Adding lyrics to rests.

• Jul 27, 2022 - 13:04

I read earlier discussions on this subject. Consider 'Sweet Caroline'. We have a singer, whilst our band pays the melody. We have many instruments playing, so I would like to select one instrument's score, and insert the lyrics appropriately for the singer to monitor where he/she is. Neil Diamond sings on the alternate beat to many 'played' notes, and it is almost impossible to insert a lyric, or just a lyric syllable, under these rests.
(It is possible to select each and every rest, then select 'Control L' over each rest and insert the lyric. But this is impossibly tedious, and life is too short.)

Yes, I agree that it is unreasonable to request this facility of Musescore. But, it would be nice!

And Musescore is so incredibly, impossibly clever on so many complexities.
(Blatant attempt to flatter you computer/music people into action).


Comments

In reply to by bobjp

Hi bobjp,

I am adapting a concert band's instrumental version of a song, to enter the singer's words. But, on those beats when the singer sings, for clarity, I want a rest to appear, to make it obvious to the singer (out in front of the band) when to come in with each phrase. If the orchestration is left in, it is harder for the singer to see clearly when to sing.
Imagine a 4/4 song, with accompaniment. The band plays the first two crotchets. Then the singer sings the 3rd and 4th crotchet of that bar. For the singer's clarity, I score a rest for those two crotchets, even though the band is playing. I press 'Control L' to enter a word under the first rest. It enters as advertised. However, when I press the space bar to move to the next crotchet rest for the next word, the software ignores the rest, and scoots along until it finds the next note, and not the rest.

Perhaps you may say I should leave all the band's instrumental notes in, and place the lyrics underneath them. but the band has many instruments, and each has its own score. I want the singer to have his own score too.
The only 'get-around' I can imagine is to move to each rest, and press 'Control L' for each word or syllable. Obviously, this is more than impractical.

In reply to by Clive68

While I agree there could be a better workflow for entering lyrics on rests, I'm not understanding your example at all. An actual score would help immensely. As it is, it sounds like you are saying you want the singer to have their own score. So, great - won't that score have actual notes? What notes is the singer supposed to sing while looking at those lyrics in their score?

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Yes Marc, you are right as you ask: why not enter the notes the singer sings on his own score? I was trying to make it an easy score for the apprehensive singer (me), by using and editing my plodding 3rd clarinet score - which of course contains many rests whilst the rest of the band play the nice bits. (Miaow). I cannot read a note to voice, that's why I play clarinet, and not, perhaps, a trombone. I know by ear the note I must sing well, but I simply wanted to make sure I come in at the correct place in the performance.
Now I know that lyrics won't work when attempted to apply to rests. I was pushing the boundaries too far.
Having placed lyrics into full scores for my solo clarinet parts in our trio, I must say how easy you all at Musescore have made it.

Thanks for all the comments.

In reply to by Clive68

So, if I'm understanding corerectly: you are a clarinet player, but on this particular arrangement, you're not planning to play the clarinet, but will be singing instead. And in the past you've played the clarinet part a lot to the point where seeing the lyrics attached to that part will be familiar to you, better than actually seeing the melody?

If so, then needless to say, that's probably a one-in-a-billion use case :-), but what I'd recommend is adding the melody in another staff or voice made invisible, and attaching the lyrics to that. Either would probably be easier than attaching lyrics to random notes and rests in the clarinet part.

Or, just add lyrics as staff text, measure by measure. That's easier still for sure, but might not look as good.

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.