Improve Note entry with mouse.

• Jun 15, 2016 - 17:04

From this post: https://musescore.org/en/node/99476#comment-442341

My response in the same thread:
"I think this is a great idea! "Currently mscore only allows user to input a note/rest at a currently-existing segment. This works great for keyboard, but when using a mouse, I would like to be able to position my cursor at any division of the measure (based on the selected duration) and plop an note, without inputting resets prior (mscore will input those for me). The blue "shadow note" will appear where these divisions of the measure are, to let user know.""

I think this is an excellent proposal.


Comments

How fine do you want the divisions? The barrier is that an empty measure may be only 5sp wide.

Sibelius does this in increments of a quarter note, no matter the duration selected or time signature (so putting a quarter note at the end of a 5/8 measure becomes two tied eights across the barline). Sibelius also makes empty measures much wider, though.

In reply to by Isaac Weiss

I would like 1/8th. This is based on my general convention of 1/8 usually being the smallest "tick" I write in. Of course I adjust the smaller exceptions as needed.

As I think about the information you supplied re: Sibelius, there would have to be some indication where one is, in time. At the moment the cursor identifies the pitch and relies on the selected duration and conventional graphic understanding so that the composer understands where s/he is in time. Hence your mention of bar size.

As a solution, I can "see" an information bubble as one pans the bar, in conjunction with the way MS presently informs the user: 1/8, 2/8, 3/8, etc. That does add to clutter, but ....

Another "disturbance" in MS that changing the behaviour of MS as postulated would remove, is that the cursor often leaps to an unanticipated place in the bar. Distracting.

An information bubble could also really be of use to those struggling to understand notation.

So, as in Sibelius one could immediately place a note of selected duration on, say, the and of one, no matter what selected duration. MS would automatically insert the appropriate rest and tie wherever it has to.

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