Choice of instruments
I work mostly in the pop/jazz/tinpanalley area of music, and it often occurs that a part can be optional for whatever instrument is available at the time. Consequently it would be really good to be able to write a part for a non-specified instrument, just stating the range of the instrument, it's general characteristics (ie 'melody instrument in range ....', or 'plucked strings of some sort') and the clef.
This would be hugely useful for my present project, and because of the limitations of some conductors and musical directors a great aid to getting the job done.
Yours
Poff
Comments
You can choose whatever instrument you want from the New Score wizard and then change the range by right clicking the staff -> Staff properties, change the clef by drag and dropping one from the palette and change the sound via Display->Mixer
I'm afraid that's not the point. If you present a conductor with a score that says trumpet and suggest they use whatever instrument is available to play it (if you get the chance to speak to them at all) they are unlikely to be able to decide which instrument they think is nearest to trumpet and will quite possibly get in a state about it., whereas if you say 'play this with any instrument that fits the range' they will not feel so inhibited about choice and go for whatever they think might suit. In old-fashioned jazz (played 'by ear') this is commonly done, the only difference being that people play from a skeleton of chord names instead of reading a part.
I'm sorry. I miss the point. You can change the instrument name that appears at the beginning of the staff by right clicking the staff -> Staff properties if needed.
How such a part would look like ?
The problem is that one does not necessarily know who is going to assemble the music. Some people are brighter than others, and some people are more flexible than others. I actually want to make it as easy as possible for people to organise a performance from the score with whatever instruments are available to them and with minimum inhibition - even if only a mouthorgan, swannee whistle, petrol can and a kazoo (or whatever). Tell them it needs a flute (say) and there is a danger they walk out if they haven't got one.
As stated in comment #3 above, MuseScore already allows to change the score that you present to a conductor so that it says, 'plucked strings of some sort' at the beginning.
Sorry to raise this issue again - especially as it seems to be irritating people - but I have attached a score intended for music teachers with an unknown number of unknown instruments which, transposing instruments aside, would ideally have no instrument names. It also raised for me the problem of finding a way to write instructions for players.
I have chosen alto voice, but no instrument name would have been better.
Yours
Poff
No irritation here ;)
Can you explain the problem again? I open your score and can't understand which feature is missing. If you are talking about the Alto and Al.. As explained in #3, they are configurable. Find a modified version attached.
What am I missing?
Yes indeed. That is exactly what I want to do. How did you do it? I tried all sorts of things.
Poff
Right click on a measure -> Staff properties -> Long name and shortname. Just erase both names to have nothing in front of the staves.
Can we close this "bug report" ?
Thanks for that. It was even easier than your idea. I highlit the instrument and then hit delete and it was gone! I have not tried printing it out yet.
Yes, we can close it.
Poff