Part name

MuseScore provides a super-convenient way to define "parts" for a score and then generate these as "sub-scores" in separate tabs which are linked to the main score, meaning that notes changed in the main score will also change in the part, and the other way around. Layout is not linked.

All good.

My problem has been with understanding how to change the name of a part. I did a bit of investigation and I have here tried to make a list of all the places in MuseScore where the name of parts are defined and used, and how they relate to each other. Perhaps useful for someone else.

1. The Staff/Part Properties dialog of the main score contains a field Part name.
   • This can be considered a proposal for what the part corresponding to this "instrument" will be called (see below)
2. The FIle->Parts dialog of the main score contains several fields with part names:
   1. Instruments in Score contains one row for each instrument in the score, but the name is not the "instrument name", it is the Part name field in the Staff/Part Properties dialog (see 1. above).
   2. Selected Part contains an initially empty list of part names that are or will be created. The All Parts button will fill this list with one part for each instrument in the score, as listed in the Instruments in Score field, possibly with an extra number to distinguish separate parts for identical instrument/part-names as indidated in the Staff/Part Properties.
   3. Edit Part/Part title contains the part name of the selected part in Selected Part (2.2 above). The name can be changed here and the change will be immediately reflected in the list.
      • If you change the name of an already generated part, the name will be updated in the tab (3 below) and in the "Export" dialog (6 below) and in the generated file name (7 below). It will not affect the part name in the upper left corner (4) or the score property (5).
   4. If you use the Single Part button to create a single (custom) part, you will always have to specify the part name in the Edit Part/Part title field.
3. In the part tabs. When generating the parts, new "tabs" will appear, one for each part, containing the part name as defined in the part dialog (2 above).
4. In a text box at the top left corner of the part score (in the part tab). This initially contains the part name as defined in the part dialog (2 above) but can be edited.
   1. If the part name is later changed in the FIle->Parts dialog (2.3), this will not affect the contents of the top left corner text box.
   2. If the contents of the top left corner text box is later changed, the part name will not change anywhere else.
5. In the File->Score Properties dialog of the part there is a property partName initially containing the part name as defined in the part dialog (2 above) but can be edited. This value can be included in the header/footer with "$i" and "$I".
   1. If the part name is later changed in the FIle->Parts dialog (2.3), this will not affect the contents of the partName propery.
   2. If the contents of the partName propery is later changed, the part name will not change anywhere else, except where $i or $I is used in the header/footer..
6. In File->Export dialog, in the field What to export. This field contains the list of the existing generated parts and the name corresponds to the latest updates of the part names in the FIle->Parts dialog (2.2/2.3 above)
7. in the file name of the generated PDF file for the part, as a suffix with spaces replaced by underscores and the name corresponds to the latest updates of the part names in the FIle->Parts dialog .

My conclusion is that to change the name of a part, you need to:

1. change the name of the part in the Edit Part/Part title field of the FIle->Parts dialog.
   • This will change the name in the tab, the export dialog and the file name of the exported part PDF.
2. In the top left corner of the part score.
3. The score property partName
   • in case $i or $I is used in the header/footer.

Not all of the above is entirely clear from the handbook. I am thinking that we might add some of this in some form.