Adding a 3rd voice?
While reading the manual on adding voices 3 and 4, I'm a bit confused:
manual:
"There is no need to use (MuseScore) voices 3 and 4 unless there are more than two parts in the same staff. This means that in the bass clef of a “close score”, the tenor is voice 1 and the bass is voice 2—beginners often without thinking assign the bass to 1, resulting in stem-direction confusion, or assign tenor to voice 3 and bass to voice 4, which then leads to confusing rests appearing in voice 1 (which cannot be deleted)."
For drumming, using 1 staff. Voice 1 top staff line, Voice 2 for the bass drum. Would like to add voice voice 3, but as indicated in the paragraph above, i get the rests in voice rest appearing.
Is there a way to add voice 3 (and/or 4 ) on 1 staff? I would like to add the snare drum for voice 3 as sixteenth notes on beat 1, and quarter notes for 2, 3, and 4. I realize i can use make voice 1 as sixteenth notes and add the snare part on beat 1. But would like to keep it separated with different voices.
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Comments
You can have up to four voices, but as mentioned, it shouldn't be needed, and it's virtually never done in published drum music. It's almost always possible to represent any drumset rhythm in only two voices, and that's what almost all publishers do (well, except for those that actually condense everything into one voice).
So in your example, to have the snare in sixteenth, simply enter it in voice 1 along with the drum (whatever it is) that is currently there, by converting the first eighth to a sixteenth as you say. That is the way published music would normally do it and the way most drummers would be accustomed to seeing it, so deviating form that just makes reading harder, since it is an unfamiliar notation.
That said, if you do have some special reason to want to avoid the standard notation, you can customize your drumset definition to use voice 3 for snare if you like. See the handbook section on drum notation for more information. You won't get any additional rests except those actually necessary to convey the voice 3 rhythm. You only get additional rests if you skip voice 1.
If you continue to have trouble, please attach your actual score and explain in more detail, so we can understand and assist better.
In reply to You can have up to four… by Marc Sabatella
Marc thankx. I am aware on published drum music. Just thought it would be clearer to leave the eight/broken sixteenths (ie., cowbell), and use the 3rd voice for clarity for the snare drum.
But, not necessary to get complicated with the notation. I'll proceed by just using voice 1 and 2.
thankx again
ron
In reply to Marc thankx. I am aware on… by drummerMan
Three voices is definitely way less clear, because then you'd have to deal with overlapping stems and beams. It's usually a visual mess to have three voices on a staff and is done as sparingly as possible by publishers for exactly that reason (among others). Definitely not something anyone would normally want to have to read measure after measure. But as mentioned, it can be done, so feel free to try as directly to compare for yourself.