Accordion notation and playback

Introduction

• The purpose of this tutorial is to assist MuseScore users with notating accordion parts according to standards and with playback.
• It may also provide users of other programs with ideas and guidance on how to notate accordion in their program of choice.
• Please feel free to collaborate on this page, add and expand section. If you are not sure, start a thread in the Documentation forum.
• You are also welcome to message me directly.

General resources

• Official Notation for the standard accordion, approved by the American Accordionists' Association
• Composer’s Guide to the Piano Accordion
• Accordion Stradella Bass Chord Template

Accordion symbols

• The accordion palette can be added by clicking on "Add Palettes" and clicking on "Add" next to Accordion.
• Because Automatic Placement does not work for accordion symbols, disable it.
• Adjust manually so that the symbol is below the clef, time or key signature.

Chord notation and playback

German notation style

• Sheet music by German music publisher Holzschuh Verlag with sample pages.
• Notate the bass and chord notes below the bass clef.
• To add chord symbol and playback, see Chord Notation and specifically section Chord Notation with playback.

American notation style

American notation style can be achieved either by adding staff text on to, OR installing a 3rd party SoundFont and Instruments XML file which understand these symbols.

American notation style using MuseScore only

• American notation style (USA, Brazil and others) only lists the chord type above the note (M/m/7/d) whereas the MuseScore Chord Symbol requires the note name (e.g. EM/Em/E7/Edim)).
• To add chord symbol and playback, see Chord Notation and specifically section Chord Notation with playback.
• Hide the chord symbols
  • Select a single chord symbol, right-click, select "Select" -> "More...", "Ok"
  • Press V to toggle visibility (if all chords are visible), or Use the inspector to toggle the "Visible" property to off (if you have a mix of Visible and Invisible) chords.
• Add the chord type as system text:
  • from the "Text" palette, click on "Staff Text" OR
  • Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+T (Mac: Cmd+T)).

American notation style using 3rd party SoundFont and Instruments XML

• Another way to get American notation and playback without the above workaround, is to install HedSound Accordion 5 Choir (under section SoundFonts). Contains SoundFont and corresponding instrument.xml that support chord symbols M, m, 7, d.
• Once installed use it the same way you would use regular MuseScore accordion SoundFont.

Lead sheet notation style

A lead sheet shows individual notes on the right hand and chords on the left hand, both notated on a single treble clef.
Because you cannot hide only the left hand bass clef, you need to split your accordion into two separate “instruments”:

• From the menu, choose Edit -> Instruments... (or press I)
• Add two accordions
• Remove "Stave: 2 Bass cleff" from the 2nd accordion (select and click "Remove from score")
• Remove "Stave: 1 Treble cleff" from the 3nd accordion.
• Your Instruments dialog box should look like this:
  
• Click "OK"
• Copy and paste the treble and bass grand staves from the original accordion onto the two new instruments
• You can now remove the top accordion, Edit -> Instruments... -> (select) and click "Remove from score".

• You can edit your score as normal. Once you are done editing the bass cleff, you can hide it with Edit -> Instruments... -> deselect "Visible"

  • TODO - expand on lead-sheet specific notation

Counter bass

• To a note head: Add the Tenuto symbol (Articulations palette)
• To fingering: use the Underline option in the Inspector.

Issues and workarounds

Default chord played as part of a Chord Symbol is a piano sound

Workaround:

• Mixer -> Click on "Show Channels" button (left-arrow) to expand the Accordion
• Highlight/select the "Acc.-harmony" channel (this is the bass clef).
• In the "Sound" dropdown, change from (Grand) Piano to Accordion.

Chord symbols are sustained until the next chord symbol

• Issue: "Realize chord symbols" gives a chord extending to the end of the score

Workaround:

• Format -> Style -> Chord Symbols
• Section "Play", set Duration to "Chord/Rest duration"

Reason for this behaviour

• Lead sheets assume the chord will be sustained (asked on issue for clarification )

SoundFonts

• HedSound Accordion 5 Choir, a 5 choir Accordion SoundFont (sf2) with SoundFont installation instructions
  • Also includes a custom Instruments XML file (TODO expand usage)

Fingering

• Left-hand or right-hand fingering can be entered using the standard menu or keyboard fingering entry methods.

Wish list

• Underline counter bass cord symbol in accordion lead sheet as per forum post Accordion Notation - underline counterbass.
• An accordion bass staf type that recognises notes below D3 as bass notes and notes above D3 as chord notes.

Issues

• [MU4 Issue] Incorrect brackets for Accordion #9940 - Fixed