Percussion score issues with new update

• Jan 26, 2020 - 01:02

I write out a lot of drum set scores on MuseScore, and have to report having issues after the latest update.

When trying to place a second drum set instrument on the same stem (for example, hi hat and snare playing on the same beat) MuseScore automatically changes the first instrument to the second instrument. Also, when a new instrument is selected to place on the same stem, it is immediately placed on the following rest for the value of that rest, with no opportunity to instead put the instrument where it needs to go.

Is there any way to stop this new automatic placement? It is really getting in the way of composing drum set scores.

I tried downloading an earlier version of MS3, but it must have had the same update added, as this version also has the same issue of automatically changing instruments or placing them into the score where I don't want them to go.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.


Comments

See https://musescore.org/en/node/300139. This an unintended side effect of the improvement in how the palette works, eliminating the need to double-click. I guess you had been accustomed to not double-clickng as well, but using the other method where you first click the palette, then move the mouse to the score, then click again. That mode is no longer implemented indeed - clicking the palette adds the note at the current locatio immediately, just like double-click did before. It has always been expected you'd first position the cursor where you want the note before double-clicking, but people accustomed to single click then move mouse wouldn't be aware of this indeed. And it's a problem that clicking overwrite the notes rather than adding a second ntoe on the same stem.

I encourage you to read through the discussion on that other thread, check out the suggestions and proposals, and comment further there.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Thanks for replying. I appreciate the hard work the MuseScore team puts into this wonderful application, which I've used for years. However, I find version 3 to be a little too intrusive. With this latest upgrade taking away my preferred method of using MuseScore it's easier just to go back to using version 2.

In reply to by L Drummer

Not sure what you mean by "intrusive", on the contrary MuseScore 3 offers far more flexibility than MuseScore 2 ever did. Maybe you just mean, a handful of things changed so you have to learn new locations for controls, or in a couple of cases, new procedures? Anyhow, we'd still love to get your input on that other thread. As I said, this was an oversight, and unfortunately no users commented at all about this during the several weeks of public beta testing - a shame more users didn't choose to participate or we could have addressed this before release. But now that we have the feedback, rest assured we'll figure out a solution. The more people that are make to make constructive suggestions in that other thread, the better.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Since you have asked me questions here I will answer. No, by "intrusive" I don't mean a handful of things changed and I had to learn new locations and procedures. It's a free application that I'm otherwise very happy to use and adjust to the new features and little quirks that come with every upgrade.

By "intrusive" I mean version 3 insisting on changing the formats of older scores and handouts I would open in it. I use MS to create music theory handouts with lots of frames and text, which I occasionally go back to change and update. The MS3 automatic placement function insists on unnecessary reformatting and I couldn't find a way of turning it off before opening older scores. On checking the forums for solutions I noted there was a reluctance in the replies to complaints to do anything about this function. Not a big issue. When I had time I reformatted these old scores in MS3 to the way I wanted them laid out, not the way MS3 insisted on doing it. Although having to turn off automatic placement every element in older scores is annoying, MS is a free application that otherwise meets my needs and I enjoy using it. Automatic placement was just a quirk to work around and not a deal-breaker.

However, this new upgrade has made it impossible for me to use MuseScore the way I prefer, so I've stopped using this version and will just use version 2 for now. Apologies for not being a beta tester, it's not something I have the time or inclination to do. I'll check out the other thread and forums for suggestions. Again, thanks for all the work and effort the MuseScore team puts into this application.

In reply to by L Drummer

Indeed, the improvements to the default layout in MuseScore 3 were so vast, it means older scores that had been customized to work around the deficiencies in MuseScore 2 (no collision avoidance, no way to flip elements between above/below the staff, fewer style settings, etc) cannot always been laid out exactly the same way. We try as hard as we can, and in nay cases succeed, to emulate the layout of MsueScore for older scores, but there are cases that just won't work. So for those, we always recommend keeping MuseScore 2 around. So, nothing is really "intrusive" about this, and for new scores, MsueScore 3's default layout and controls are vastly superior.

As for automatic placement, sure in rare cases it's necessary to disable it, and it's extremely easy to do it (Inspector, or shortcut "+", or Alt_drag). Not sure how you got the sense that nothing was done about it, on the contrary we almost completely re-architected how it responds between MuseScore 3 and 3.1, specifically in response to feedback about wanting to make it easier to make adjustments. You now almost never need to disable it to make adjustments, and disabling it is now much simpler than it was originally. And if you search again for threads discussing the subject, you'll see virtually unanimous approval for the changes we made from some of the people who were initially the most critical. We do try to respond, I believe we have done so quite successfully here.

Anyhow, I create music theory handouts all the time, quite sophisticated ones in terms of layout, with multiple frames, breaks, text placed as staff text, fingering, and other types - and I virtually never need to disable it. On the contrary, I end up needing to do far less manual adjustment than I ever did in MuseScore 2.

Feel free to start a new thread, post one such example where you're having trouble, and we can almost certainly help you see how you can be creating your handouts with far less effort than you ever imagined.

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