Midi import proposal

Newbe talking...I think MuseScore is terrific (esp for free!), but I do have limited music ability. However, I can play a few notes of my tune and seeing them "printed" appears to help. With some difficulty I can play them back, although I have to unplug one MIDI lead. This is rather odd and time-consuming, not to mention the wear on the connectors.
[my MIDI touch-sensitive, piano-keyboard goes into a converter to USB - 5-pin MIDI is almost unheard of with 21c PC's].

The OP touched on this:-
MuseScore(MIDI-in) doesn't appear to allow "Duration" other than one selected (in the program). So the tune comes out with all note the same. I wonder if I'm not using MuseScore correctly - OR - can this be fixed, so a MIDI-input prints the played note-lengths?

I'll accept this may be my lack of understanding beats/measures etc. but (dare I say it here?), I don't care where the bars start, or finish - I don't really read music, so my scores tells me only if the next note is higher, or lower. Obviously it's nice to see it printed properly, but entering the "note duration" by hand means I need to know what I'm doing.....whereas if I can play it - I can hear when its right.
I rather hoped the software would correct (Quantise?) my playing.

[ I do find it frustrating when hand-entering notes - The program inserts "Rests" which I can't erase easily, so I end up with a gaggle of notes AND a Rest -or- it pushes any extra notes into the next Bar, rather than removing a Rest I didn't ask for...]

I have created some scores in MuseScore and they do print out rather well (thank-you). I want to add another instrument (say strings) to the piano (or harpsichord) - so I rewind the play-point and try to input my MIDI-notes . . . . but I don't think it's possible because the MIDI playback appears to lag. - - - - In fact, it's a bit of a nightmare.

I revisited to Tutorial No4 today, but I really need a longer session.
- and maybe a little help from those "in the know"
Also, I suspect MuseScore MIDI input doesn't like these USB adaptors. Thus the Keyboard can't playback at the same time the program accepts the play-input. I wonder if playing the music on the computer (soundcard) fixes this, if a delay can be inserted (under user control) so as to match-up the delay - er, so it works out correctly....?

In the past I've used other music programs*, usually as Piano-roll mode, but they don't permit having them as overlays, with the new notes (e.g. in RED?). I don't recall MuseScore does either, so some instruction on "adding another instrument" would be most welcome.
Don't ask me what key its in ( I select C ) - I avoid those notes that sound nasty.
And the Time-signature is a bit of a mystery as well.

Might I suggest a Forum section. for Learning Music? - maybe starting with simple Nursery Rhymes, which we all know rather well. ( maybe not outside Britain/America/Canada/Australia.)....then we could progress to... Fur Else...
. . . . . This would help getting round the Basics of the program as well . . . . .

Sorry, It's getting rather confusinig.
hh

*Evolution Audio - somewhat basic
*Samplitude - too much information!

Thanks guys for yr help, on reflection I need to learn Notation, which is sadly somewhat down on a v.long list. Before that I have a stringed Viola and Cello to make (but not as you'd recognise), for use in film-scores.

That Musescore doesn't accept full-MIDI is a big issue with my present ability, so I guess I have to look to Sequencer software - piano-roll being my most successful, but that only deals with one instrument at a time, so it's difficult to "play-along" to an existing track. Musescore introduces considerable latency in MIDI-mode (for me!) and lacks a "Test-tune" that might make changes easier.
+ If you intend to increase the scope of Musescore and MIDI, might I suggest you look at a Piano-roll* input which can be stacked (in different colours) so the cuurrent track is "on top" but you can see what's below. As a suggestion to remove latency issues:- IMHO a simple solution is to have two timelines....one in bold being the tune as heard (so you accompany this) and an earlier one which is the MIDI playback-point - if the User can change the distance between these (to suit their MIDI set-up) they "should" be able to listen to the music and "Play-along" aparently "in step". Thus you've solved the inherent delays MIDI creates. Store these "piano-roll" files for each instrument, then any latency errors could be "tweaked" later, before importing the parts into Musescore. ((There may be more than one MIDI instrument connected!))
As a bonus, it would be nice if Muscore warned users if these instrument starts are "out of sync", but I suspect real musicians would ignore any print-error and play only when the conductor jumped.

Once again, many thanks - and I wish you success in future.
HH

PS * Piano-roll (previous writen ..(. R.Edwards, (29 Jan 2012))
Not sure I understood, ...but it appears that your piano-roll idea was "nearly" OK, except time-errors between instrument parts perhaps?.
There are two issues here, both familiar to filmaking: 1), the overall duration (of each clip) and 2), the speed.
Normally changing one affects the other. . The Ans. is to have two fixes: 1) allows the video track to be stretched and 2), alows more space between events - this should be easy, since the piano-roll events have a start and finish. By adding tiny spaces the overall length can be changed without lengthening the notes.
((Chosing solution 1), or 2), depends on the "fix" needed.))
Ah but you say this would crash the computer.-
+The Video-answer to this is to "Render" the material. The computer looks at all the info, changes, timings, etc and creates a "Fair Copy" (leaving the original As-Is. ). This take some minutes to complete (have a cup of Tea).
Now, you'll have a piano-roll that is corrected and whilst you can change it, -only "brutal changes" apply: - Copy, Cut, Paste, Etc. If you need to adjust timing you'd go back to rebuild/Piano-Roll. It would be useful to allow Users to write Timing Notes (presetrs). so if a fix-works they can use the same settings when Rendering the next session.
- A further modification, might be to include a "velocity track" - this is a line, set at 100% so the computer Renders what it sees. However, you can al;ter each velocity track (throughout the tune) so instruments could move their timing - this is getting a bit advanced, but would create some interesting opportunities. In the past, with Paper Scores you'd have to write notes (eg "Cymbal a bit earlier, here").
By introducing the comcept of "Rendering" even a modest laptop PC can perform wonders - like 20x its power . . . . the downside being the Rendering Time . . . but for complicated software issues, there is no alternative.
- Sudenly makes possible amazing concepts like linking external "events" to the score, detonating fireworks where the detonation delays will vary (e.g a rockets need 2+ seconds before it can disply its contents) -and I suggest it's worth considering as a companion to Musescore . . . call it Midiscore, if that doesn't infringe copyright.
+++Whilst I'm on this, there is another feature that might appeal to musicians - a Key-track. This would normally be a long straight line representing the key, but by moving it up/down you could change the key of a section of the music (don't know if it might be "all-tracks") - thus musicians could change the key for one instrument, or shift the whole thing for effect, before returning to the original. I don't think this can be done any other way - Rendering is a very-powerful concept allowing the Computer has to work out each note and how it fits, etc.... whilst you have a few beers.
You've probably already though "let's have Volume tracks and Stereo-image" - so the strength and placement of instruments can be changed through the performance. For most sequencers, I've seen these settings are 1-time and can't change. By usinig the Velocity-track concept, - Now you can.
You read it here, first.