Redefining Key Signatures

• Nov 9, 2019 - 16:37

Hello, Musescorers!

Currently, the application defines key signatures only by their contents, not by their tonality.
If I have a key signature with two flats and I insert the pitch that's a half-step above F, there's a lot of vagueness there. In my current project, I've imported material that uses this note. In the import function, the application chose to spell these pitches as "Gb." However, the music is in G minor, so the pitch should be spelled as "F#" (the raised leading tone).
While I haven't experimented to know for sure, I would suspect that inputting pitches from a MIDI keyboard would have the same results.
Because Musescore is only defining keys by the content of the key signature and not by the Tonic, the hierarchy of pitch-spelling-rules is weak.
If I've defined my Tonic as "G minor" rather than just "two flats," the application should understand that this particular pitch should be spelled as "F#," not "Gb."

There are myriad reasons why spelling of pitch is important. Most of those reasons come from the definition of the key. Chromatic alterations in tonal music usually fall along consistent and logical places in the keys - the application should have that logic integrated so the user gets the expected results.

Let me know your questions!
Ryan

Comments

• Nov 9, 2019 - 22:29

It's not clear how you are entering the notes that doesn't give you the correct spelling already - certianly using the toolbar, palette, or keyboard shortcuts would. But MIDI import needs to guess, indeed, You can press "J" afterwards to respell. Until recently we didn't have away to record whether the key was major or minor so there was no way to switch the default for new MIDI input based on this, but now that's a viable possibility.

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• Nov 9, 2019 - 22:49

The majority of my composition work has been in Dorico for the last 1.5 to 2 years. Dorico reads the key signature (which includes tonal definition) and all MIDI input is spelled as it makes sense in the key. If you're chromatic, it usually adjusts spellings to avoid spelling augmented and diminished intervals. It also knows to favor flats for brass and sharps for strings.
If I play the black key between A and B, then follow it with a B, it will write A#.
If I play the same black key, followed by an A, it will write a Bb.
Again, same black key, followed by a C, it will spell it Bb (M2 makes more sense than d3).
Same black key, followed by the black key between G and A, followed by a B, I'll get A#, G#, B. Likewise, if the 3rd note is an F, I'll get Bb-Ab-F.
As the composer, I can just write music. I don't need to worry about manipulating the software. The software should be a tool to create and not add additional steps to the process.

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• Nov 9, 2019 - 23:03

OK, but that doesn't answer my question. If you enter an F# normally - using the toolbar, palettes, or keyboard shortcuts - MuseScore will add an F# to your score, regardless of the key. So I am not understanding what exactly you are doing that causes you to get an Gb if you aren't using MIDI input.

If you are using MIDI input, then indeed, as I said, this is now something we can improve in the future., But your original post made it sound like you weren't using MIDI input, hence my confusion.

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• Nov 9, 2019 - 23:36

In my original case, it was an XML Import. The original source PDF shows F#, but the material imported as Gb.

Intuitively, were the key defined as G minor rather than just “two flats,” the background functions should make an assumption to spell MIDI key 54 as F#.

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