Volta Properties

• May 8, 2019 - 08:47

Can somebody tell me how Volta Properties are suppose to work?
How do you add more repeats?


Comments

Edit their repeat list in Inspector, so each volta knows on which round to play. Also alter the play count (to the grand total of all voltas) of the measure containing the end repeat barline, via right click, measure properties

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

I understand where to look and what to edit, but I do not understand the logic of the numbering of the repeat list.
I'm working on a song with one set of 1 (Let's call it A), then 2.3.(B) voltas and later in the song a 1.(C) and 2(D) voltas.
First 1 (A) uses a repeat then verse repeats and playback goes into (B). These two should of course have "repeat list no." 1 and 2 respectively.
After this the song comes to the second 1 (C). What repeat list number to use now for musescore to distinguish it from (A)? For some reason giving it repeat list no 2 works.
Logicially this would be the third volta bar that playback enters, so it could be named repeat no 3. Then this uses dal segno to start over and enters into volta 3(B). What number are we on here? I think this should be playback 4, but it won't work, using repeat list 3 does.
Then we come to the last one (D) which uses dal segno al coda, which works excellently, if I can get playback to enter that measure, which works if I give it playback no 2 as well as give (C) some other number.
It seems like this should work, because it's so close to working perfectly. But I can't figure out if it's not supposed to be working or if I just can't figure out the repeat list logic.
See the attached file for details. (I've used "to Coda" marker, but edited it to a coda sign as is customary in Sweden if anyone is looking for that.)

Attachment Size
The_reason_voltas.mscz 20 KB

In reply to by Scott Humphries

Yes, I am separating the numbers in the repeat list with commas within the volta properties in the inspector. No luck for me yet. But I can get the playpack to do everything in an orderly manner if I skip a verse, then the playback jumps to the coda from the right place instead of just skipping the second volta (D, as described above) and go into the next measure which is the coda.

In reply to by Jm6stringer

Thanks for having a go at it.
Unfortunately, the score then is not clear how to read in practice. There is now nothing to indicate that after bridge 1 one shouldn't go to coda after v3 and therefore neither bridge 2 nor v4 would be played by the performer.
I've looked at it, and indeed the playback does it right. But I don't know how! I see you've put the repeat mark in the end of the bridge to play twice. But how then are one supposed to ignore the DS al Coda there the first time? And how did you get MuseScore to do so?

Also the "start repeat" mark in the beginning is being used three times then, which is really not ideal. As far as I've learnt, it is "used up" the first time it's pointed back to (in this case from v1 to play v2) and shouldn't be used again. Hence the use of the Segno.

And ultimately, my initial questions remains: What is the logic of the "repeat list" numbering of voltas? And is this very normal use of two sets of voltas in one score beyond this logic?

In reply to by gertahnstrom1

There is... nothing to indicate that after bridge 1 one shouldn't go to coda after v3 and therefore neither bridge 2 nor v4 would be played...

The 'To coda' (or the simple coda marker you use) brings a composition to its ending, and so would only be taken at the final play through. Compare to a 'Fine', which would also be taken at the last pass. Otherwise, as you say, parts of the song would never be played.
For example:
Imagine a 'Fine' (or a 'To Coda') at the 10th measure of, say, a 60 measure song. The player does not play only 10 measures and end the song at measure 10 simply because he reads 'Fine' (end) -- nor would he take a 'To coda' at a first pass through.

Also the "start repeat" mark in the beginning is being used three times...
...it is "used up" the first time it's pointed back to...and shouldn't be used again.

'Start repeats' don't get 'used up' after a section is repeated only once.
Songs can have multiple verses (and multiple voltas) which return to the same 'start repeat' multiple times.

From: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/voltas#volta-properties -- "complex repeats are also possible: e.g. a 'Repeat list' displaying '1, 2, 4, 5, 7' indicates that the volta is to be played during repeats 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7, and so on."

What is the logic of the "repeat list" numbering of voltas?
From: https://musescore.org/en/node/288890#comment-917055 -- "Edit their repeat list in Inspector, so each volta knows on which round to play."
So...
Open a score, change the numbers, experiment, see what happens.

Regards

In reply to by Jm6stringer

Hmmm... I agree, mostly. The Coda was not the confusion, but the "dal segno..." part. That marking should not be ignored automatically like a fine marking and since it contains "...al coda" as well, a conflict of what is expected arises. Which is why a second pair of voltas in most scores I've seen is used since it is easy to interpret.
That's when the numbering gets complicated and the logic of the program is hard to understand. For only one set, there's no problem.
In this particular case, the two sets of lyrics of the bridge would give a strong hint that one must return there again, but if this was just a melody line for a solo instrument, that would not be clear (that instrumentalist would have used all bars but the coda when this occurs, why wouldn't one just go to coda?). If one uses your proposed method of a repeat paired with D.S al Coda, what then would a customary note to clarify this be?
I would think then, that the score would be limited to the language in which that note would be in, rather than using the second set of voltas which I think would be recognised by most people who read music.

So, I've tested all kinds of numbering, with different results (but never the expected) and that's where I wonder how the playback works. Is there anywhere in the program one can see what repeat list number is currently used?

Thank you very much for your input!

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