Merging staves

• Apr 17, 2015 - 19:00

I have a challenge. I have a SATB choir score where each voice is separated into three staves (soprano, 1st soprano, 2nd soprano, alto, 1st. alto, 2nd. Alto, etc.) so I have a total of 12 staves.
Although I can hide empty staves, I need to make the score more handy for the singers. I would like to reduce the score to only four staves which will eventually have two voices per staff: (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass).

I've tried to implode the voices (Edit ->tools ->implode), but that does not work as the rythm is different for the voices.

I've tried to merge to voices two by two. I will then have to make one of the voices ”2nd voice” (Edit ->Voices → Exchange Voice 1-2) and then copy/paste one staff on to the other.
This leaves me with two problems:

1. I need to change all up-stem notes in voice 2 to down-stem (and all down-stem notes in voice 1 to up-stem). I could achieve this by selecting all the voice 2 nodes (before the copy/paste of course) and make them voice 4. MuseScore will then down-stem all notes for me. However I then loose the lyrics for voice 2 when it becomes voice 4.

2. When I paste one staff on to the other the lyrics get overlayed. I would like the lyrics for voice 2 to become lyrics line ”number 2” instead as the lyrics is different for the two voices.

Problem 1 I can solve by the rather cumbersome task of changing the stem direction for all up-stem notes manually.

I can't find a solution for problem 2 except re-typing the lyrics, which I really want to avoid.
Have I missed a way in MuseScore to change the lyrics line number?

Attachment Size
Sample_Tit_er_jeg_glad.mscz 30.21 KB

Comments

I don't understand the stem issue. Why are there upstem notes in voice 2? That shouldn't happen unless you previously forced them up rather than leaving them at their default. That is, in the original where everything was in its own staf,f everything should have been voice 1 with stems set to "auto" - nothing should have been explicitly up or down in any voice unless you set it that way. or, I suppsoe, if it came from a MusicXML file that was set that way.

Anyhow, you can reset all stems to "auto" by selecting all, press the "Notes" button in the Inspector to limit the selection to just notes, then hitting the reset button to the right of the "Stem direction" dropdown.

As for lyrics, there is unfortunately not currently a way to change the verse number once lyrics are enetered. But I wouldn't be trying to do that. I'd simply select the lyrics in voice 1 first (eg, rights click one, Select / More / Same voice) and move them above them the staff (eg, using the Inpector). That's the more standard way of presenting this type of music anyhow, rather than having the two sets of lyrics directly above one another.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I may be missing a point here.
The score does indeed come from a Finale XML file, however all notes are set to ”Auto” stem direction. When I select all notes in ”Soprano II” and ”Edit ->Voices → Exchange Voice 1-2” it appears that only the quater node stems are changed. The rest remain as they were before.

/I'm using the official 2.0 version)

Attachment Size
Sample2_Tit_er_jeg_glad.mscz 30.87 KB

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

You are absolutely right. I just discovered that it was not the note value but the beam that determined the stem direction. I had not noticed that beams could be configured as well.
Learning more every day, getting more impressed every day as well on MuseScore.
Thank you!

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