Transpose dialog does not respect end point of Range Selection
I just tried to transpose a set of plainsong chants originally scored in F# minor (three sharps).
Requirement:
No. 1 - transpose to F minor (down a semitone)
Nos. 2-5 - transpose to E minor (down a tone)
No. 6 - transpose to F minor (down a semitone)
Steps to recreate:
1. Range select chant no. 1 (first four systems).
2. Choose Tools > Transpose... > Transpose Chromatically > To Key > Down > F minor
3. Click OK
Expected result: chant no. 1 only should be transposed to F minor (four flats)
Actual result: chant nos. 1-6 are all transposed to F minor (four flats)
Selecting a section in the middle of the score (e.g. chant no. 4, the first three systems of page 2) shows that the Transpose dialog always respects the start of the range selection but completely ignores the end of the range selection.
Am I doing something wrong, or is this a serious bug?
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Plainsong_Chants_needing_transposition.mscz | 31.63 KB |
Comments
I see that only the notes within the selection are transposed, but all the key signatures are transposed. If you reinstate the F#min key signature at the start of Section 2, all should be well.
In reply to I see that only the notes… by SteveBlower
@SteveBlower
Would you suggest that actually the bug title should be reworded as:
"Transpose dialog's checkbox 'Transpose key signatures' does not respect end point of Range Selection"
@Marc Sabatella
Having retested the Transpose function repeatedly I cannot reproduce the fault reliably. So I am inclined to agree with Marc who said:
"I suspect there is something different about how the "new" key was added (or wasn't added) at the start of the #2 that triggers this there. Adding a new key signature explicitly then doing the transposition works as expected."
I was just hoping to be able to use the Transpose dialog "as it stands", without first having to specify any new key signature explicitly. After all, there is a checkbox option for exactly this purpose!
In reply to @SteveBlower Would I be… by DanielR
It's a bit of an odd corner case, as technically, it is doing exactly what it says it doing - transposing only what is within the range. There was only one key signature specified within the range, so only that key signature got transposed. The fact that it continues to be in effect afterwards is just the normal rules of music notation kicking in - a key signature change applies from that point until the next key signature, or end of piece, and there was no next key signature change in this case.
So what you are really asking for here is for the transpose to insert a new key signature change after the selected range. Makes total sense in this particular situation, may make no sense at all in others.
Currently, we don't even insert key signatures if they don't exist at the beginning of the selection - try your example starting from the second bar instead of first. Right now, it literally is a command to transpose existing key signatures, no new ones are inserted before or after. Which again is as desired in many other cases. But a new checkbox to force a new key signature to be inserted before & after the selection makes sense to me
In reply to It's a bit of an odd corner… by Marc Sabatella
If there is an explicit key signature in the score that is after the selection that is transposed, it stays untransposed, which I think is what one usually want. So, in the original example if a three sharp key signature is added at the start of each section, selecting and transposing the first section will not transpose the explicitly added three sharp key signature. This works even in the middle a section. If a three sharp key signature is added somewhere in the middle of the first section, it will not be shown. However you then select some measures before that invisible key signature and transpose them with transpose key signatures checked, the previously invisible mid-section three sharps becomes visible and has its expected effect and a double bar is added for good measure (pun not intended).
The current behaviour is certainly logical, but perhaps not what everyone would expect.
Works fine for me. I guess maybe it could depend on exactly how you do the selection, if someone MsueScore is confused about the endpoint the fact that the last measure is often irregular might also play into it? I did it first by clicking an empty spot in the first measure of #4, then Shift+clicking an empty spot in the last measure. but I tried a number of other methods and had no issues with them either. This with 3.6.2.
In reply to Works fine for me. I guess… by Marc Sabatella
Oh, actually, I can get the key signature to transpose if I select only #1, but #4 works perfectly. I suspect there is something different about how the "new" key was added (r wasn't added) at the start of the #2 that triggers this there. Adding a new key signature explicitly then doing the transposition works as expected.