Question about initial rests and true rest
Let's make a new score in 2/4.
It starts with all bars filled in by half note rests (at least it looks like that).
I will call them 'initial' rests. Their behavior is not the same as 'true' (entered by the user) rest:
A1-click on a initial rest in a empty bar
A2-click on half note symbol => the initial rest stays as it is, it is not changed in true rest
A3-press 'a' => you enter a quarter 'a', not a half note
Compare with:
B1-click on a initial rest in a empty bar
B2-click any note duration smaller than half note => the rest is split accordingly
B3-click on half note duration => the rest becomes again a half rest, but now a "true" one
B4-press 'a' => you enter a half note 'a' (replacing the 'true' rest), no more a quarter
I know that I should first go to note input mode and everything would run fine, nevertheless I have some questions:
- Why A2 doesn't already change the initial rest to a 'true' one (i.e. forcing next note to be a half note instead of a quarter)
- If you are in 4/4 instead of 2/4, then A2 does the job (change the initial full rest in two half note rests) and A3 enters a half note instead of a quarter.
Don't you find confusing that on empty bar, [click half note - press 'a'] enters a quarter in 2/4 and a half note in 4/4, 3/4, ...? That would be solved by letting A2 already 'acting' when the rest matches the full bar as well, instead of apparently doing nothing in that case.
Fred
Comments
Nope, These a re full measure rests and they do look line full rests (not half rests), but are centered to the measure
This difference is intentional and necessary. The standard musical convention is to use a full measure rest - which looks like a whole rest, not a half rest - to indicate an empty meausre, regardless of the time signature. So regardless of whether the time signature is 2/4, 4/4, or 13/8, the same exact full measure rest symbol is used to indicate an empty measure. But of course, sometimes we need to to indicate four beats of rest even when that isn't a full measure - like a score in 7/4, where the measure starts with four beats of rest.
So the standard convention is, a rest hanging from a staff line means rest a full measure regardless of the time signature if the rest is centered (and in that case, you should expect the rest of the measure to be empty for that staff, or at least for that voice). If the rest is left-aligned, then it indicates four beats of rest.
So to answer your questions:
- I suppose it would be possible to change things so that presisng "6" while selecting a full measure rest in 2/4 would change it into a half rest. But since you would never normally *want* to have a half rest in 2/4 - empty measures are *supposed* to be indicsted by full measure rests even in 2/4 - I prefer the current behavior, where if you want to create non0-standard notation, you have to work ever so slightly harder for it (enter the rest in note input mode: N 6 0). In other words, the rest *already* indicates two beats, so pressing 6 really need not do anything.
- In 4/4, the full measure rest indicates 4 beats, so press "6" should and does change it to a two-beat rest.
- Pressing a duration key before entering note input mode is not correct usage. You are supposed to select duration *after* entering note input mode. Pressing a duration key before entering note input mode has nothing to do with setting the intial duration wonce you enter note input. The initial duration upon entering note input mode is either quarter note is nothing is selected, or the duration of the currently selected note/rest if one is selected. The status of the duration icons on the toolbar are irrelevant as far as I know.
In reply to This difference is by Marc Sabatella
I understand your explanation which is logical.
I'm not completely convinced that it is a good thing to do to make an intuitive software (2/4 press 6 press 'a' you get a quarter, 3/4 or 4/4, press 6 press 'a' you get a half note) and personnaly I would prefer that press 6 in 2/4 also changes the full measure rest in two-beat rest (if you don't need it and just press 6 by accident you can either delete or undo to get the full measure rest back) but this is subjective of course.
In reply to This difference is by Marc Sabatella
You are totally right of course.
But, as clicking a duration icon before entering note input mode changes the measure rest to the selected duration and selects it (except in the special case where the duration is equals to a full measure), entering note input mode after that by pressing a letter key will enter a note of exactly this duration. Therefore, even if it wasn't the original design, for the user it is "as if" the status of the duration icons on the toolbar are relevant.
In reply to Pressing a duration key by frfancha
Yes, "as if". But I guess I'd just want to re-emphasize that is not correct to assume that pressing a duration key followed by a letter is a valid way of entering a note if you aren't in note entry mode. Pressing a duration key while not in note entry mode is *not* something you should be doing as a prelude to entering note input mode; it is intended for changing duration of existing notes only. I'd say if you un-learn that incorrect habit,. then the current behavior won't seem bothersome, and the behavior will make sense for the purpose it is actually intended for. Most people hitting duration keys aren't doing it as an incorrect prelude to entering notes - they are doing it to change durations of existing notes or rests. And since the full measure rest already has that duration, it would be a step backwards in user-firnedliness if we made it too easy to accidentally change from the correct full measure to the incorrect half rest in 2/4 time. That's my opinion. I'm less concerned about making it so incorrect usage happens to yield the intended results. I'm more interested in making correct usage work as intended, as making sure correct usage doesn't inadvertently lead to incorrect results.
I'm a pretty new MuseScore user and have generally been successful with it, primarily entering guitar tablature. I can't for the life of me seem to enter/display rests. When I'm not in note entry mode, the rest input button is displayed, but as soon I go to note entry mode, the it's grayed out.
I'm pretty sure the rests are present, because I can hear them on playback. At some point early-on I found a tip on displaying rests and this helped a lot, but I can't seem to find how to get back to it.
I've searched the manual and forums and nothing I've found seems to work, including shortcuts in both modes.
There are some other problems I've encountered but this is the primary one for now.
In reply to I'm a pretty new MuseScore by Barry Marx
I did figure out somewhat of a work-around. I can enter the notes of the desired duration. Then (not in note input mode) I can delete the note(s) that I want to replace with rests. The deleted notes seem to be replaced with rests, but again no actual rest symbols are displayed.
There must be a better way to do this.
In reply to I did figure out somewhat of by Barry Marx
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/tablature#edit-tablature and have a look at the Advanced staff properties
In reply to I'm a pretty new MuseScore by Barry Marx
Most tablature is published without rests, so the default tablature styles don't display them. If you prefer to display the rests, consider switching to the "Full" tablature style (via Edit / Instruments, or via Advanced Style Properties in Staff Properties). You can also use Advaned Style Properties to customize further - like if you want rests but *don't* want stems.
To enter a rest of the currently selected duration, simply press semicolon. That is the shortcut for rests in tablature, and it works whether the actual display of rests is enabled or not.
In reply to Most tablature is published by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc,
I hadn't noticed that about tablature, but your method works great for displaying rests. (I certainly hadn't seen that in the manual, at least with the standard searches.)
I had previously tried the semicolon shortcut, and tried it again. I finally was able to get it to work a couple of times, but mostly not. Still not sure what I'm doing wrong.
I guess I should've started a new thread with this. I'll do it next time when this one seems finished.
Thanks again.
In reply to Thanks Marc, I hadn't noticed by Barry Marx
Semicolon should always work if you are in note input mode with the cursor on a tablature staff. Again, in thstandard tablature, the rest won't *display*, but it should be entered - you'll see the cursor move to show you that. If you encounter some special case where it doesn't work, please post the score you are having trouble with and precise steps to reproduce the problem.
In reply to Semicolon should always work by Marc Sabatella
That worked.
I think my problem was that I didn't think note input mode was the correct mode since the rest symbol was grayed out. Thanks for your patience in helping me.