Expert entry mode
I have found a very similar thread but it doesn't quite capture what I think would an amazing feature for Musescore that would set it apart from Finale and Sibelius.
A while ago while I was a graduate student, I dreamed up the idea of notation software "mode" for experts who knew exactly what they wanted to appear on the staves without the need of the program calculating missing rests, accidentals, time signature limits etc. I envisioned it for quick examples as part of an academic paper or such. But the more I compose/notate unmeasured church music, thinking specifically of plainchant or choral preces and responses (with measure lengths that change to emphasize strong syallables) or cantor intonations traditionally notated in unmeasured time, I thought that Musescore could incorporate an "expert" mode so that if you want to enter 23 quarter notes and then put a measure line you could or a breve followed by two or three note blobs, or perhaps a worksheet of note name and length ID without having to hide multiple rests when all you wanted was a dotted 16th followed by a measure line. I'd expect "standard" spacing to apply (always tweakable, of course)...
Here's the similar thread that I found (https://musescore.org/en/node/16246) but I do believe I'm asking something slightly different and more universally useful as it would also encompass everything and not just free measure lengths. Again, as in that post, the idea is to enter that mode as we put in the notes, not as a fix afterwards. There could be a wonderful workflow if we were not having to calculate measure lengths ahead of time or worry about correcting accidentals put there against our wishes (again, a real time-saver when creating student exercises). My goodness, I might actually start using the computer as part of the composition process if something like this is implemented!
Thanks!
Comments
if we were not having to calculate measure lengths ahead of time
You know that you don't need to do that anymore in MuseScore 2 right? You can split and join measures via Edit > Measure
The Split and Join feature definitely simplifies things. However, the need to do that after fact *does* mean you have to think different about accidentals. For example, if the end result was to be six quarter notes in a measure, all "Ab" (with a key signature of no flats or sharps), there would be a flat sign only the first "Ab". But creating this result by joining and splitting 4/4 measures would require you to add the flat again at the beginning of the second measure. It would go away on its own when you joined the measures, but it's still an extra thing to think about.
I don't really care for the idea that this is an "expert" mode; it's really just about allowing you to create variable measure lengths, even if it is presented as something broader. That is, it would have no advantage whatsoever to the "expert" who was entering ordinary measured music, and would have advantages for entry of unmeasured music even for non-experts (probably of *more* use to non-experts, actually, since experts could figure to how to use the split & join even with accidentals).
To me, this idea seems to fit in with the "scratchpad" idea that comes up occasionally - a mode where you basically enter the symbols as symbols and only on completion does MsueScore attempt to assign time positions to things. I remain unconvinced it would ever save more than one or two keystrokes here or there, but for a few situations here or there, it could be a more natural way for some people to think about editing.
In reply to The Split and Join feature by Marc Sabatella
You are right..."expert" mode may not be the best way of putting it. Perhaps better is "manual" mode (auto-pilot disengaged!). When I consider that it is still FAR quicker for me to sit with a piece of manuscript paper and compose the "old-fashioned" way, I see opportunity for software developers to re-think entry mode etc. to align with what on paper (pun intended!) is a very creative and free-flowing activity.
When the notes are coming thick and fast in my head, my aim is to get it on paper as quickly as I can before the inspiration leaves me. If that involves "blobbed" noteheads or notes and rhythm without measure lines, that's OK because I can then easily go back and edit without worrying I need to change a hidden time signature because I decide, for example, that a note should be double in length. In Sibelius etc, my existing measure is effectively destroyed so much that it's often better to just start the measure afresh (or engage in a delicate copy and paste exercise). Whether I put in all the rhythms or not, the process of inputting notes on the computer is too calculated for me—on paper, it's as simple as putting in the number of notes I need followed by a barline and in real life there's never a time signature to have to work out behind the scenes. In a manual mode, the aim would be for me to be able to change a half note to a quarter note and the notes to the right "ripple" edit like a DAW with the software changing the time signature behind the scenes as necessary.
Like I said previously, if I could quickly get notes and such down without an automated process telling me what I can and cannot have in a measure, I'd be a happy camper and have a go at ditching the pen and paper. And I agree, that for most music, the default "autopilot" is perfect. The question is does Musescore and all similar software aim to work like a typewriter where substantial editing mid-typesetting is quite often impossible or more like a word-processor where it is a piece of cake to drop a newly-composed paragraph into the middle of a document? My analogies may not be great but I hope you see the point...
C
In reply to You are right..."expert" mode by bachstudies
No, I agree, I would love to be able to use MuseScore as a sort of "inspiration catcher." There are times when I come up with a bass line or a drum sequence in my head when I'm doing something else, and I need to *immediately* capture it or i'll lose it. If I have to take more than 60 secs doing setup, the inspiration is doomed. I can't waste time with determining the tempo, the time signature, or the key. Let me put the notes in exactly as I imagine them, with as little hindrance as possible. The more I fuss with application requirements, the slower the capture. Just give me staff lines and the clef.
While I use MuseScore for my already-notated scores, I need a quick musical notepad.
If not MuseScore then whom?