jazz lead sheet notation
I'm a newcomer to MuseScore, and I have searched the manual and the forums but still have several questions. When creating or copying a score, you're asked to select instrumentation. If you want it in concert, you have to pick a concert instrument, and then that instrument appears in front of every line. How do you avoid this? Second, if I select tenor sax as my instrument, and I want to be in the right key to accompany, do I write up a major second, or should I copy the concert sheet and transpose? Third, in the tutorial on jazz lead sheets Marc shows how you double click on the title box and enter text, but I'm unable to get a cursor to do that. Last, I can't find anything in the menu to enter "A" and "B" parts in front of the staves. Thanks for your help. Bill
Comments
Hello!
First, if you read my tutorial, you'd see I suggest starting from the Jazz Lead Sheet template, which means you don't actually choose instruments at all, and the name is already removed for you. That template also sets up a whole bunch of other things for you that you'd have to do manually otherwise (fonts, etc), so I definitely recommend using it
That said, if you have created a score from scratch and are seeing instrument names, simply click the name and press Delete (Fn+Delete on Mac) to delete.
I'm not sure what exactly you are asking about regarding transposition. I normally write my lead sheets at concert pitch, then if I want to produce Bb or Eb versions, I use Notes / Transpose to do so. You could instead right click an empty place in a staff and go to Staff Properties and use the transposition or instrument controls to change the transposition. If you know you are writing for tenor sax, I guess you could add tenor sax as your instrument right from the beginning, but then it's up to you whether you write in concert pitch or written pitch. Just make sure the Concert Pitch button matches what you are doing. That is, have it on if entering notes at concert pitch, or off if not. Either way, it plays back the same.
Regarding title - normally you'd enter that on the first screen of the Create New Score wizard. But if you didn't enter it then, you use Create (Add, in 2.0) / Text / Title to add one later.
Note sure what you mean about "A" and "B". Are you talking about chord symbols? Those should be covered in the tutorial. Or maybe rehearsal makrs? Those are covered as well. But in brief - Ctrl+K for chord symbols, Ctlr+M for rehearsal mark.
In reply to Hello! First, if you read my by Marc Sabatella
Thank you Marc. I'm working on those suggestions. What I meant about "A" and "B" was how you indicate measures (usually 4 or 8) that are repeated in patterns like ABAB, AABA, etc. Also the word "Intro" at the beginning of the first line.
In reply to Thank you Marc. I'm working by billl
"Intro" would count as a rehearsal mark - at least that's how I'd add it, since it serves the same basic effect. I don't usually wriote AABA at the top of my charts, but you can add any text you want as staff text.
In reply to Thank you Marc. I'm working by billl
Can't find rehearsal marks in the handbook or with search.
Antway, on 1.3, select the first note in the bar you want the mark in and press ctrl m.
In reply to Can't find rehearsal marks in by xavierjazz
Rehearsal marks are mentioned, but only very briefly, see http://musescore.org/en/handbook/text :
... rehearsal marks, plus many more. These are all accessible from the main menu via Create → Text.