Modify default for filling measure with rests

• Mar 23, 2019 - 13:34

There are a number of situations currently where the default behaviour to fill a measure with rests after adding a note leads to non-standard notation. For example, after adding a dotted crotchet at the start of a 6/8 bar, the last half of the bar is filled as a quaver rest followed by a crotchet rest. However, standard notation would have the last half of the bar filled as a crotchet rest followed by a quaver, or perhaps with a dotted crotchet rest (not my favourite!). Another example is when notating a bass part for a waltz with just a crotchet on beat 1 of every bar. The bar is filled with a minim rest, rather than two crotchet rests.

Examples of standard notation are described here for example: https://web.archive.org/web/20070815101041/http://www.coloradocollege.e…

And also in "An ABC of Music" by Imogen Holst.

Holst ABC - Rests.jpg

It would be nice if MS used the standard groupings as a default. And as an enhancment, perhaps the user could be allowed to modify default rest fills in a similar manner to defining beaming groups for different time signatures. So for a 3/4 time signature the default would be shown as three crotchet rests; for 6/8 it would be shown as crotchet-quaver-crotchet-quaver rests, but these would be editable for those who prefer non-standard (or perhaps different standard - one doesn't want to be judgemental!) notation.


Comments

I thought I had put in a suggestion to allow the user to define rest patterns like they do beaming patterns in the key signature definition, but I'm not finding it.

In reply to by jeetee

That's not what I thought I had requested, though it's relevant to this conversation. I requested the ability to set the rest pattern in a similar manner to the beaming pattern in time signatures, so starting a 6/8 measure with a dotted quarter note could leave the rests that the user expects. Musescore NEVER gets this right, I always change it when in any time signature but 4/4 or C.

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