(quite a few) questions re repeats

• Mar 24, 2019 - 12:58

hi, I'm fairly new to Musescore, but like it a lot.

I'm using Musescore 3.0.5.21343 on a Mac (10.13.6) and have a couple questions regarding repeats.

Can simple repeats nest? (E.g. [1,2,3,[4,5],6,7,8] would play 1,2,3,4,5,4,5,6,7,8 twice.)

In my particular case I want:
- to repeat measures 14 and 15 3 times (btw, I got the playback to do this, but can I associate text with this, e.g. "3x", to appear above the treble cleff of my grand staff?)
- measure 16 is plain
- measure 17 should be in volta 1 with a repeat to the beginning of the piece (can I leave this repeat off as is sometimes done in printed music, implying "repeat to beginning"?)
- measure 18 should be in volta 2,3, leading into a section that also has some internal repeats and ends with a repeat to the beginning of the piece the 2nd time only.

Is this structure possible? Or do I need to use D.C. al Coda tricks?

As I entered the piece I forgot to put the repeat begin at measure 1 (corresponding to the repeat in volta 1). Is it OK to enter this later? Is there a way to see (or change) which begin-repeat corresponds to a given end-repeat?

Finally, can anyone explain why my playback jumps from the end of measure 16 (before volta 1) to the beginning of measure 19 (after volta 2,3)?

Sorry to ask so many questions at once. I'd be happy to resubmit them in smaller pieces if that would help. (They're related and focused on my current conundrum, which is why I'm posting them together.)

I'll be grateful for any help,

Tim

Comments

• Mar 24, 2019 - 13:56

You cannot nest repeats.

There is a plugin at https://musescore.org/en/project/repeating-bars-coloring that colors repeats so you know which ones match up. I haven't used it, but I haven't seen complaints about it either.

As long as items are in the correct spot, it doesn't matter when you enter them. So you can decide "This is a good place to repeat" enter the end repeat and then go back and enter the start repeat. Obviously you can't put the end repeat in measure 10 and start repeat in measure 20, that would be the wrong spot.

You specific play pattern you are asking about would be covered with a D.C. Keep in mind that 4&5 must play the first time and if you select the D.C. and check "Play repeats" it can also play the second time.

As to why your score is skipping the voltas, my best guess is that the play list in the inspector is wrong. You would need to attach your score for a better answer.

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• Apr 12, 2019 - 11:30

Thanks for your detailed answer! (And sorry to take so long looking for it and replying.)

This will help me get what I want out of the score, I'm pretty sure. I suspected D.S. (or in this case D.C.) might be the way to go, and of course it is frequently used in songs.

[Incidentally, though I'm a newby at composition, I have been programming puters for many years. My modest aversion to D.S. and D.C. might stem from the fact that they "feel" a bit like "go to" statements, which are taught to avoid in informatics. :)]

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• Apr 12, 2019 - 14:03

I have an aversion to repeats as well. They seem the lazy way to extend the music when I don't know what else to write. D.C. and D.S. are the ultimate in lazy.

I know this isn't true, repetition is a very legitimate part of music and is not lazy, I have to overcome it. All of the great composer used repeats.

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• Apr 13, 2019 - 20:45

I wasn't aware of that plugin, but I can tell you that it is not necessarily musical correct in what it shows. It simply starts at measure 1 and walks measure-by-measure through the score linking a start-repeat with the next end-repeat it can see.
It ignores volta, multiple end-repeats to the same start repeats etc..

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