note stems
Please add the ability to add simple stems to noteheads e.g. quarter/half note stem, eighth note stem, sixteenth note stem.
This is to show the proper value to notes that are tied to non adjacent notes (without the complication of adding extra voices).
Thanks
Comments
??? Stems don't have or denote a duration, flags or beams do
I do not understand your question. Please post a file with the problem, state exactly what you have tried and what is going wrong. I think you just haven’t read the Handbook and don't know what you are doing.
In reply to I do not understand your… by underquark
So sorry for that ambigious request.
I am asking for a stem and flag that could be attached to an existing notehead to indicate its duration when it is tied to another note.
It would be these 3 types: 1. stem alone 2. stem with an eighth note flag 3. stem with a sixteenth note flag.
For the 2 with flags it would be one set pointing upwards and one set pointing downards.
That is something that was available in the Sibelius software.
Hope that is clear.
In reply to So sorry for that ambigious… by dnlgrey
Why not just use a note that has a stem and flag already?
Ah, you mean stem up and down, so you need voices (and 2 notes), with both notes having the same pitch (so they share the notehead)
In reply to Why not just use a note that… by Jojo-Schmitz
Yes it would use an existing notehead, the added stem/flag would share the same notehead but have a different duration, as shown by the flag.
This avoids the complications of adding extra voices, which gets very messy with multiple voices.
Thanks
In reply to Yes it would use an existing… by dnlgrey
No, it doesn't get messy and is the way it is supposed to work
In reply to Yes it would use an existing… by dnlgrey
Adding voices is the correct way to do it. If you add two identical notes to two voices, they will automatically share notehead.
In reply to So sorry for that ambigious… by dnlgrey
In musescore you do that by having the notes of the same pitch but different duration in different voices and setting one of the noteheads (usually of the shorter duration note) to be invisible.
See https://handbook.musescore.org/basics/working-with-multiple-voices
In reply to In musescore you do that by… by SteveBlower
Sorry but I disagree - yes it does get very messy with more than 2 voices.
Seems like a simple thing to add, they are just 3 additional flag/stems.
This is available in other software.
In reply to Sorry but I disagree - yes… by dnlgrey
It just doesn't fit the concept of MuseScore. And 2 voices should be enough, if not, show an example.
In reply to It just doesn't fit the… by Jojo-Schmitz
Not sure what 'doesn't fit the concept of MuseScore' means, but I can understand that you would not want to add requests that only have unique applications.
This is just a few symbols that can simplify scores, have practical use, and are used in other notation software.
I will identify some score examples and send them in.
In reply to Not sure what 'doesn't fit… by dnlgrey
It does fit how MuseScore is structured internally
The Symbols are available in the special symbols palette, you can grab and use them from there. It is just quite some effort to get their positions right. And stems are usually not taken from there but programatically drawn.
In reply to It does fit how MuseScore is… by Jojo-Schmitz
If you care to look, here are some examples of 2 extra voices that would need to be added to show the correct duration for some tied notes, score attached:
bar 29 bass 2nd beat a#, c#
bar 48 bass 2nd beat f, b
bar 60 bass 1st beat d, a flat
bar 118 bass 3rd beat a flat, d
bar 141 bass 1st beat g#, e
etc.
There are a bunch of other places where 1 voice would need to be added but leaving those out.
Thanks
In reply to If you care to look, here… by dnlgrey
Here's measure 29
![Screenshot 2025-05-04 204901.png]( "Screenshot 2025-05-04 204901.png")
Why would there be a need of an extra voice?
Ahh, I see, I think...
![Screenshot 2025-05-04 205818.png]( "Screenshot 2025-05-04 205818.png")
How about this:
Using a stem from the symbols palette. Not the correct durations though (and those are basically not possible, at least not easy, due to it being a triplet
In reply to Here's measure 29 [inline… by Jojo-Schmitz
That stem would work for quarter / half notes, so would only need an eight note and sixteen note flag & stem.
I don't see a Stems palette to add, I've looked a few times.
I have Version: 4.5.2.251141402
Thank you
In reply to That stem would work for… by dnlgrey
View > Master palette > Symbols, in the Search box enter "stem"
![Screenshot 2025-05-04 213227.png]( "Screenshot 2025-05-04 213227.png")
In reply to View > Master palette >… by Jojo-Schmitz
wow the symbols palette has just what I wanted - just some stem/flags that can be dropped in.
This was much ado about nothing then.
Can't seem to add the Symbols palette to the main Palettes menu though, is that possible?
Thanks!
In reply to wow the symbols palette has… by dnlgrey
I mentioned that palette above already ;-)
(and no, you can't add it, but you can add elements from it to a custom palette
In reply to I mentioned that palette… by Jojo-Schmitz
Added them now so that solves that. Thank you all!
In reply to Here's measure 29 [inline… by Jojo-Schmitz
Here is my version. The first picture has everything unhidden to show my "workings". The second picture has the voice 2 and 3 rests, the voice 1 C# and the triplet brackets hidden.
In reply to Sorry but I disagree - yes… by dnlgrey
Perhaps if you add a short extract of the Sibelius documentation of that feature (or a animated gif of how you do it in Sibelius) that will help Musescore guys to understand what you mean.
In reply to Perhaps if you add a short… by frfancha
Just because Sibelius (or any other application) does it, doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good idea in MuseScore (or, for that matter, at all). Voices are not complicated; they are the right way to do what OP wants to do ... in MuseScore Studio.