Compound Time
When the time signature is compound time (e.g. 12/8, etc.) MuseScore doesn't treat the main beat as a dotted crotchets but as crotchets - i.e it handles 12/8 as though 6/4. Therefore if one enters a crotchet as the first beat in a 12/8 bar, MuseScore then places a crotchet rest after it instead of a quaver followed by dotted crotchet rest, etc. to match the dotted crotchet main beat.
Would it be possible (or is there already an option or trick) to adapt MuseScore to accommodate compound time directly as suggested? Or have I missed something??
Richard G
Comments
The only 'trick' I know of is to manually set the rests in a measure, then copy paste that all over the score before note entry.
There is a feature request open for this though: #4867: Rests in measures should be grouped according to time signature
In reply to The only 'trick' I know of… by jeetee
Thanks, jeetee. The threads are very interesting and useful. I think that setting up dummy bars full of rests is probably the best kludge. However, as pointed out by the several previous threads, compound time is a pretty basic part of music notation and it would indeed be nice some time for MuseScore to have capabilities to handle it as such without the need to kludge.
I am, of course, nit-picking. MuseScore is superb and this was underlined today by it cruising through several tasks whilst a conductor chum was struggling with similar tasks using an expensive program which simply couldn't cope (and which shall remain nameless!).
In reply to Thanks, jeetee. The threads… by Richard G
To be clear, though, you don't need to do any of this. Simply enter the rests yourself, just as you enter the notes. Left to right, ignoring the default rests that may or not be what you want.
In reply to To be clear, though, you don… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks, Marc. Agreed! It's just that, if the modus operandi of the rests matched the basic beat of compound time, it would be the quickest, easiest and most reliable. However, as you say, it isn't a significant issue - more a matter of convenience - and there are various very simple ways of dealing with it.