specifying the mode (major/minor) when exporting to musicXML

• Mar 22, 2022 - 13:56

In musicXML format it is possible to specify the mode of the key (major/minor) in addition to the key signature. See: https://www.w3.org/2021/06/musicxml40/musicxml-reference/elements/key/
When I export sheet music from Musescore to musicXML it leaves this option unspecified. Is there an option within Musescore to specify this?

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• Mar 22, 2022 - 21:36

Thank you! Using google I did not come across the other questions about this unfortunately.

To conclude, the current status is that one can specify the mode in musescore using the workaround described here: https://musescore.org/en/node/299484 and this also exports correctly to MusicXML (for all keys)
For importing MusicXML files into musescore, the mode is imported correctly except when the score has the 0 accidentals key signature (C / Am), as was raised here: https://musescore.org/en/node/295911

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• Mar 23, 2022 - 21:31

Interesting. What is the root of a song? I read your example as being in E minor mode. Is this the same as the root of the song?. Even if the mode is something more exotic, it doesn't make any difference. I thought mode told one the scale the piece is based on. Not the pitch that the scale started on. I thought that the key of a song decided what note the scale started on.

I see in your example that 1 = E. One nice thing about your example is that it can be read no matter the value of 1.

OK, as I think through this, here would be the point where knowing the mode would come in handy. 1 = E, and we're in minor mode.

Except that in standard notation this is all shown by the key signature. You don't need to know any modes. I certainly don't remember most of them.

Thanks for letting me work through this.

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• Jun 5, 2022 - 10:43

Hi bobjp, thank you for your questions.
I think there is two ways in which the word mode is used:
1. to specify whether a song is in major or minor
2. in the sense of church modes

The way I was using the word is in the first sense. In this case the key of a song (e.g. E minor) specifies both the root (or tonic) (E in this case) and the mode (minor). Instead of calling the root E, I prefer to call it 1 (and similar for the the rest of notes), since this captures in my opinion better the essence of the song. Note however that the key signature of a song does not specify the mode because it can be either for example E minor or G major.

In the sense of church modes, one can indeed think about the mode as specifying on which note of the major scale the song starts on. e.g. a song in dorian would start on 2 and song in aeolian (standard minor) starts on 6. This perspective could also be used to visualise music. In this case, autumn leaves would look like this

Attachment Size
Autumn Leaves.pdf 26.65 KB

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• Jun 5, 2022 - 21:38

Still working my way through this idea.
I guess a more complete statement on my part would have been that for the purposes of standard notation, the mode wouldn't be needed in a musicxml.

So, I want to play your example on piano. What's the first note I play. Easy on this one because it starts on the first note of E minor mode. Then I have to remember accidentals in E minor so that I play the second note. F sharp. And what about songs that don't start on the root of the mode? I have to count up or down from the root to find it.

Personally, I don't think it terms of mode. Ever. Even though I have an unused music ed degree. Alas, I am but a simple guitar player. I understand what a 4 chord is in any given key. But I don't think that way. A minor (in this case) is what I need. I know folks who can take Autumn Leaves and instantly use your chords to play it in any key. I don't need to.

Anyway, just thinking out loud, kind of. Probably not important. Carry on.

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