Can't add additional voice to a measure with triplets

• May 9, 2020 - 09:39

I've found that I cannot add a second voice when I've selected a range with triplets in it. When I click the 2,3,or 4 button it flashes, but nothing happens. Not having a problem any where else in the score.

I can't even work around it in the clef by setting the second voice first, because there are triplets in both voices.

The work-around I had to go with was to enter the second voice in the other clef and then transfer the voice between clefs.

Attachment Size
triplet.jpg 5.42 KB
triplets2.jpg 16.84 KB

Comments

It's true you can't move triplets to a different voice than you originally entered them in (well, you can, using a different method, see below), but to be clear, you don't need to move notes between voices just to add notes to another voice. It isn't clear what you are doing, but you should never normally need to move notes between voices just to enter triplets, You can enter as many notes in as many voices with as many triplets as you want, all without leaving note input mode, and that's the usual way of working. So your example would be entered very simply by first entering the voice 1 notes in note input mode, then without ever leaving note input mode or selecting any ranges, switching to voice 2, then entering the voice 2 notes.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I am not trying to move triplets to another voice. The problem is that having entered triplets I cannot add another voice to that measure. As I wrote, when I try to change to another voice, nothing happens but a "flash" of the voice button. This problem only occurs when the first voice has a tuplet.

In reply to by memeweaver

Are you sure you are in note input mode when you do this? What you describe is normal if you try changing voices while note in note input mode. That’’s because that’s not how you enter a new voice - it’s how you move notes between voices.

So, if you’re sure you’re in input mode when you press the voice button, please attach your actual score and precise steps to reproduce the problem (eg, which measure or note you are selecting before entering note input mode, which note input mode you are using if not the default step-time, etc).

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I am sure I'm in note input mode. I've transcribed about 20pp of complicated piano notation thus far, and this is the only real obstacle I've encountered.

The repro is simple. Add a tuplet to a measure in note input mode, then click a voice button and try to add notes - they will only go in the first voice.

I created a simple file from scratch that reproduces the problem.

Attachment Size
triplet_voice_problem.mscz 5 KB

In reply to by memeweaver

I had no trouble entering voice two in your example. here are my exact steps, let me know if yours were different:

1) click first note of measure 2
2) press N
3) press voice 2 button
5) type C

Result: exactly as I expect, a C is entered into voice 2.

I also tried going into note input mode for the bottom staff, enter a new quarter note triplet (6 Ctrl+3 G A G) then, while still in note in pout mode with the cursor where it was after entering the last note of the triplet:

1) press voice 2 button
2) type C

Result: again, exactly as I expect, a C is entered into voice 2.

So I can only guess you are doing something different from this, and really the only thing I can imagine that would cause w the voice 2 button not to function is, as I said, if you were not in note input mode at the moment you pressed it.

In reply to by memeweaver

Sorry, I originally wrote the steps differently then forgot to edit the numbering. Those are the correct steps, they are just numbered wrong.

I read what you wrote, but again, it makes no sense to me, because this absolutely does work, we all do this sort of thing dozens a time a day and have never seen a problem. I am not suggesting you are an idiot, but I am suggesting you somehow are getting one of the steps wrong. But it’s really hard to tell which. Can you record a screencast video so we can see exactly what is happening ?

In reply to by memeweaver

BTW, another thing that makes me almost positive you are not in note input mode: your voices in the first measure are backwards. The top voice is 2, bottom voice is 1. While it's conceivable you did this on purpose for some reason, it also happens to be exactly what would happen if you entered the voice 1 part first, then left note input mode, then selected the measure, then pressed the voice 2 button. That would move the selected notes to voice 2, and then when you entered note input mode, you'd immediately be put back into voice 1. And because of that, you also had to force the stems the other way around. If you do this correctly - enter the top notes as voice 1, then without leaving note input mode switch to voice 2, then enter the bottom notes, everything works perfectly, tuplets included, and you don't need to play games with stem directions - they will already be correct.

In reply to by memeweaver

In that case, it would also help if you explained how you entered that measure, and why you chose to reverse the voices like that. This might give us additional insight that would help us understand the unique properties of your workflow that might be leading you to experience the problem you allude to.

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