Custom key / time signatures
Hi, great work on MuseScore! I've downloaded both versions 1.3 and 2.0beta2, and I'm really impressed so far.
I haven't found a way to create custom/complex key & time signatures, such as those common in Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and Balkan music. This keeps MuseScore from being useful to the classical and traditional musicians of these areas.
Examples of what I'm hoping for (I've attached some pictures as well):
* key signature of only B-flat and C-sharp (key of A hijaz, Arabic/Greek/Balkan style)
* key signature of B-single-crossed-flat and C-sharp (Turkish A hicaz)
* key signature of f, c, a, e sharp plus b backwards flat (Turkish f# evcara)
* key signature of e-koron and b-flat (Iranian shur)
* time signature of 3+4/8 (with beaming in groups of 3+2+2, or 3+4)
* time signature of 9/8, beamed 2+2+2+3
etc etc
Ideally, I could just drag accidentals (including "extended" accidentals) onto a new staff in the "key signatures" palette, and drag that onto my score. Then the notes I input would default to those accidentals (and require naturals to cancel them), just like a standard key signature.
For time signatures, I just want to be able to input arbitrary numerators (perhaps with addition), and set the beaming.
BONUS POINTS would be if notes with non-western accidentals played back at more or less the correct pitch (e.g. backwards flat is ~14cents below natural, etc). I'd be delighted to help with any of the details of how the notes should sound, if you like.
thanks for a really impressive program!
~peter in istanbul
ps — I plan to contribute to the translation effort for Greek and Spanish, as needed. Wish I had other skills to offer!
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Comments
Custom time and key sigfnatures can both be created, both 1.3 and 2.0. Press "K" (1.3) or "Shift+K" (2.0) to bring up the master key signature palette; T / Shift+T to do the same for time signatures. Works about as easily as you described. 2.0 is rather more full-featured in this area, but both have the capability. 2.0 Beta 2 is a couple of months od now and might have some bugs that have been fixed since, so you'd best off trying a nightly build for further experimentation.
Playback, however, is not really support for custom key signatures.
I arrange traditional Jewish music a lot, which, though not microtonal, often uses non-standard modes (e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer#Melodic_modes). However, rather than creating a custom key signature with multiple flats and sharps, typically I just pick whichever standard key signature is closest and use accidentals.
Whether you prefer to do that or make a custom key signature, you can actually do the same even when you're dealing with half-flats and half-sharps. The difference is that, most unfortunately, MuseScore will not be able to play them back as such.
BTW, as Marc Sabatella said, there are significantly more stable pre-release versions of 2.0 than that beta from a couple months ago. The link is http://musescore.org/en/download#Nightly-versions.
Attached are a couple of screenshots of the Master Palette.