Spacing of chords Version 2 to 3.

• Mar 14, 2019 - 21:18

Hi team,
I just downloaded and installed Version 3.0.5. I had 3.0.2. When I open a score from Version 2.0.? (the most recent version of 2.0) the program asks if I want to re-space my chords or something similar. When I did all my scores in Version 2, I created an offset to move the chords into the bars. I know this is not how arrangers write chords, but it worked so well for me. At this point Version 3.0.5 is totally useless to me if I have to go in and fix every score I've created. I attached a picture of what I'm seeing after clicking Yes to the re-spacing message. Is there a quick fix for this? I never had this issue with all the updates to Version 2.

Thanks...
EDIT: I just uploaded the original form Version 2.


Comments

Click "No" when you get the message. Also, you can keep both versions on your computer, so it is sometimes best to keep 2.3.2 for 2.x scores.

If you want to load 2.x scores into 3.x, you should preferably not save them in the same place, but use "Save as..." to save. This will ensure that you do not overwrite the 2.x score. You can then always go back if you want. Else you will lose the 2.x score.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Hi Marc,
The attached pic of Version 3 is what I see when I click No. I was hoping I could open a score in any version of Musescore and have it look exactly like the previous version, only with more toys and features that are new to the most recent version. Instead, the chord spacing is not remembered. I'll attach the score depicted in the picture. It was designed in Version 2 but looks like the pic of Version 3 after clicking No. Thanks :)!

Attachment Size
T'ill I'm Too Old To Die Young.mscz 8.33 KB

In reply to by Lee Batchelor

Generally, speaking, "major" versions of MuseScore (like from 1 to 2, or 2 to 3) will mean "major" changes, and scores won't necessarily look exactly the same. Some will, others won't, depends to some extent on what degree of customization you employed and how you went about it.

In your case, the reason it didn't work is that 2.x used two different ways of specifying the default position of chords, and you unfortunately used the "wrong" one. I mean, it worked in 2.x, but it's not the one we wanted you to use, and it not the one we look at in 3.0 in attempting to recreate the original layout. Instead of changing the offset in the chord symbol text style, you really should have been using the vertical position in the chord symbol general style. Had you done that, it would have imported as expected.

But, no matter, it's not hard at all to fix this. You can either make that change it in 2.3.2 and then re-import it, or you can make the change in 3.0. One way would be to position one chord symbol as you like then hit the new "set as style" button in the Inspector to make this the default. But, since MuseScore is now designed to avoid collisions, and you are deliberately creating a collision with the staff, you will need to disable automatic placement for the chord symbols. A couple of different ways to go about this, what I'd recommend is to right-click one, Select / All Similar Elements, then uncheck Automatic Placement in the Inspector.

Or, since you mention not wanting to fix old scores, then simply keep using 2.3.2 for the old scores, but take advantage of the huge improvements in MuseScore 3. for new scores.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Great ideas, Marc. Thanks. I did as you suggested.
1- Opened the score I posted here, in 3.0.5.
2- Selected one chord symbol.
3- Unchecked Automatic Placement.
4- Used the Inspector to move the chord into the staff lines, like the original.
5- Selected All Similar Elements.
Problem: the Set as style button is unavailable (grey). I've tried selecting rehearsal marks, and other elements. The Set as style button remains unavailable, no matter what.

I loaded another song from the old version, where I had set the offset in the Main menu. It opens perfectly in version 3.0.5!

The one minor change I would love to see is, anywhere there is a list of elements, place them in alphabetical order. Yamaha does the same thing with its endless menus on its keyboards. All their selections are randomized. Personally, I find this method completely defies logic. Information is useless when its hard to retrieve. Alphabetical lists aid in skimming and scanning.

In reply to by Lee Batchelor

Which set as style button do you mean? There is one for each setting. If you change offset, then the set as style for that particuar setting is available, but not for, say, font size, since you didn't change that. No need to select all similar elements before set as style, though - maybe that is your problem? If the settings are different for the selected elements, then how could MuseScore know which one you wish to use for set as style? Instead, you select one element and by pressing set as style, it automatically applies to all - that's the whole point. Although for me, if I do have multiple element selected, one gets chosen anyhow as the representative element whose values are popped into the Inspector, and set as style does work for it.

As for alphabetic order, there are very good reasons not to do this. It's not very ergonomic, for one - usually we make changes to "related" things at once (eg, in a score, setting initial clef, key, and time signature - how much worse it would be if these weren't adjacent). Also, different languages would then have things in a different order making things much harder to document & support, etc.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Good explanation about the alphabetical order, Marc. Thanks.
Still don't know why I'm unable to make the Save as style button available. I attached a pic of what I'm doing. Notice how in the lower right corner of the Inspector, the button is grey. It stays that way even after I select all the chords. In the pic, only the first C chord is selected and moved using the Inspector y-axis control. Thanks.

Attachment Size
Save as style button unavailable.png 65 KB

In reply to by Lee Batchelor

You looking at the wrong thing. The "set as style" buttons as the ones to the right of each individual field, next to the reset buttons, labeled with an "S". Right next to the offset fields, you'll see both the reset and set as style buttons, both very much not grey. You are, I think, looking at the dropdown to select a text style, not the same thing at all.

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