(Limitation) MuseScore (MS) should allow the user to choose what staff-lines he wants to preserve when choosing a staff with less than 5 lines
Reported version
3.5
Type
Functional
Frequency
Once
Severity
S5 - Suggestion
Reproducibility
Always
Status
active
Regression
No
Workaround
Yes
Project
When choosing a staff with less than 5 lines, let’s say with 2 lines, MS preserves the D-line and F-line (named as in G-clef): this is however an arbitrary selection imposed by MS, because the user may want to preserve the E-line and G-line (named as in G-clef), which may be more useful for pedagogical purposes for example. MuseScore should be enough flexible to allow the user to choose what staff-lines he wants to preserve when choosing a staff with less than 5 lines (from Staff properties).
Comments
This is a good idea. Note there is already an offset that can be set while using a staff type change ("S" icon from text palette). This kind of does the same thing, but it seems to have an unexpected effect on the clef position (I expect a G clef to remain fixed to whatever line represents G), and ledger lines are calculated incorrectly. If these bugs were fixed, then it would probably be a simple matter to just expose this same property in Staff/Part Properties.
Another possibility, BTW, would be to implement this as clef properties. Internally, that's pretty much how it works anyhow, it's the clef that determines which lines corresponds to which pitch. Exposing this in the Inspector, for example, would probably solve it also. Although probably there should also be a way to set the default position of the clef itself.
I also find it confusing when making drumsets with less than five lines (examples), though it seems okay on the score itself in the end.
For drum staves, though, you have total control already. It's only pitched staves where you are more limited.
Finale's solution:
We might take inspiration from this for MuseScore.
Let's go for a friendlier and more generalized title 😉!
For drum staves...you have total control already
Almost. Yesterday someone on Telegram asked about making a drum staff with only the bottom and top two lines for Brazilian percussion music. We can't do that in MuseScore. I've never seen it before so we suggestion some workarounds.
Right, you cannot have irregular staff line spacing, that's true regardless of whether you are talking about a 3-line, 5-line, or 7-line staff. So, kind of unrelated to questions about numbers of staff lines and their pitches, but worth creating a separate feature request for, as well as the occasional request for different colors for different lines, etc.