To Coda can't work / DS & Volta Issues
What I'm wanting to do: include in the middle of the score an Optional Ending. This should look like a volta with text (e.g. Optional Ending) followed by a type2 volta also with text (e.g. Optional Chorus). Easy, so-far, but I'd like the piece to play back skipping the optional ending. I've found these issues.
a) To Coda does not have the correct fields (as viewed in Inspector). All the other jumps (D.S., D.C, and their variants) have the three fields Jump to, Play until & Continue at. To Coda has the two fields Marker type & Label, which correctly belong only to the various types of segno. Because To Coda doesn't have a Jump to field, it won't cause a jump.
b) D.S. just before the first volta and a segno immediately after the first volta should do the trick. But if the segno is inside the second volta (as it would naturally be), then the jump goes to immediately after the volta instead of to the segno.
These are possible work-arounds:
- don't use a second volta, but simulate it using a line with a left hook, plus system text (it would be nice if one could attach text to the line, but such text overprints the line and can't be dragged to the correct place); also, the line doesn't behave like system text so doesn't get into the parts. [I've used this one]
- use a second volta, but cheat by shift-arrowing the left and right ends so that it applies to the previous bar and drag the apparent volta to where it should have been. In this case the second volta doesn't stay where it is wanted under reformatting conditions (e.g. part extraction).
- setting the volta's repeat list to 0 should work ... but it doesn't (or not for me, anyway): it plays.
The piece with the Optional Ending is https://musescore.com/user/5010506/scores/1437161
Bars 53 & 56 contain DS and segno (made invisible).
Comments
Even though To Coda doesn't have the same fields as DS, it still works correctly. It doesn't have the same fields because it doesn't need them - when used in proper context (with a DS or Dc and a Coda) all the necessary info is there. That is, the DS or DC itself contain the jump instructions.
In general, MuseScore is set up to work well with standard markings used in standard ways. Trying to circumvent the usual behavior of the symbols may work but may just end up confusing MuseScore and work differently in a future version.
That said, it seemed to work just fine when I removed your text line in bar 56 and replaced it with a volta, then set the repeat list for the volta to 1. This makes sense, because you want it played the first (and only) time through.
In reply to Even though To Coda doesn't by Marc Sabatella
The old story. If there are enough combinations, try them all except the one that works. Too absorbed with wondering why having a repeat list of 0 (or 2, or 4, say) in the first volta, without the DS & segno, didn't work. Good solution, thank you.
Something else: While messing with the line, I tried something else (not relevant to this score): turning a line with hooks at right angles to go vertically. Somewhat miffed to find that the hooks can't be made to go horizontal. I've used vertical square brackets (left and right) for a few different uses in Overture, but I won't go into that right now.