Chord symbols playback

• Sep 17, 2020 - 02:59

Do I understand correctly that MuseScore can playback chord symbols in a lead sheet? If so, I followed the MuseScore instructions copied on the attached PDF but do not see the playback option after I select a chord symbol (in this case, C), and then open the inspector. And, also, once I can see that option, I do not understand what the third instruction is or does. Can you help?

Thank you.

Attachment Size
Chord playback.pdf 250.86 KB

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 15:59

Thank you, Mike. Attached is the sample.

I used the command control K to insert the chords, thinking that was not a text command.

In MuseScore 3 and 3.5, can we no longer frame chord symbols, e.g., framing them with a box or circle, not finding the instructions in the handbook nor within the format, styles, chord symbols options.

I do not know what version of MS 3 I am in.

Thank you.

Attachment Size
Having_chords_play_back.mscz 4.14 KB

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 16:41

You are using version 3.4.2. If you want chord playback you need to upgrade to 3.5 at https://musescore.org/en/download. There are problems with chord playback so you'll want to read https://musescore.org/en/faq#faq-308797 to understand how it works until it is improved in 3.5.1.

For framing any text, including chord symbols, click the text and open the inspector and use the setting in there. If you want all chord symbols to have the same frame or size or any other setting. Change it once in the inspector then click the S button to the right of the option and it will be set for the entire score - both current and future items.

And yes, ctrl+K enters chord symbols.

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 18:38

Thank you. Mike, for your reply and confirming I correctly entered the chord symbols (but without being able to frame them)

I just tried to install 3.5 and it crashed, as well as deleting my 3.4.2 version. Please, please tell me how to reinstall the 3.4.2 version as I have scores written in it.

Also, unless the 3.5 version was necessary for framing chord symbols, I do not see any frame option in the inspector as shown in my previous screen shots. If I can get my 3.4.2 version back, should I be able to see the framing option because as of the update crash, it was not an option in the inspector.

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 18:52

Chord frame.PNG

In this picture I have isolate your C chord and the part of the inspector where it says "Frame" currently it is set to none rather than rectangle or circle. I didn't show the "S" to the right though. This is in every version 3. For chord playback version 3.5 is required. There is nothing you wrote in version 3.4.2 that will not work in version 3.5. I can never remember where to find the link to 3.4.2. If you insist on downgrading, maybe someone like Jojo will post it for you.

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 19:00

Thank you, MIke.

I tried installing 3.5 again and it appears to have installed correctly.

Attached is a screen shot following your instructions on how to frame chords. However, the only S button is under text and is not highlighted for me to click on. As you can see from the sample score, it only framed one chord. In all future scores, I would like the rectangle frame to be the default but do not know how to make that so.

Can I also set the grand staff for piano as the default for any new scores I wish to create? Right now new scores open with just the treble clef.

And, can I still reinstall the 3.4.2 MS version in case the 3.5 version does not accurately open the scores I previously wrote in 3.4.2?

Attachment Size
Framing chords in 3.5.pdf 231.3 KB

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 19:20

I can now see the S that framed all the chord symbols, at least for this sample score. I then opened a new score but the frame setting did not carry over to a new score as the default. Is that what the S is supposed to do, save that setting for all future new scores?

Can I also set the grand staff for piano as the default for any new scores I wish to create? Right now new scores open with just the treble clef.

Thanks again.

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• Sep 17, 2020 - 23:28

New scores open however you ask them to when you go to File / New. If you chose Treble Clef, you get that. If you choose Grand Staff, you get that. If you choose String Quartet, you get that, etc. if you don't actually create a new score, you're stuck with the default empty score that is provided to give you something to play around with, but when creating new scores "for real", you should actually use File / New.

Probably though you want a custom template - one with a grand staff but also set to put frames around chord symbols. So, create a new score with the Grand Staff template, make the style change you've already seen, then save that score to your Templates folder. Then it will be available to you next time you go File / New.

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• Sep 18, 2020 - 03:24

Thank you very much, Marc, and hope you are willing to assist me a bit further.

I opened a new score using the File/New option and selected piano/grand staff intending to create a custom template. I wrote in some chord names, used the inspector to frame them, but could not find (searching the handbook) how and where to save the template and how to access it in the future.

I did not understand you statement "make the style change you've already seen"..........

I opened the handbook video looking for the answers but it was written for MS 2.0.

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• Sep 18, 2020 - 04:02

First, when I saif "make the style change", I mean, do exactly what you just described: change one chord, then hit the "Set as style" (well you didn't say that this time, but that's part of the process that was described earlier.

Once you have that score looking the way you want, simply save it to your Templates folder, then it's a template. That is, by default when you save, you'll see it goes to your Scores folder. So, go up one level, then you'll see a list of folders, one of which is Templates. Save it there.

Now the next time you go to File / New, you'll see your template listed there along with Grand Staff and all the others.

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• Sep 18, 2020 - 05:08

I am sorry, Marc, but I still do not understand. Do I "set as style" when I hit the S button to the right of the chord symbol frames button within the inspector?

All my scores are on thumb drives so I still do not know where this Template or other folders are located that you kindly mentioned.

And, am I to understand that to create a template I should open a real score I have already created which contains my piano grand staff, chords frame, and font preferences, and then save it to wherever I eventually learn where this template folder is? And then, for future new scores I wish to create, I am to open this previously saved score stored in the template folder (or thumb drive should that be an equivalent option) , delete all the notes and chords so as to have a blank score, create my new score and then save this new score someplace else so as not to overwrite the original score I used for the purpose of creating a template?

I am trying hard to understand; thank you for your patience.

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• Sep 18, 2020 - 05:29

The “S” button is the “set as style” - that’s what the “S” stands for.

If you are not sure where your Templates folder is, try going to your main Documents folder, then MuseScore3 - your should see Templates under there.

You can use an existing score as a template or create a new one, doesn’t matter. When you select it in the File / New wizard, you will get a new empty score based on that - you don’t have to remove things manually.

See the Handbook for more info on Templates - see the section “Create new score”.

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• Sep 18, 2020 - 17:01

Thank you, Marc, for this additional info.

I looked in my desktop documents folder and there was indeed an Templates folder.

The reason why I mentioned using a real or fake score is because MuseScore would not let me save any preferences/settings using the inspector unless notes and chords were first inputted, thus my question about inserting notes and chords, "setting them as style," and then deleting these inserted notes and chords so that in the future the template is empty when I opened it for creating new scores.

Before posting these posts, I did read "create a new score" page but I could not find info as to where the template folders were stored or how to create one. I will experiment with creating a template to see if I can do so correctly. Thanks again.

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• Sep 18, 2020 - 17:40

Right, so go ahead and enter some notes and chords, set up all style settings the way you want, and save. Or use an existing score. Doesn't matter, same result will happen either way: when you use the template, you'll get a fresh new blank score that inherits the staff and style settings of the template.

The info on template is the in the Handbook section I mentioned, towards the bottom. See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/create-new-score#templates. It's a bit terse, but it has the info.

If you're looking for more detailed explanations, I can recommend my online course at https://school.masteringmsuescore.com/p/complete, which has over a hundred individual video lessons on pretty much every topic relating to MuseScore there is. There is one whole lesson devoted to template and style customizations. I've gone and made that one a free preview: https://school.masteringmusescore.com/courses/366102/lectures/6236632

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