Dynamic Dependent Scoreline for writing once for all transpositions

• Jan 15, 2018 - 17:59

Dear Musescore-Team,

first i want to thank you all for this absolute great program! I work with since a long time and it has developed great during the last years!

Here is my feature request, wich i need nearly every time:

Following scenario:

I write a little four-part score for young players. I have different instruments in different Keys which all should play for example the first part. So what i have to do to enable four different keys: I compose my song. Then copy the first line to 3 additional lines in the right key (also the hole partiture gets messed by this). Here comes the real trouble: If there is a mistake or change to do i have to do it in all 4 instrument parts.

So my proposal:

Enable depended scoreline. Which mean, they can be in different keys but relate back to the original part. If there are any changes in the original part they are automatically cloned to the dependent part. Also it would be clever to let the user decide if the part should be strongly dependent or weak. With weak I mean, that changes made in the dependent part aren't cloned back. So I could make specific adaptions but still have the forward coupling from the original to the dependent part.

I hope i could convince you of my idea. If there are any questions don't hesitate to ask me! I'd also like to help in the development process (like alpha/beta testing) if this is helpful.

Kind regards,
Johannes

Comments

• Jan 15, 2018 - 20:20

Do you mean you are literally writing polytonal music - where the actual sound of the different instruments is meant to be in different keys at once? Or do you simply mean, you are writing music for instruments that needs to be transposed (eg, for Bb clarinet or F horn)?

If the former, you can do this by holding the Ctrl key while adding a key signature.

if the latter, MuseScore does this automatically - just add the instruments and you'll see the key signatures are already different, and if you copy and paste from one part to another it will automatically transpose.

Either way, as you add notes to the score, the parts (generated by File / Parts) will automatically update.

If you have something else in mind, please attach the actual score you are having trouble with and describe in more detail what you are trying to do, and I'm sure we'll be able to help.

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• Jan 15, 2018 - 20:36

Thanks for your fast answer!

I mean the latter:
" just add the instruments and you'll see the key signatures are already different, and if you copy and paste from one part to another it will automatically transpose. "
This is the way i do it at the moment. Problem: Now i make a change to the main instrument, i have to delete the former additional instruments and add again and copy and paste again.

I'd like to be the additional instruments dependent on the "master" instrument and hand the changes down to the "slave" instruments. So in programmatic sense these instruments inherit their music notation from the master instrument.

I hope i could clarify it a bit.

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• Jan 15, 2018 - 20:40

Oh, I see - you mean, you are creating music that you want to be notated in unison for instruments with different transpositions, and you want this linked so that updates to one updates the others. This is basically the same issue jazz musicians face writing lead sheets for which they want concert treble, concert bass, Bb, and Eb versions of. So yeah, I do get the desire for a way to do this cleanly.

In theory this could be done by setting up linked staves with different transpositions, or at least having the parts have different transpositions from the score, but the reality is this doesn't work. Definitely soemthing to consider for a future release!

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