Easy Fix: Period and Dotted Note Consistency

• Apr 29, 2011 - 19:51

This should be a really easy one. The mouse interface lets you click on either single or double dots for dotted notes. The keyboard interface has the period toggling the single dot on and off.

What I'd like is for the keyboard period to cycle through three rather than two states: Single dot on the first press, Double dot on the second press, Clear the dots back to the beginning on the third.

-- J.S.


Comments

Double dots is quite rare. I prefer the way it is right now and it's consistent among all other shortcuts. A shortcut can be assigned to double dot in Edit -> Preferences -> Shortcuts.

In reply to by [DELETED] 5

It's true that double dots are rare.

It's just that the mouse inteface has them, but the keyboard doesn't. So, maybe look at it a different way:

Gather up all the things that are rarely used, and give them a palette or menu all their own, with categorized sub-palettes. That might streamline the main user interface, and make it easier to use. Single dot would stay where it is, and double, triple, etc. would go on the Rare Items palette. Maybe give it a "Blue Moon" icon....

-- J.S.

In reply to by John Sprung

How would you define "rarely used"? A symbol or functionality that's common for one instrument or genre of music might well never be used in another. That's why palettes are customizable; if you want to "streamline the main user interface," you already can.

In reply to by [DELETED] 448831

... figuring out what to classify as "rare".

Doing your own de-cluttering is fine for those who have already climbed the learning curve. But what about the beginners? They're the key to getting the program into widespread use. Make it easy to get started, and then customise by adding things from a package of extras, rather than starting with the heavy load and shedding later.

Personally, I almost abandoned MuseScore because the user interface was so daunting, and answers so hard to find.

-- J.S.

In reply to by John Sprung

??? As compared to what? Coming from Finale, there is a bit of an adjustment, but all my students coming from Sibelius made the transition very easily, and those starting from scratch were able to get up and running far more quickly than attempting to do the same with Finale or Sibelius.

In any case, I'd agree it might be nice to have an option for the dot key to add a dot as opposed to toggle the dot state, but I'd also say that since this contrary to how other keys work, it shouldn't be the default.

BTW, regardless of how common the rhythm denoted by a double dotted note might be, it should be noted than many major style guides and publication guidelines frown upon them. The preferred way to write a double dotted half is half tied to dotted quarter if you're following the "expose beat three" rule, but dotted half tied to eighth is pretty common too.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

not in comparison with other music software (which I haven't tried).

Of course, your students are smart -- they got into a university. And they're motivated -- they're not going to drop out.

But consider the amateur market, where people might go back to pencil and paper. Or, as I was trying before I found MuseScore, to use some other program. I was putting the staves on a locked layer in AutoCad LT, and grouping objects to make notes, copying and pasting.

As Albert said, "All things should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." ;-)

-- J.S.

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