Hairpin crossroads
Probably sounds like a hazardous piece of road to navigate...
I'm finally starting to really nut out this incredibly software, using more shortcuts all the time - reminiscent of my Blender3D days, where the shortcuts MADE the software fly! - and very keen to use this more and more in my music studies.
My challenge is this, currently: I like - actually really like - the playback in Musescore, so I'm finding myself wanting the hairpins to actually control the dynamics of the piece on playback. But then, in order for that to work, I have to insert dynamics all over the place, when ends up looking a bit busy:
I suppose I can untick the visible tickbox for the "superfluous" dynamics, but would doing this make a bit of a hash of things? It does sound significantly more like what I want it to in Musescore, but... what with playback improvements being planned, should I wait until some of these improvements see the light of day?
I'm currently working on the Allegro of Opus 48 of Dvorak ADvorak_Op48-Ic.mscz - a simply incredibly piece to study! - and making sure the dynamics are respected makes all the difference as to how the piece sounds. The piece without the dynamics is cacophony: unlistenable.
What would wiser heads do, here? focus on creating sheet music or creating something fun to listen to?
Comments
If you don't want the hidden dynamics, go with setting the velocity change on the hairpin directly:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/hairpins#edit-properties
In reply to If you don't want the hidden… by jeetee
Thank you for your reply, JeeTee. This takes me to another grey area: what exactly the numbers correspond to. I understand the term velocity is a holdover term from midi and keyboards... having to do with how fast / hard a key is struck, but I haven't really figured out how to translate that to a string section and how hard they bow a particular note, say and which number range would be appropriate for a stringed instrument... but most importantly, what sort of number to assign the crescendo hairpin and then, the decrescendo... and then, there's the type of single-note dynamics method.
I did read the hairpin page, but I'm failing to figure out how to use the information I read in a sentence, metaphorically speaking.
In reply to Thank you for your reply,… by robynsveil
Look at the velocity setting of the various dynamics, p, mf, f etc. Use thoses as a guideline for the hairpins' velocity changes. I'd go for 32 for a start
In reply to Thank you for your reply,… by robynsveil
Check out https://musescore.org/en/node/290616. It includes a section on using hairpins and even shows the formula for knowing how velocity changes effect playback.
In reply to Check out https://musescore… by mike320
Thank you, Mike and JoJo... will study those pages thoroughly, and thank you, Jojo for the suggestion of 32 as a starting velocity.