select a lyric when I haven't even entered a single one yet ??!! ...That's what I'm trying to do!!
(Sheesh... stupid program.)
Regards. :-)
In reply to On the contrary, input from… by Jm6stringer
Thanks for the validation. :) I clicked on the online handbook link that you shared above and I see that it is different from what I found before. (I must have only searched the downloadable pdf handbook.) The link you shared above has very clear instructions. Thanks again.
In reply to Thanks for the validation. :… by Chamaigne
Others have found version 1 handbook pages online, and there is a note at the top that says the page is out of date, click the link to see the current handbook, or something to that effect.
If you do a search to find a handbook page, look for this message and heeds its warning. If you use the handbook link in the support menu above, you will always get the handbook for the current version.