Musescore 1.3 confusion. Windows, peculiar MIDI input issue
I'm new to Musescore and used my MIDI keyboard to enter a song. I played it back and it sounded wrong. A quick scan of the score showed many notes that I did not enter. So I created a new piece, slowed down MIDI entry, and watched the screen more carefully as I played. I noticed that after the "default" number of measures was used that musescore would simply overwrite the current note with the new one I played! What am I doing wrong?
Fingers
Comments
MuseScore doesn't auto-extend a score if you keep entering or typing. If it did, everytime you modified the final note in a score a new measure would added. You will have to add extra measures (Create menu, Measures/Append Measures).
In reply to MuseScore doesn't auto-extend by schepers
That approach makes sense for manual entry of notes but not, in my opinion, for MIDI entry. I take a base note (say a quarter note) and enter the entire song using my MIDI keyboard. (Later I plan to go back and edit timings). The problem is with quarter notes I have no idea how many measures are required for the entire piece, so automatic extension is almost required with MIDI entry. Perhaps this is a new feature request?
Fingers
In reply to Musescore doesn't auto-extend by [DELETED] 89389
Why do you think MIDI should be different from any other method of entry in this respect? I can think of a reason. Whether you enter notes one at a time by clicking, by typing, or pressing a MIDI key, it's all the same really. Not saying an auto extend option wouldn't occasionally be useful, but I don't why pressing a button on a MIDI keyboard versus pressing the corresponding button on my computer keyboard makes it any more useful. People who enter notes by typing don't have any better idea than you how many measures the piece will have. Most of us simply add measures by the hundreds, enter until we fill up, enter a hundred more or whatever if/'when we fill it up, and delete the unnecessary ones when we're done. So it's hardly "almost required" - just a couple extra keystrokes to workaround.
I think the more serious issue you will face is that your idea that you can enter pitches as quarter notes first then edit timings, you will find, does not work. MuseScore assumes each note you enter is at the specific time position you want it at. It's not impossible to move notes - cut and paste does the job nicely - but you'll find the interface not at conducive to that style of entry. You're *much* better off entering the rhythms at least close to correctly - certainly with all notes in the correct measures - right from the beginning.
In reply to Why do you think MIDI should by Marc Sabatella
Now that I've had a chance to work with the product more I agree with both your points. I can create a template with extra measures so it is hardly critical that they be auto extended. As you point out using all, say, quarter notes, and editing later can be a tough go. My first experience with musescore and MIDI, out of the box, is that notes all had the same timing so I thought that was its preferred approach. But editing them after the fact is not so hot. (I just wanted to play my MIDI keyboard, with notes in the proper timing, and have musescore notate it with 95% accuracy. Another fantasy on my part...)
fingers
In reply to Why do you think MIDI should by [DELETED] 89389
The number of measures in a template is irrelevant - when you actually create a score from that template, the wizard will ask how many measures you want it to be, and will use tht number rather than the number of measures in the score. So no need to bother creating a new template. Just tell MuseScore you want lots of measures when you create your scores. And if you run out, ctrl-shift-B will bring up the dialog where you add a bunch more.
As for rhythm, you should read the Handbook section on Note entry and/or watch the tutorial videos you can access from the main page of this site (http://musescore.org). You'll save yourself a *lot* of trial and error. Rhythms are in fact very easy to enter when you first enter the notes - but MuseScore has no "real time" entry mode where you just paly and it figures out the rhythm for you. That is indeed a bit of a fantasy. Some programs provide such a mode, but it rarely works well enough to be worth the trouble. If you really must have real-time input, the approach mentioned of playing into a MIDI sequencer, saving the results, and loading into MuseScore will give you that effect.t But the results generally won't be usable; and it will often take longer to edit them into usable for than to simply enter the notes yourself as described in the Handbook and the videos.
In reply to Musescore doesn't auto-extend by [DELETED] 89389
I don't know if you are composing something new, simply 'jamming', or transcribing an existing tune when you enter notes, but consider this:
At 120 beats per minute, in 4/4 time, one minute of music will span 30 measures. 5 minutes = 150 measures.
So, how fast do you wish to enter the quarter notes, and for how long? Simply open a score with lots of measures.
It's a simple task to delete extraneous measures when you go back to refine the timing.
BUT:
Can you 'hum' whatever song it is using only quarter notes?
Be advised that if you set your 'resolution', or 'granularity', or as you say, 'base note', to a quarter note, be sure to actually key in (enter) 4 identical quarter notes where you 'should hear' a whole note and 2 identical half notes for a half note. Conversely, any 8th or 16th notes must be combined into a quarter note beat. (Some improvisation required)
Your skill at this does not have to be at real time for note entry, as Musescore 'waits' for the next note, but playback is in real time, so errors will show.
If, however, your song happens to be all quarter notes (highly unlikely) that would be perfect.
If you want a program which will 'record' for as long as you play, adding on for as long as you wish, I recommend the free and open source Audacity. You can record and playback until you have a better idea of the rhythm and song structure.
Then use Musescore for notation...
In reply to For your consideration by Jm6stringer
Also, you can get a dedicated sequencer, quantize rigorously, save as a MIDI file, import unto musescore and then clean it up.
I write directly and don't use this method so I am not sure how accurate even this will be, but it is an alternative.
I suspect others with more direct knowledge will comment on this method.
In reply to Also, you can get a dedicated by xavierjazz
I, too, write directly, although I have on occasion imported MIDI into Musescore. That can be quite an experience, and here I wish to emphasize your 'quantize rigorously' - which seems to mitigate the 'clean up'.
As OP stated: "I just wanted to play my MIDI keyboard, with notes in the proper timing, and have musescore notate it with 95% accuracy."
Nothing's ever that easy... :-)