voices - how to collapse/combine
I started with a gp5, converted to mscz (I think OK), added a linked guitar TAB staff [or is it system] (I think OK). Now I want to make some edits, basically make it easier to play.
I suddenly find the notes were done in two voices. Wow - am not sure what I am getting into, but ...... I think I want to get rid of one voice, as a mechanism/object, and have the notes still appear/play. I don't want to have to worry about the timing of the 2nd voice. (as I've stated in the form several times, I find editing durations in this UI almost impossible.)
So, how can I collapse/combine the two voices?
Is this a bad idea?
What are the down sides that I do not see (yet)?
I have entered notes from scratch as trial/experiment on linked staves in same time slot/beat - it seems OK.
Comments
select a voice 2 notes, click the voice 1 button in the toolbar. If it fits rhythmically, this should move that voice 2 note to voice 1
Once again, without the score, and more information about what you want to see different, all we can do is guess. With the score, we could give you step by step instructions on how to accomplish what you want with editing durations or show how to combine it with the first voice, etc. Without a score and a good description of what you want to do, I can't give specifics, just vague generalities like "use cut and paste" or "see Edit / Voice" or "Edit / Tools / Implode" but can't tell you where each particular technique might best be applied.
In reply to Once again, without the by Marc Sabatella
the gp5>mscz score is attached.
My goal is to have one voice so that I can then display & edit in TAB staff[system?].
I'd be happy if I could have the display TAB all in one voice, but it too carries the concept of voice.
Misc comments
1. I thought I could copy 1 voice, paste into new score, repeat for 2nd voice - no go.
2. meas 1&3 ought to be easy since in TAB it appears the same regardless of voices - can't figure out how without first changing 1/2 notes to 1/4's.
3. from fingerpick guitar perspective, meas 1 TAB is exactly the same whether the 1/2 notes in treb staff are 1/2 or 1/4. it sounds and plays exactly the same.
4. while meas 2,4,6 are a nightmares
In reply to the gp5>mscz score is by dpenny
Well, you can certainly combine the two voices into one, in various different ways, but a) there is no requirement you do so in order to edit the tab - you can edit the tab just fine ewith multiple voices, and b) because the two voices have different rhythms, there is no way to combine the voices without loss of information. That is, you will need to make intelligent decisions about which notes it is OK to shortent, which it is OK to lengtehm which it is OK to mvoe, etc, in order to force fit everything into a single voice. That's just the nature of music notation. Guitar is a bit unique in that the concept of duration for a note is less relevant than for other instruments - a notated half note or quarter note or eighth note might literally be played in the same way - so you can to some extent get away with making the choice to shorten all notated durations and get something that isn't too far from the original in sound, even if it won't be nearly as readable as the original (in which the melody is very clearly separated from the accompaniment, for example) when expressed in standard notation.
So I'd go with something along the lines of what geetar suggests. First shorten durations of all long notes so they match the notes in the other voic. BTW, in doing this, you will be *very* thankful MuseScore does *not* then automatically shift subsequent notes earlier in time - this is exactly a case where you will be very grateful for the current behavior with respect to changing durations! Then y9u can select the passage and use the voice 1 button to move the contents of voice 2 to voice 1, then remove the voice 2 rests.
So for example, in the first measure, change both half notes in voice 1 to quarters (and be thankful this doesn't cause their time positions to shift!). The bars 2-4 are good to go as is - the rhythms match up well. For bar 5, you'd want to change beat two of vocie 2 to be an eighth and beat 3 of voice 1 to be a quarter - again, and be thankful this doesn't have unintended side effects on the time positions of other notes. And so on.
Then simply select the passage and press the voice 1 button to move the voice 2 notes to voice 1, then select and delete the rests in voice 2 (right click one, select all similar, delete - since voice 1 rests thankfully can't be deleted, this will do exactly what you want).
Yes, it is possible to combine everything into Voice 1.
1. Make sure you are not in "Note entry" mode (press escape).
2. Click on the first note in Voice 1, bar 1 (staff 1). Change it to match the duration of the lower value note in the opposite voice. Do the same for the whole score so that the note durations of voices 1 and 2 always match the lower of the two durations at any point (see Duration shortcuts ).
3. Select all the notes in Voice 2. Press Ctrl + Alt + 1 to convert them to voice 1.
4. Select all the rests in voice 2 and delete.
The first four bars of the new score should look like this:
In reply to Yes, it is possible to by geetar
thanks geeTar.
I will probably take your advice and enter from scratch. I've spent hours trying to learn to change durations (in simple measures/cases) with limited success.
Do you know of a different music notation software that does not FORCE time signature consistency? (or perhaps allows a "null" time sig). For what I want to do this aspect is a HUGH roadblock. Otherwise it seems pretty decent, especially for its cost. And the forums/folks seem to work out reasonably well.
In reply to thanks geeTar. I will by dpenny
See my response above. Actually, as I said, the way MuseScore works is *exactly* what you wan tin this case. Simply do as directed as you will be very thankful that notes don't change time positions every time you change a duration. There is absolutely nothing about what you are trying to do here that is not extremely simple to do in MuseScore.