How do I merge to instruments into one staff?

• Aug 3, 2023 - 15:15

Have you ever seen in sheet music where it says, " 2 flutes, 2 oboes"? but only on one staff? It means that in that one staff, 2 flutes and 2 oboes play what's on the score. I've wanted to try that on musecore, merging two of the same instrument to play on a single staff. I tried the implode tool, and it kinda worked but the implode tool doesn't play two instruments in the playback, only one. I also wanted two instruments playing in the playback. How do I merge two instruments into one staff and also hear two instruments in the playback?


Comments

If the notes are the same then they will be in phase and sound like one instrument. If you go into Properties and tune one up 4 cents or so (or randomise it a bit) and then Implode them to make it sound more like two separate instruments. You can make one set of notes invisible.

If you want 2 different sounding instruments on the same stave and hear both instruments when you play back, e.g. flute + oboe, it can't be done easily. You can easily get the look as you have demonstrated.

The not so easy (but not too difficult either) way to get the sound is to use a hidden stave for one of the instruments.

In reply to by Derundir550

If flute and oboe are playing in unison and you want one (flute say) shown stems up and the other stems down, put the flute notes in voice 1 and the oboe notes in voice 2. This will play back with the sound of whatever single instrument is assigned to that staff - let's assume flute. That gives you what looks like two instruments playing, but only sounds like one. To get the sound of the other instrument you need a second stave with those same notes but assigned to the other instrument - oboe. That oboe staff can then be hidden.

If you want independent, non-unison parts on a single stave you would need three staves. One showing the notes as you want them to appear but with the notes set to not play and one for each if the instruments you want to hear with those two staves hidden but with the notes set to play.

See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/working-instruments#hide-show for how to hide instruments.

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