lead sheet vs full score
Lead sheet to full score
My pianist colleague tells me that he prefers to work from the lead sheet rather than the full score because the lead sheet leaves him more freedom to be creative. I prefer the lead sheet because it takes much less effort on my part;
However, it may happen that we want to start with the chords implied by the lead sheet and add to
them to produce some particular full score. Can Muse Score help here?
I have this notion that to handle the chord symbols properly, Muse Score must deal with the lead sheet in some way such as this. The user and Muse Score both see the lead sheet but Muse Score also has its own full score which it uses, for example, in playback mode. This full score is invisible to the user.
I suggest that when you have a lead sheet in front of you you can select an option called View Full Score. Now Muse Score replaces the lead sheet with a full score. You can then make some changes and save that full score. This has the advantage that you get a head start in devising the full score; no more laborious filling in chords using cut and paste, which is what I do at the moment.
Comments
"Tools > Realize Chord Symbols" will write them out as per the voicings of your choosing (see also https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/playback-chord-symbols-nashville-nu…)
In reply to "Tools > Realize Chord… by jeetee
Yes that gives me lots of good stuff but does it give me that full score that I am asking for?
In reply to Yes that gives me lots of… by Keith Paton
There is no magic formula to create a full score (whatever you might mean by that) from just a lead sheet. What it gives you is exactly what you asked for, the written out version of what MuseScore plays back when it interprets the chord symbols.
In reply to There is no magic formula to… by jeetee
I probably didn't state properly what I want. I created a score as lead sheet. Now I want the notes specified in lead sheet to be expressed in 3 staffs. As I do things now, I look at the chord symbols and cut and paste them in the double staff below the melody, that's a lot of work. You are telling me, are you not, that by using Muse Score properly I can read in a file in lead sheet notation and then save it in 3 staffs notation? If that is the case how do I do that?
In reply to I probably didn't state… by Keith Paton
I have taken your "lead sheet" attachment, and changed the Piano instrument to "Voice" to avoid confusion with what follows.
I added a single staff Piano and copied the "Voice" chord symbols into the Piano staff.
This is the result:
lead sheet A.mscz
Open the attachment, then...
Right click on a chord symbol in the piano staff -> Select -> All Similar Elements in Same Staff.
With all the (piano staff) chord symbols now highlighted, use menu item: Tools -> Realize Chord Symbols.
This is the result:
lead sheet B.mscz
Finally, from this score right click on an empty spot in the piano staff and click on "Split Staff" then "OK" to add a bass clef staff and a split point at middle C.
This is the final result (default voicing):
lead sheet C.mscz
To fit on a single page, adjust spacing as you did in your "3 staffs" attachment.
If desired, the chord voicings can be changed. See:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/playback-chord-symbols-nashville-nu…
Regards.
In reply to I have taken your "lead… by Jm6stringer
Many thank, this works for me
From lead sheet to written out chords
File Explorer
Navigate to file Lead sheet.mscz
double click file Lead sheet.mscz
Muse Score opens
edit/instrument
copy chord symbols to piano stave 1, i.e.
click first chord symbol
shift click last chord symbol
ctrl C to copy
click in first bar of piano stave 1
ctrl V to paste chord symbols
realize chord symbols
click first bar piano stave 1
shift click last bar piano stave 1
Tools/Realise chord symbols //chords are now written on piano stave 1
right click in empty measure in piano stave 1
split stave //chords are now written out on piano staves 1 and 2
// by default split is at c4
file/save as file WrittenOutChords.mscz