Pesky Rests

• Dec 14, 2016 - 13:15

New user to Musescore. I'm trying to write the following measure:

2 quarter notes followed by 2 8th notes followed by a quarter note.
This 4 beats to the bar. Why then every time I enter the 8th note Musescore adds a
rest that I don't need? This seems to be such a simple request.
I've read others are having the same confusion.

Thanks


Comments

So you are saying that in a 4/4 measure when you enter 2 quarters, 2 8th and another quarter (and all in voice 1) that there are additional 8th rests?

Or do you meat the 8th rest that appears when entering the 1st 8th note? The one you then overwrite with the 2nd 8th note?

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Welcome to Musescore! Here is a way to think about this:

When you start with your 4/4 bar it is not empty; it is full. Full of rests since no notes have been entered. The rests are in this case just one whole measure rest. Every measure in Musescore is either full of notes, full of rests or of a combination of notes and rests.

So you begin and enter a quarter note. You substitute your note for 25% of the rest, so you get this: quarter note, quarter rest, half rest. The measure is still full, partly with notes, partly with rests.

You add you second quarter note, you get: quarter note, quarter note, half rest. Adding your first eighth note will force the system to temporarily place an eighth rest which afterwards will be replaced by the second eighth note.

When all your notes are entered your measure will be full of notes and won't need any rests any more.

In other words: You never have to delete rests (so long as you work in one voice anyway). They will go away as you enter notes to replace them. When you enter a rest on the other hand the system will reserve space for this rest (it won't really enter anything at all as the rest is already there) and move the cursor to after the rest for the next note entry.

Or in yet other words: If you just keep entering the notes in correct sequence and values--and not let yourself get confused by the details happening on the screen--the system will end up with no superfluous rests. You'll be comfortable quickly with this.

In reply to by azumbrunn

Another way to look at it is, when we write music out manually, each bar is empty. We add notes and rests until all 4 beats are filled. Musescore looks at the time signature and virtually says, "There needs to be 4 beats in this bar - either in notes or rests." It doesn't care which. By default, Musescore fills the bar with rests until you say otherwise. It's the only way Musescore can keep the math correct.

In real life, when we write out bars of music, we are "raising the bridge." Musescore prefers to "lower the river :)."

In reply to by Lee Batchelor

Maybe what four4 is asking about is something that I have come across today.
I am writing a piece that requires : 1 quarter note then quarter +eight (which is in time of 1 quarter note) x 2, then either I put in 2 eights or eight rest + 2 eights (again in the time of 2 eights) then a 16th rest appears which is beyond the 4/4 time that I am in.
What I found then is go to edit and undo has remove automatic ( or some words to that effect) rests and just undo and rest is gone. Now I don't fully understand the "tuplet" format in musescore have study it a bit more... Or read tutorials

In reply to by Saxophoner71

It does sound like you are talking about tuplets, this shouldn't involve rests at all if I am understanding correctly. See the Handbook under Tuplets for information on how to create them. Basically, enter the total duration for thethe tuplet (in your case, quarter note), then press Ctrl+3 to divide into thirds, then enter the quarter and eighth normally. If you continue to have problems, please attach the score you are having trouble with, and maybe a picture or clearer description of what you are trying to do.

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