Add this Instrument XML to the next build (with UK BRASS added)

• Apr 4, 2009 - 20:18

Add this Instrument XML to the next build (with UK BRASS added) SEE attached file.

So I don't have to keep adding it myself....

Test it out... I think it works .... took me a while to do.

regards
John
Scotland

Attachment Size
instruments.xml 32.71 KB

Comments

If you save your custom instruments.xml under a different name or location and select to use it instead of the default then it won't get overwritten when you update museScore.

In reply to by [DELETED] 645566

Obviously everyone will have a specialty they write for.. I do UK brass.

The UK Brass Band set I added to instruments.xml saves me personally a LOT of time... I can with a lot of transposing and renaming of the current default set get to where I need to be however the brass band set is ideal.... and I would assume also ideal for anyone else writing for a UK style brass band.... which should be a lot of people out there.

Im no music guru though so I would hope someone could check the instruments/voices/pitch/transposition for accuracy before - if it were to be included.

In reply to by David Bolton

I am very aware that variety's of 'brass band' exist.

Such as Military and US Marching. Which would include wind and Sousaphone or horizontal (large) horns.

Possibly a 'Military Brass' set could cover everything else ? ...... I would not know how to set this up though.....

I don't know anything about woodwind at all.

Thanks
John

In reply to by Magnus Johansson

Magnus, I appreciate your efforts but I worry that the number of woodwinds added in the previous prerelease is excessive and makes it difficult to find a particular instrument on a normal basis. For example, is there really a need for sarusophones?

In reply to by David Bolton

For those who write music for them there is. For those who for example wondered what ranges they have, or for those who didn't even know these instruments exist, it can be informative and maybe starting a deeper interest in instrumentation. If MuseScore besides being a great engraving and composition tool also can, within that framework, fill an educational purpose, I think this would be something to value. The plan for the new instrumentation feature with the new instruments.xml includes categorising instruments into different groups like those found in the corresponding Sibelius feature, e.g. orchestral instruments, jazz instruments, Orff instruments, and so on, with the possibility to choose from them all by selecting the top category "All instruments".

Everyone is welcome with suggestions for the instrument database; for example Pierrot contributed with the galoubet which is now part of it. I wonder how many other score writers have a galoubet in their instrument database?

In reply to by Magnus Johansson

I think it is important to understand that there is a cost associated with these additions. Maybe we should do some user tests to better understand these costs. For example how much longer does it take for a user to navigate through a long list of instruments compared to a shorter list? Do they get confused or overwhelmed by a long list with instruments they do not recognize? How often do users write for a particular instrument such as sopranino saxophone?

In the past alexandre has expressed an interest in adding country-specific instruments to the Russian version of the instrument list. Perhaps folk instruments such galoubet are needed in the French-language instrument list, but are not needed in the English-language instrument.

Just some thoughts that come to mind.

In reply to by David Bolton

This cost, if it exists, is very small for the user, and I actually don't see why tests of the concept are called for since it has with good effect been used in Sibelius for some time now. We shall however ponder on and experiment with what categories would be relevant. Thus, the feature will have instrument categories, so if the user so chooses he will not have to navigate through long lists to pick his instruments.

Regarding your suggestion of language specific instruments I do find it rather odd, to put it mildly. Why shouldn't I -- using the Swedish version of MuseScore -- be able to start a piece writing for a galoubet? No, if Alexandre is still around, please suggest to him to get in touch; he is very welcome with his bag of Russian instruments.

John,

I made a template for brass band (see attached). Save this to the template folder and let me know how it works for you. I image it could be easier than having to add the instruments from scratch, adjust the size of the staves, add the brackets, and adjust the bar lines every time you create a new score.

I plan to add templates like these once MuseScore is ready to work with ensemble scores.

Attachment Size
Brass Band.mscz 2.72 KB

In reply to by David Bolton

Not tested it musically but first impressions are GOOD !
very useful....

It would also be very useful to have the set selectable from the instruments menu as well - as first suggested..... simply for ensemble scoring..... or in the event of up to 4 solo cornet parts. Very Common for Euphonium 1 and Euphonium 2 as well.

In reply to by its_jon

I added treble clef euphonium in r.1757 (see 19 April in ChangeLog ). Cornet is already available in brass section.

Below is an updated version of the brass band template because I forgot about the abbreviated instrument names in the previous version. Do you think it would be better to include two staves for solo cornet and euphonium in the template or leave it as is. Both Finale and Sibelius only have one staff by default.

Attachment Size
Brass Band.mscz 2.67 KB

In reply to by David Bolton

Hi David.....

I think your original template is fine..... as long as the user can add to it - additional euphonium, solo cornet and at times Bass parts are also required by a composer. So...... I suggest both your 'Brass Band template' and a 'UK BRASS instrument' sub category under Brass in the instruments list would be helpful. Or - if you like simply add the additional brass band instruments into the normal brass group.

To fortify the words of Magnus Johansson I also do not see why (in this case) more can not be better as long as the category's are initially well thought out.

Why not implement a simple database in this area ? ...... possibly search-able ?

1) Show full instrument tree
2) Have a button to filter instruments by country ? or possibly more workable - by continent. 7 continents would equate to a choice of one of 7 tags to assign to each instrument. It would be fun to have a click-able world map ;)
3) Filter by Genra..... Folk/Classical/Rock/Blues/Jazz/Bhangra/Dance etc etc as well

This way the more instruments you have the better and the more powerful and usable musescore becomes.

Its good to make musescore familiar to those coming from Sibelius etc however we also have the power to make it better in some area's simply by allowing a greater number of people from around the world to add these home touches... A more active database framework set up now will allow these people to submit local knowledge about instruments specific geographically and in genera into musescore which will add a lot of color to the project.

Also.... Wiki links on each instrument ;) so we can find out more about the instrument we are about to add.

I guess the real thinking part is deciding what categories would be relevant initially as pointed out by Magnus

Hi there
Being very new to Musescore how do i add the brass band instruments to the list in the program.I normally use sibelius but do not have it on my macbook.
The program looks very useful and all my stuff would be brass band in treble clef
Thanks for any help you can give me
Steve

In reply to by Steve Adams

Go to :-

Create/instruments

at the bottom of the default MuseScore instrument list you get the option to 'Load' and 'Save' instrument lists.

Use this to load the Brass Band adapted instruments.xml file from this discussion.

:)

simples.

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.