This is correct. The command isn't "connect the selected notes", it's "beam middle". Which means, "allow these notes to be in the middle of a beam". You said you wanted that first note to be in the middle of a beam, so that's precisely what you got. If you don't want that first note to be in the middle of a beam, don't select it when applying that command - just select the second note.
If you need further help with using MuseScore, please be sure to check the online Handbook, and then if you still have questions, please ask on the Support forum.
It's possible there was a bug in some previous version where selecting the first note of a measure and setting it to beam middle did not correctly connect it to the previous measure, but if so, then thankfully, that bug is fixed. Setting any note to beam middle is supposed to allow the previous note to beam to it. Wouldn't be very useful otherwise!
But it is true that there are limitations if the previous note is on a different system. In these cases, the connecting beam across the barline won't be shown, and sometimes causes problems also. Hence the issue linked above.
But definitely, absolutely, it's completely correct and always has been that if the first note of a measure is selected when you apply "beam middle", you are telling MsueScore you want that note beamed to whatever came before, and MsueScore should try as hard as it can to make that happen. if you don't want it to happen, don't set the first note of the measure to beam middle.
Comments
This is correct. The command isn't "connect the selected notes", it's "beam middle". Which means, "allow these notes to be in the middle of a beam". You said you wanted that first note to be in the middle of a beam, so that's precisely what you got. If you don't want that first note to be in the middle of a beam, don't select it when applying that command - just select the second note.
If you need further help with using MuseScore, please be sure to check the online Handbook, and then if you still have questions, please ask on the Support forum.
Was this changed? Because I don't remember it working like this before.
No, it worked that way ever since
At least pre-3.6, I remember clicking a measure, and only the notes inside that measure being connected with a beam.
No, 3.5.2 does that too
In reply to No, 3.5.2 does that too by Jojo-Schmitz
How about pre-3.5.2?
Try it? I don't have any such version available. But cross measure beams are possible since long, and since equally long create issues on system breaks.
See #285141: Beam across a system break can disappear, which got reported with 3.0 and #280050: Beam Middle not working across barlines which explicitly allows for cross measure beams, also since 3.0.
It's possible there was a bug in some previous version where selecting the first note of a measure and setting it to beam middle did not correctly connect it to the previous measure, but if so, then thankfully, that bug is fixed. Setting any note to beam middle is supposed to allow the previous note to beam to it. Wouldn't be very useful otherwise!
But it is true that there are limitations if the previous note is on a different system. In these cases, the connecting beam across the barline won't be shown, and sometimes causes problems also. Hence the issue linked above.
But definitely, absolutely, it's completely correct and always has been that if the first note of a measure is selected when you apply "beam middle", you are telling MsueScore you want that note beamed to whatever came before, and MsueScore should try as hard as it can to make that happen. if you don't want it to happen, don't set the first note of the measure to beam middle.