Change a measure

• Dec 3, 2017 - 21:32

How do I make changes within a measure. As soon as I change the value of a note, I get automatic changes such as a rest which I can't remove to finish adding notes or changes to notes. For example if I had 3 quarter notes but wanted to change that measure to a half note eighth rest with an eighth note, how would I do such an edit to my score. Thank you.


Comments

For exemple in a 4/4 measure, you always must have 4 times, so, if you start with 4 quaters notes , and want to change the 2nd quater note to an eight note, you click it, click 4, and the quater note becomes an eight note + an eight rest, it's obliged ,to always have your 4 times. But you do what you want with this eight rest, you can let it , but if you need a second eight note at his place, you click N, click 4,click the eight rest and put the note you want.

Your example "change that measure to a half note eighth rest with an eighth note" is not clear for me.

In reply to by Raymond Wicquart

As a brand new person to this program, I am finding it is like the old DOS programs where key strokes are needed to uncover menus. I'm not sure where you found this info on entering numbers to change note values but I still find that the program automatically changes the composition and then I can't do more. It seems easier to start over rather than make a change or correction. I have a composition in 3/4. Say I have a half note and 2 1/8 notes, as soon as I try to change a note, I get rests or other changes to my composition and then can't get rid of the unwanted changes (usually rests).

Re: your example...
Starting with the 3 quarter notes already entered, and not being in note entry mode (press 'Esc' button to make sure):
1. Click on the first quarter note (turns blue), and enter '6' (the shortcut for half note).
2. Click on the next quarter note (turns blue) and enter '4' (the shortcut for eighth note) followed by 'Del'.
3. Click on the eighth rest where you want your eighth note and type the letter name of the note.

Regards.

In reply to by Jm6stringer

As a brand new person to this program, I am finding it is like the old DOS programs where key strokes are needed to uncover menus. I'm not sure where you found this info on entering numbers to change note values but I still find that the program automatically changes the composition and then I can't do more. It seems easier to start over rather than make a change or correction. I have a composition in 3/4. Say I have a half note and 2 1/8 notes, as soon as I try to change a note, I get rests or other changes to my composition and then can't get rid of the unwanted changes (usually rests). There must be some tutorial on redoing part of your composition.

In reply to by drdavelv

As an old DOS user, I wouldn't quite call MuseScore that archaic.

As stated before, MuseScore is obliged to keep the proper number of beats in a measure. If you change a note's duration, it will fill the rest of the note's place with rests that you must decide what you want to do with. In the case of entering the wrong rhythms as you described, it is easiest to simply start over as you suggested. There are other situations where the durations can simply be changed, but those are less common. Many of those giving advice here, including myself, prefer to use the keyboard as much as possible. The note entry section in the handbook gives the basics and links to other valuable basic notations such as voices and tuplets. Everything in MuseScore can be done with a mouse, such as selecting the 1/8th note from the toolbar to select the duration of the note. Once you get used to it, it is much quicker to use the keyboard. You do have other basic editing tools such as Cut, Copy and Paste that will allow you to move sections of music fairly quick if you need to.

Your specific reference to changing the duration of a note or rest can be found here.

If it makes you feel any better, it took me a few months to stop typing 4 for a quarter note. I've finally gotten my fingers used to which button to push. My point is, no matter what new program you use, there is some learning to be done. With practice it (eventually) becomes second nature.

In reply to by drdavelv

You can't delete rest(s) other than replacing them with note(s). Rests are placeholders for time. If you don't want silence at that point in time, the only other option is sound -- i.e. note(s).
So, you overwrite rest(s) with note(s).
To shift a musical phrase (e. g. several notes) in time, one uses cut and paste to move the notes to the correct time position.
Please open this attachment in MuseScore: Practice_sheet.mscz

Regards.

MuseScore assumes that once you enter notes on a particular beat, you want them to stay there, so it doesn't move notes to other beats unless you specifically ask it to. That is why rests are added if you shorten a note -
to prevent subsequent notes from inadvertently being moved earlier. Which is to say,k MuseScore is quite careful not to change your composition unless you specifically ask it to. Just because you shorten a note doesn't mean you also want to move some other notes earlier - MuseScore has no way of guessing that. If moving subsequent notes earlier is actually your intention, simply do so directly.

So if you have a note on beat 3 that you want to move to a different beat, don't try to trick MuseScore into moving by fiddling with note lengths elsewhere in the measure - simply move it directly, by cut and paste. Select the note or notes you want moved, cut, click the location you want them moved to, paste.

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