Free text / comment?
I have a score for a band (multiple instruments). On the first page I wish to add a note to the conductor. Is there any way to do this? I've tried the various options in "Create - Text" but whatever I create appears on the extracted parts (which I don't want).
While on the subject of text, there is something which has bugged me for a long time. When I create a multi-instrument score the font sizes of the instrument names are never all the same. There is always one or two that are larger than the others. Is this a known bug? Is anything happening about it?
Alan
Comments
It's known bug and it's fixed for next version. #9995: Instrument name is not space dependent
You can work around it in MuseScore 1.2 by using a unicode font for your instrument name and replace the flat with this symbol ♭
For your text, you could add a vertical [frame]. But I think it will be exported to parts.
In reply to It's known bug and it's fixed by [DELETED] 5
I think for the text I'm simply going to have to add it after extracting the parts, which is not ideal.
I'm using Musescore 1.2. Not sure what you mean by a "unicode font". But just as an experiment I tried changing the font for instrument names to Courier, and clicked "apply", but nothing happened! Is this also a known bug?
In reply to I think for the text I'm by awillkey
Font style changes affect only elements not yet created. Not just instrument names, but (almost) all text element types. You'd have had to do that before adding instruments to your score. You can delete the instruments names one by one and retype them; that will get them to pick up the new font.
A unicode font is one that supports the full set of Unicode characters as opposed to just the few dozen characters in English. If you paste the flat sign above into text and see a flat sign, it's Unicode. If you don't, it isn't. You can use Wordpad (WIndows; presumably similar alternatives on other systems) to test different fonts.
In reply to Font style changes affect by Marc Sabatella
I had pretty much concluded that changing text style doesn't change the text style of the score (only of elements not yet created). I suppose my question is, is that the way it is supposed to be? If it is, that's pretty much a unique/arrogant design stance by the writers of this product. (If you change the font for a paragraph style in a word processor, for example, you'd expect all existing paragraphs using that style to change, not just those created after the style change.) If it's not how it's supposed to be, then this is a bug report.
Let's be clear, the product is a pain in the ass to use as it is. I need to re-create all my instruments, copy the notes, then delete the old instruments just to effect a font change in the instrument names? Not only is that unreasonably time consuming but loads of elements (eg, system text, first time/second time bar lines) get lost when you delete the instrument on whose stave those elements were anchored. I know, it's happened to me when I did just that. It can't be rocket science to change the style for elements already created.
In reply to I had pretty much concluded by awillkey
Don't worry, it's just a limitation of 1.X, already addressed for the upcoming 2.0 release.
I also think you misunderstood the workaround I suggested. You don't have to delete and re-create the *instruments* - just the *names* of the instruments. That is, right click each instrument name one by one, staff properties, delete the old text, type new text. Yes, that's still less than ideal, but nowhere near as bad as what you were thinking, and again, it's already fixed.
As for the produce being a pain to use because of this, that need not be so. If you are unhappy with the font used by default, create your own template or style file with the font set the way you like, and then create your scores from that. Changing fonts of instrument names is not something you should need to do more than once, ever. Or at least, once per different type pf font. Certainly not something you normally need to do for every score. It's most this first one created before you knew how things worked that is requirijpng the workaround - which, as already noted, is nowhere as complicated as you were believing.
In reply to Don't worry, it's just a by Marc Sabatella
You wrote "You don't have to delete and re-create the *instruments* - just the *names* of the instruments. That is, right click each instrument name one by one, staff properties, delete the old text, type new text." However, that doesn't work. The same font is used for the new name (in version 1.2 anyway).
In reply to You wrote "You don't have to by awillkey
It does work, but it's pretty finicky. First you have do things in the order I said. That is, you have to first fully delete the old instrument name. It isn't enough to simply select it then start typing. Select the old name, then hit Delete, *then* start typing. If there is a size change in the fonts, you'll see it the moment you hit Delete. Usually. Sometimes you don't see it unless you close the dialog then re-open it. Sometimes you don't see it unless you close the score and re-open it. It's buggy to be sure. But again, the good news is, it is already fixed for 2.0 - a true "Style" facility was implemented, just like you might expect from a word processor. BTW, I'd note that Microsoft Word 1.0 didn't have styles that worked this well either, nor did Google Docs 1.0, etc - it's important to keep the development of MuseScore in perspective.
Anyhow, once you get this score fixed, it won't be an issue for future scores if you create them from a template of your choosing, which I definitely recommend.
Another workaround for fixing existing scores if the delete / re-type trick isn't working: try the Change Instrument button.
In reply to It does work, but it's pretty by Marc Sabatella
Yes, thanks it worked. I deleted the old text and clicked "apply" before typing the new text. The new text then appeared in the new font.
Looking forward to V2.
Create you score without any note to the conductor.
Create your individual parts.
Finally, create a new part and add ALL the instruments to it. And then add your conductor note to this part only.
There are other ways (including creating an empty top stave, adding a note in the form of Stave Text ([Ctrl]-t) and only putting one invisible note into the first bar and then hiding the stave on all the other pages) but they are all pretty laborious and I agree that it would be nice to be able to enter notes, images etc. to just the main score and save everything as one file.