Chord Input in MuseScore 4 doesn't work as expected
I am on Mac Monterey, 13" Macbook M1, MuseScore 4
In chord input mode I am unable to move the cursor forward by measure. I can only move it forward note by note.
Also, after importing music from xml to MuseScore 4 the chord input is completely broken. It is simply not possible to input chords. After activating the chord input mode with Command K you can type the chord name but after continuing to the next place the chord letter disappears.
Comments
Can't address the xml-MS4 issue, but rather than using [tab], use [ctrl]-L/R.
In reply to Can't address the xml-MS4… by daveburkevt
Doesn't work. Nothing moves the cursor except the space bar eighth note by eighth note. I wrongly wrote before that the cursor would move note by note but in fact it moves in eighth note increments, independent of the written notes.
As mentioned, the shortcut for navigating measures has changed to Ctrl+Right, both to make Tab available for its usual accessibility function but also for consistency with how Ctrl+Right navigates measures in normal & note input modes. On Mac, I assume that's Cmd+Right.
You can also use space and semicolon as always.
If you have a specific score with an issue, please attach it and give precise steps to reproduce the problem.
In reply to As mentioned, the shortcut… by Marc Sabatella
Attached is the score with which I am experiencing the problems I've described. Can you actually move the cursor during chord input mode from one measure to the next with any of the recommended keyboard shortcuts? I've tried them all, none of them worked. On the other hand during note input mode I can skip from measure to measure with the key commands you described (Command - right Arrow)
In reply to Attached is the score with… by rainerschnelle
Yes, Ctrl+Right works exactly as expected. You tried both Ctrl+Right and Cmd+Right? As far as I know no other users have reported a problem with this, so I doubt it's something that affects all Mac keyboards. Is there something unusual about yours perhaps?
You also mentioned some sort of problem actually entering the chords. That makes me wondering is there is a more basic problem with your installation. Anything unusual about how you installed MuseScore 4? If you are still having trouble simply entering chords, can you give precise steps to reproduce the problem?
Can some other Mac user see if it is working?
In reply to Yes, Ctrl+Right works… by Marc Sabatella
It is really strange but it doesn't work for me both on my iMac (Intel) and my MacBook (M1). I was asking myself if it could have something to do with the fact that my keyboard has a German layout? But then again with MuseScore 3 using the Tab key everything works as expected. And also switching to an English Layout didn't help. I thought I might find a keyboard shortcut in the Preferences/Shortcuts list which would give me the chance of setting up my own shortcut but I didn't find an item which seemed appropriate. Is there one?
The problem with chord input in general which I experienced happened after I imported a musicxml file which I had extracted from a Sibelius 8 file using the trial version of Sibelius 2022. Once the notes were in MuseScore 4 all chord symbols only showed the modifiers but no letter names. When I select those truncated chord symbols the letter names appear but after leaving the selection the chord letter names are gone again. Deleting the chords and trying to input the chord manually from scratch didn't help. Chord letters are simply not displayed, even though they are there. Check out the attached musicxml file.
In reply to It is really strange but it… by rainerschnelle
Oh yes, there is indeed a known bug where after importing a MusicXML file, you need to save and reload it before chord symbols work properly. I had forgotten about that.
Regarding the next measure shortcut, strange, there are also lots of German users and I'm not hearing other reports of problems. Maybe try Help / Revert to factory settings, in case someho things got messed up somehow.
There is indeed a shortcut you can define for next measure - "go to next measure".
In reply to Oh yes, there is indeed a… by Marc Sabatella
I had to reassign "go to next measure" before being able to move forward by measure. Command-Right simply wouldn't work. I went back to the TAB key because I was used to that. Could it be that some other app is capturing the new default key command? I've been looking for that but so far I haven't found anything.
In reply to Yes, Ctrl+Right works… by Marc Sabatella
Hi, Mark
I'm also having problems in Musescore 4 on a Mac moving from one chord symbol to the next measure. When I select COMMAND+RIGHT/LEFT ARROW, it just moves the cursor from one side of the chord symbol to another. That is what Apple says COMMAND+RIGHT/LEFT ARROW is supposed to do (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236).
Using the space bar to get from one beat to the other works as expected.
I'm using:
- Mac Mini M1, 2020, 8 GB, macOS Ventura 13.1
- Apple Wireless Keyboard with Bluetooth (not Magic), American English
- Musescore 4.0.1.230121751, Rev: 9b70a8c
Attached please find a new test score and a screenshot of my Musescore shortcut Preferences settings.
Otherwise, I'm enjoying Musescore 4.
Regards,
Janet
In reply to Hi, Mark I'm also having… by Janet E.
Hi, Mark
I'm sorry, I should have given you the wording from Apple:
Command–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line.
Command–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the current line.
Janet
In reply to Hi, Mark I'm also having… by Janet E.
Hi, Mark -
I checked Musescore 3 as well (same computer system), and found that:
- TAB still works to get me to the next measure.
- COMMAND+RIGHT/LEFT ARROW behaves just like it does in Musescore 4 (moving the insertion point to one side of the chord symbol.)
- The Musescore 3 Preference Shortcut for "go to the next measure" is COMMAND+RIGHT/LEFT ARROW (not TAB). I haven't changed any of the Preferences shortcuts in either version of Musescore.
So I think that TAB was allowed in Musescore 3 through code that didn't use the Preferences setting.
Please see my Musescore 3 test score and Preferences Shortcuts screenshot.
In reply to Hi, Mark - I checked… by Janet E.
Yes, Tab used to be the command for this, and was hard-coded as such. But Tab is an important key for accessibility purposes, used to move around the interface by keyboard. So it is now reserved for that function, and that is why Ctrl+Left/Right is used instead (and Ctrl is usually Cmd on Mac keyboards). And yes, it has a different function while editing ordinary text, but for chord symbols specifically, it navigates by measure.
If it isn't working on your keyboard in particular, then that is a bug, and apparently at least some other Mac users are seeing this as well. See https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/15719
In reply to Yes, Tab used to be the… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks for the quick response, the clear explanation, and for including the link to the bug report!
I am a Mac user, OS Ventura, M1 Max Mac Studio, Musescore 4.
I am having the same problem advancing by one measure. Command-right does not seem to work.
I tried completing uninstalling and reinstalling the software, which did not help.
Advance by one beat does work for me.
In reply to I am a Mac user, OS Ventura,… by nwavle
Same problem here, no way to jump to the next measure on MacBookPro 16" Intel - Catalina, Italian Keyboard
In reply to Same problem here, no way to… by danworks
I programmed a different keyboard shortcut in "Preferences/Shortcuts/Go to next measure" and then it worked. In my case I went back to the TAB key, that's how I always did it, problem solved.
In reply to I programmed a different… by rainerschnelle
Tried myself right now and I could successfully changed it to TAB.
"To go Previous Bar" (shift TAB) it doesn't work.
I've tried to re-insert the default one (cmd -->) but it definitely do not work
In reply to Tried myself right now and I… by danworks
I am sure you could search and find another keyboard shortcut for "Go To Previous Measure". I decided in case I need to go back (happens rarely) I would simply click in the appropriate measure.
In reply to I am sure you could search… by rainerschnelle
I'll do that.
About this topic though, the point is that cmd--> and cmd<-- aren't recognized by MS4 therefore seems a bug to me. By the way, I'll add a couple of another unrecognized shortcut on my MacBookPro 16" - Italian Keyboard :
{ Decrease Layout stretch
} Increase Layout stretch
I've changed those too
best
In reply to I'll do that. About this… by danworks
Yes, I did too. I am on a German Keyboard. Maybe that's the problem.
In reply to Yes, I did too. I am on a… by rainerschnelle
Yes, most probably, considering the finger twisting needed to access these keys
Hmm, I tried to reassign to TAB and it wouldn't let me. (macBook air)
This is kind of deal breaker to me as I write lead sheets a lot and really need a quick way to enter one or two chord symbols for each bar.
I'll be reverting back to version 3.
Too bad.
Want to add that I'm having the same issue. On a 2017 Macbook Pro 16" intel core i7. Command arrow doesn't work, I can't reassign TAB. I mainly write out lead sheets, so hitting spacebar for each quarter note isn't a huge deal, but after years of using TAB it's hard to break that muscle memory, and I would love the restore the use of TAB.
Is this bug being being looked at?
In reply to Want to add that I'm having… by mathieufoley
Same concern here. Too bad; I had high hopes for 4.
In reply to Same concern here. Too bad… by kznmusic
To clear, you are saying you on macOS, and Cmd+Right doesn't work with your specific keyboard? How about if you go to Edit / Preferences / Shortcuts and redefine the shortcut got "go to next measure / move text right quickly" - change to something else, then back to Cmd+Right. Also try other modifiers with Right.
Every keyboard is different so it's difficult to guarantee every shortcut works on all keyboards, but there was a fix made that may improve things - feel free to help test a nightly build of 4.1 (go to the main Downlaod page via the menu at the top of this site, then scroll down). It would be great if someone who is experiencing the problem could help confirm if the fix works works for them.
In reply to To clear, you are saying you… by Marc Sabatella
On the last build of MS 4.1 (05/28/2023) I was able to replace the nonfunctional keyboard shortcut Command-Right (on a german keyboard) with Command-Option-Right and it worked es expected!
In reply to On the last build of MS 4.1 … by rainerschnelle
The last official build at the moment (May 28th) is 4.0.2. On the night build there's a "latest master dated 05/28/2023": is that the MS4.1 you're talking about?
In reply to The last official build at… by danworks
Yes
In reply to The last official build at… by danworks
Yes
In reply to Yes by rainerschnelle
Am I correct if I say that even on this version MS doesn't remember the paper appearance, even on the pref I've selected the wanted .png file?
In reply to Am I correct if I say that… by danworks
This is a known issue, I believe: https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/16930