persistent note stem direction
I am preparing a score with voices 1 and 2. I want to keep stems for each voice pointing the own direction, for example, voice 1 up and 2 down. However, I cannot get the stems to stay where I put them. Is there a way?
Chordwood
Comments
It should be automatic if you have not set it differently.
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/voices
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/beam#flip-note-beam
Can you attach the score you are having problems?
Use the "File attachments" option at the bottom of the page, just above the Save and Preview buttons when you're typing your post. Click on 'File attachments' it will become browse
In reply to It should be automatic if… by Shoichi
The problem stems occur in the treble clef piano part.
In reply to The problem stems occur in… by chordwood
There are no different voices here. (Just two notes in 1st voice / chord)
If there is only one note line (chord): for the voice in the third line and the up, stems automatically turned down. For two or more sounds (in same chord): the average is checked in this case.
If you want to separate this part into two separate voices (on same staff) manually:
1. Select the bottom note-heads; one by one (with Ctrl+"Mouse click")
2. Press "2" on the voice numbers (from "1, 2, 3, 4" on the top-right of the window) or press Ctrl + Alt + 2 combination.
Thus: Selected notes are moved to 2nd voice.
To enter notes as separate voices (from the beginning):
1. Enter "voice 1" first, and finish it. (Press esc.)
3. Then: Back to the first measure. Select whole measure (click on a empty area in staff) ,
4. Press "N" key (Note input mode)
3. Now: Press the new voice number. (press 2 from "1, 2, 3, 4" on the top-right of the window) or press Ctrl+Alt+2 key combination. (At this point: the selection highlight must have turned into a green color.)
4. And start entering notes for the 2nd voice.
PS: voice colors; 1: blue, 2: green, 3: orange, 4: purple.
In reply to There are no different… by Ziya Mete Demircan
Thanks for your reply. I did not start the 2 voices until I needed to indicated notes played in the same bar with different rhythms. So, yes, there are parts where there are just plain double stops. The main problem in part "F". If you view the score in Musescore, you can see that the stem 'rule' is not always followed, resulting in some odd stem pointing. Is there a separate preference setting for voicing notes?
In reply to Thanks for your reply. I… by chordwood
I just realized you had a break in the piano part so I just realized that measure 97 is an example.
The stems point according to the direction of the voice they are in. Any note with a stem pointed up needs to be entered in voice 1 and down into voice 2. MuseScore trust that even if the note is lower, you know which voice you want it in.
In reply to I just realized you had a… by mike320
Thanks everyone.
I think that clears up the mystery. The voice alternate as lower or higher, so, I just plugged in the notes accordingly. I will have to pay attention to musescore's interpretation of voices even if it means alternating the voice's role. I wonder if 'intelligent' voice input, or just a way to over-ride musescore's default stem directions for voices could be a future feature?
In reply to Thanks everyone… by chordwood
Of course;
click on the head of that note and press the "x" key.
The direction of the stem will change.
In reply to Thanks everyone… by chordwood
There is an abundance of scores in print where voices cross and the result is what you have in measure 97. It is less common in piano music but not unheard of. Having said that, I don't know that anyone would take the time to make such a modification to MuseScore with so many other things needing to be worked on. Perhaps someone could do a plugin that would automatically place lower notes in lower voices, but what would it do with the score in this thread? https://musescore.org/es/node/250251
In reply to Thanks everyone… by chordwood
As mentioned, it is actually quite common for voices to cross - for the voice that is "logically" the top voice to temporarily go lower than the "logical" bottom voice. And it is absolutely correct for the stem directions to remain consistent - the logical top voice still is supposed to have stems up even if it temporarily becomes the lower voice, and the logical bottom voice is still supposed to have stems down. The rules for how this is supposed to be notated are fairly complex, and MuseScore follows them as closely as possible - which is to say, you should virtually never be overriding this. Enter notes into their correct logical voices, and MuseScore will do the right thing 999 times out of 1000. For example:
Everything i exactly as it should be here.
But indeed, for the rare special cases where you need to override a stem direction in a multi-voice context, the "X" key does the trick. Or use the Inspector.
Normally: 1 and 3. voices up; The 2nd and the 4th voices down. (stems)
The same is true for orchestral brass instruments:
Horns 1 and 3 plays the S-A (treble; upper) part; 2 and 4 plays the T-B (bass; lower) part.