Repitch with midi input broken?
Hi. I've run into a peculiar problem, which I'm not sure is intended. "Repitch" mode doesn't seem to work with my midi keyboard. I can enter step-time just fine, and when there is no note entry cursor, my midi keyboard correctly plays whichever instrument was selected. But the moment I enter repitch mode, all midi play-through stops, no instruments are triggered, and the pitches are not updated.
To be more descriptive, when I'm in "Step Time (Default)" mode, any key that I push on my keyboard instantly updates my score and plays back. So far so good. From there, I push exit. There's no caret, but I can still hear any midi notes triggered if I play my keyboard. Great! Next, I press Ctrl+Shift+I to enter repitch mode. A caret appears over the current note or rest. I enter a note on my keybard, and nothing happens. No midi sounds, no score update, no change whatsoever.
Is this an intended feature of Musescore? If not, then what am I doing wrong? No one else seems to be having this problem, so it must be me hahaha.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Comments
Update: I think I figured it out. I was using rests as place-holders for the pitches that I wanted to play in (8 measures of sextuplets), but the repitch entry method doesn't allow you to repitch a rest. I bet this was intended. Makes sense.
You know what would REALLY be helpful? If the note value would stay consistent. My sextuplet rest idea was an attempt to get around the fact that it's impossible to enter a string of tuplets in step-time, because after each set of tuplets, the note value resets. Is this something that could be incorporated into an update? For example, when I hit [5, Ctrl+6], rather than inserting 6 sextuplet rests for me to fill in, it would make any note that press a sextuplet until I choose another note value. Pretty please?
In rhythm,
Aaron
In reply to Update: I think I figured it… by AaronGrooves
Tuplets are not possible using a real time midi input mode. I suspect it has to do with sextuplet 16 notes and normal 16th notes being so close in length MuseScore would have problems distinguishing them because us humans are too imprecise. I don't have anything to do with this part of the program so it's a guess based upon my knowledge.
What you can do in rhythm input mode or even step-time is to enter a tuplet with whatever notes you want. When you are ready to enter correct note, repitch will change all the notes as you tell it to. As you discovered, you cannot repitch a rest since it does not have a pitch.
As for auto filling tuplets with notes rather than rests, I think the expectation in rhythm input mode is realistic and reasonable. I think all 16th notes is the most common rhythm and all notes is the most common for all tuplets. It would be simple to arrow to the correct spot if you want a rest or a different duration.
Since a sextuplet of 16th notes can actually have as a rather extreme example a 16th, 8th, 16th rest, 32nd 32nd 16th notes, in step time mode, expecting the user to enter every note and rest is reasonable. This would logically be extended to all tuplets.
I think further comments on this opinion by you and others would be welcomed and a suggestion in the issue tracker after this discussion would then be appropriate.
In reply to Tuplets are not possible… by mike320
Thanks mike. After reading through other posts last night, I realize I haven't fully explored all of the input modes. I definitely will. I'm hoping it might help me to speed up that process of switching between tuplets and other values.
In reply to Thanks mike. After reading… by AaronGrooves
I for one blaze along back and forth between tuplets and non-tuplets continually using the computer keyboard. The only difference between 3 regular 8th notes and triplet 8th notes is that each 8th note triplet is entered 5 ctrl+3 note note note rather than 4 note note note, that's only one more key press. When you are familiar with the capabilities and are comfortable with it, the keyboard entry it works well. Comfort with keyboard entry did not happen overnight, but with practice I can't see any other way since I don't have a midi device. I mostly keep my left hand on the note names and right hand on my windows number pad while entering scores. Once notes, slurs, ties and most articulations are done, I go back and add things like dynamics, lines and other things that require either the mouse or right hand on the alphanumeric keyboard.
In reply to I for one blaze along back… by mike320
But what if you were entering 30 sets of tuplets? That's pressing 5 ctrl+3 an additional 30 times. That's 90 extra button presses!
On the other hand, entering 30 sets of 8th notes would require only one note-value selection. Just press 4. Then you're good to fly through your music. I advocate for a similar method for tuplets. Maybe a key to turn on "sticky" tuplets, like Caps Lock. I know this is kind of like Finale, but it's a good system. Probably the only thing I'd take from Finale lol!
Don't get me wrong. I am extremely grateful that we can do this at all! And I've also gotten used to that method. But eliminating those extra 90 keypresses would significantly speed things up. This desire was what led me down this rabbit hole last night. As a percussionist, I use tons of tuplets. And many many more to come.
Thanks again!
In reply to But what if you were… by AaronGrooves
If I were only entering triplets I would fill one measure, select the measure and press R to duplicate the selection. That's far fewer key strokes. It would interrupt the work flow, but would make up for it in with the speed of just entering notes and not worrying about durations later. You can also use a similar method and fill the a measure with 1/4 rests and duplicate it with R and then select all of the measures and press ctrl+3. All of the selected 1/4 rests would then turn into triplet rests. Actually I usually fill a measure with rests, then turn them into triplets then select the measure and press R 3 or 4 times, then select those measures and press R several times. There are a lot of tricks you can learn to make things easier.
Using the tools for tricks such as this are not explained anywhere because people have their own, but the tools are explained in the handbook. If you start a new thread when you run into a tedious task like this and ask how others would enter it, you will get answers from a variety of people. Some will be bad ideas and some will be good ideas.
In reply to If I were only entering… by mike320
What??? So I can -- for example -- create 8 measures of quarter notes, select them all, and press Ctrl+3 to change them all into triplets? My mind is blown. Trying this now...
It worked. Wow, very cool! Thanks so much!!
In reply to What??? So I can -- for… by AaronGrooves
:-)
In reply to Update: I think I figured it… by AaronGrooves
It's not inconceivable that we'd come up with a more direct way to enter a string of tuplets, but it's not that hard now - you just need to re-select the duration and press Ctrl+nuymber each set. Or you can prefill a series of rests, which I guess is what you are doing? Anyhow, no need for repitch mode once you've set up your rests this way - jiust enter the notes in regular steptime mode.
In reply to It's not inconceivable that… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc. I agree, it's not that hard; but it becomes time consuming when entering many tuplets for a piece. In Finale, I got used to having the note value always be the last value I chose, and even though I left Finale a few years ago (for a plethora of reasons), I still miss that particular entry feature.
Being able to set the note value to a tuplet then play all of my music for a phrase is drastically faster than prepping one set up tuplets, playing one beat of the phrase, then setting up the next set up tuplets, then playing the next beat...etc. Not only does it more than double the time when I have to go back to the keyboard to press another key combination for another set of tuplets, it also disrupts the musical flow when I have to constantly start and stop. Last night, for example, it took me over a minute to enter this phrase tuplet by tuplet. But once I figured out the repitch thing, I did it in less than 15 seconds:
![MuseScore Sextuplets Aaron Demo.PNG]( "MuseScore Sextuplets Aaron Demo.PNG")
One other observation. In step-time, if I set up rests of different values, then go back and enter notes, step-time doesn't respect the rest values. It forces all notes to the same value, so that also makes it difficult to quickly combine different values in step time. The best solution I found was to enter all of my rhythms on any random pitch, then go back and use repitch. Just for anyone else who happens to read this. I'm grateful for that feature, and it's my new best friend!
Thanks again for responding. Greatly appreciated!