Auto-Key-Signatures
By now I'm getting the idea that anything I think of is already in this app; but I'll throw this in just in case.
I got my transcription of Jamiroquai's Time Won't Wait almost done.
90% of the singing melody transcribed in (as Trumpet).
https://musescore.com/user/29490321/scores/5206618
Next step will be organizing key signatures.
At present, I have hundreds of "accidental" sharps and flats scattered like dandelions.
The problem I foresee is that the moment I slap in a key signature I will have to check everything to make sure nothing is messed up. And there will have to be frequent signature changes. I think in some sections of the score there's a modulation for the first half of every fourth bar (chord descends chromatically), so that's a major signature change I predict.
Anyways, what I was thinking of is a tool that you can tell it to change key signatures without changing the pitch of any notes, and that perhaps offers suggestions of likely best signatures, and detects where the modulations are and highlights them... Dreaming in technicolor?
Comments
Sounds like you're dreaming in technicolor to get all of this. What you can get is the chords identified to assist you in picking a good key signature. I suggest that you put the score in concert pitch, then change the key signatures then return the score to concert pitch off (transposed). The plug in is https://musescore.org/en/project/chord-identifier-musescore-23
In reply to Sounds like you're dreaming… by mike320
I can live with this for now ... ;-)
Thanks!
Why the switch to concert pitch? I thought that was just the tuning... 440 vs 442? Or is there something more than that going under the hood?
In reply to I can live with this for now… by danw58
The concert pitch button displays everything in the score in concert pitch, that is does not transpose the music displayed in the score. So if the key of the score is Bb every instrument will have 2 flats unless you applied a local key signature for some reason. (Note that if the concert pitch button looks like it is pressed and you have different key signatures for the transposing instrument you needlessly overrode what MuseScore does automatically. Clicking the button so it looks not pressed will give you different keys for all of the transposing instruments and neither view will have all instruments in the same key.) When you turn off the concert pitch button all of the transposing instruments will display transposed. So your Trumpets in the example of Bb will show as being in the key of C, the French horns in the Key of F and the Alto Saxes in the key of G and so forth.
The reason for having the concert pitch button pressed is that the chords also transpose. If you have concert pitch off you will also have a Bb chord for the flute transposed to C for trumpet, F for french horns... and will likely cause confusion as to which key you should select. Moreover, if you have no C instruments it will also tell you which key signature to apply. Apply the key signature and press the Concert Pitch button again and all of the key signatures will be transposed as needed.
A4 is defined by default as 440 and can be changed in View->Synthesizer->Tuning. The concert pitch button has nothing to do with this. If your first language is not English it is possible that tuning and pitch are translated by the same word. This would explain the confusion.
In reply to The concert pitch button… by mike320
Many thanks for the detailed reply. I had trouble understanding it at first. I read your reply, and Marc Sabatella's, twice before it dawned on me that some instruments play naturally in keys other than C. That's why people need to go to music school! :-)
And yes, my first language is Spanish, but I've lived in English immersion for 43 years, so that's no excuse for confusing pitch and tuning; but my lack of music schooling is.
Changing key signature does not change pitch of notes, so there is no need to worry. If the notes are correct now, adding a key signature won't change this fact, so there is no need to worry about anything being "messed up". But if they aren't correct now, adding a key signature won't magically correct anything.
Normally nowadays, if music modulate often enough we don't bother with key signatures at all. It's much easier for modern musicians to deal with than constantly changing key signatures.
As for detecting key centers automatically, I suppose it would be possible to write a plugin for that, but again, if I'd say, if it isn't obvious already whetat the key centers are, you're better off without key signatures at all. Use the "X" key signature (the "X" is on-screen only, doesn't print) to guarantee no key signature even when transposing.
Concert Pitch as mention has nothing to do with tuning to 440 vs 442 or whatever. It has everything to do with the fact that music for trumpet needs to be written a whole step higher than it sounds, because a trumpet sounds a whole step lower than written. So, concert pitch "on" shows you the pitches as they will sound; concert pitch off shows you the pitches as they will appear in print.
In reply to Changing key signature does… by Marc Sabatella
Ahhhh, now I understand.
I never knew that some instruments are natively in a key other than C.
(I'm a guitar and bass player.)
And I understand the low returns of using key signatures; I've always hated them, myself. However, I still want to figure out what the signature WOULD BE at each section of the score, as then I can use accidentals of the right kind, as opposed to a 50-50 mix of sharps and flats...
In reply to Ahhhh, now I understand… by danw58
It's not just that they play in another key, it's like trumpet has a permanent "capo 2" (actually -2) appied :-)