Percussion line with all instruments from channel 10

• Oct 1, 2021 - 13:02

Hi,

I'm new to musescore. I have used Sibelius 6 for the last 10 years, but it's old and buggy.

When I create a percussion instrument (for example, triangle) and then start inputting notes via screen-piano, I can access every sample of the general midi standard percussion layout, but they all show up as the same notes, since the program is optimized for notation, and percussion notation does not work like midi, I'm aware.

However, since I'm using musescore to just create midi soundtracks, I'd like to access all instruments and have them show up as different notes, so that the sound that is placed on c sharp 4 on the GM standard actually shows up as a c sharp 4, for convenience. Or at least, have all sounds show up on different places on the stave.

The pre-defined drum-kit is limited to the sounds that actually make sense for a real-life instrument, which is ideal if you are composing for real musicians, which I am not. I have seen that I can add the missing sounds and have them look differently, but that would mean redefining every single note - a lot of work, before I do that, I rather ask!

Having a stave that just looks like plain treble-clef and plays as GM percussion channel seems rather simple. (I remember using exactly that in the early 2000s with Capella software)

~ju


Comments

What probably would work for you then is to not start with a percussion stave, but a normal piano staff (thus not being limited by the defined instruments in the drumset definition) and then use the mixer to check the "drumset" box for that channel and select a corresponding sound patch.

In reply to by jeetee

Unfortunately, that doesn't work - it just assumes a drumkit and behaves exactly the same way as a drumkit line.

I think I will probably have to manually define noteheads that correspond to what the keys look like in treble and bass clef respectively (with different head for sharp, and different heads for treble and bass...)

In reply to by jundurg

Here's a test. Add the instruments.xml file as attached below as your 2nd instruments.xml file in Edit → Preferences → Score
You now have two additional instruments "Drumset (Treble)" and "Drumset (Bass)". You'll have to manually re-apply the treble/bass clefs to the staves as MuseScore is a bit confused between the instrument being a standard staff and a drumset simultaneously.

See the attached example score where the same pitched notes have been entered in Piano, the regular Drumset and both new instruments.

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