How can I get MuseScore to place a note on the beat that I want it on?

• Sep 3, 2014 - 23:51

Hello,
I'm relatively new to MuseScore, although I have completed at least one full score for guitar using MuseScore. Now, I'm trying to create a score with three voices, and when I try to put a bass line note in, the software won't let me put it on the beat that I want it on.

I'm not putting in more beats than the measure takes. It's 6/8 time, but after I enter notes for the first and second voice and try to enter a bass note on the first beat, it wants to put the note somewhere else.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Louis

Comments

• Sep 4, 2014 - 00:14

It always helps to post the score you are having problems with and a description of *exactly* what you are trying to do. But in general, notes are entered left to right, just as they are read. You don't play a note on beat three until you' e played what's on beats on two, so you don't *write* the note on three until writing the notes on one and two either.

If that doesn't answer your question, please post the score and a description of *exactly* what you are trying to do (eg, add a quarter note E on beat 3 of measure 17).

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• Sep 4, 2014 - 04:54

Generally, yes, you need to write left to right, but that's per voice and per staff. So if you have two voices on one staff and one voice on another, you write voice 1 of the top staff first - a whole measure perhaps - then go back to beginning of the measure and enter voice 2, then go back to the beginning of the measure on the next staff and enter that, etc. you can enter the voices and staves in any order actually, but to enter the notes for any given voice/staff, it's left to right.

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• Sep 4, 2014 - 14:48

Hi Louis, from what I can gather, you want to place a note on the 2nd beat. To do this you have to "fill" the first beat with something. If is it silence, you need to let the program know that. So, you place a (quarter) rest 1st. Then you will be able to place the note on the 2nd beat. If you don't want to see the rest, make it invisible.

If the note in in the same "voice" (read voices in the manual), don't change voices. In the smae voice as the first note add the 2nd note. In 1.3 that is done by shift/select while on the target note.

regards,

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• Sep 4, 2014 - 16:11

Thanks. No, I want to place a bass note for the third voice on the first beat. I've already entered (successfully) all of the notes for voice 1 and voice 2 (six beats each, it's 6/8 time). But then, when I try to enter the first bass note for voice 3, I want it on the first beat, and it won't let me put it there.
Louis

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• Sep 4, 2014 - 16:35

As we've said before,. you really need to post the score you are having problems with (see "File attachments" link right below where you type your post) and describe *exactly* what you are trying to do (like, I want to add an "E" on beat 1 in measure 7 in voice 3, so I click the first note of the measure while not in note entry mode, then I press N to enter note entry mode, press the "3" icon to change to voice 3, then I type "E" expecting it to place an E there, but instead what happens is ... ). It's difficult to give good advice otherwise.

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• Sep 4, 2014 - 17:53

Thanks again. I made a mistake and put the second A on the wrong beat, but your example is correct. But I don't understand what you mean by "double click on the note and left/right arrow. What will that do?
Louis

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• Sep 4, 2014 - 18:24

Sorry, I meant you need to post the *actual score*, not a picture of it. In a regular score, doing exactly what i described works. So if it doesn't work for you, either you are folloiwng the steps incorrectly, or there is a problem with your particular score. Either way, we need you to post your score and the steps you are following.

The double click and use arrows is to get the effect you see on beat "big 2" (eg, beat 4) where the "G" in the middle voice is offset to the right to avoid colliding with the note above it.

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