[Menvi-discuss] MuseScore Tips

[Jeanie Willis]

Hi All,  Apologies for cross posting, I know a number of people on these
lists who might find this info useful that aren't on all the lists, but I
know a few of you will also be getting it multiple times.

 

I wanted to share a couple of tips for optimising for Braille export and for
screen readers using MuseScore that I've discovered over the last few weeks.

 

These first two have accessibility bugs currently which MuseScore developers
are working on, but as there are a number of sighted transcribers and
educators here as well as those of us using other sighted musicians to tidy
up scores I thought they were worth mentioning even if a blind user can't
currently do them.

 

Project Properties:  This dialogue box of score info found in the File menu
is where Sao Mai is picking up title, composer and other info from, and I'm
guessing also will affect tagging of scores uploaded to Musescore.com.  So,
if you have been importing xml scores into Sao Mai and wondering why even
though you have entered title, composer, lyricist etc it isn't coming
through automatically without entering it into the score dialogue there then
just make sure you have filled in the project properties for each new score.
Currently a blind user can read the info but not edit.

 

Bar Numbering:  Sao Mai does a perfect job of picking up the print bar
numbering in an xml and using it for Braille repeats, etc.  However,
Musescore does not automatically adjust the print bar numbering for
anacrusis, bars split for repeats and in cases where the print uses the same
bar numbers for first and second endings.  MuseScore by design uses bar
numbers consecutively from 1 to end (no 0 for anacrusis) and these are the
bar numbers we hear from the status.  A request has been made as to how we
could hear the print bar numbering and also have access to the editing of
these via the measure properties which currently requires a right click on
an empty space in the bar and no way to perform it without mouse.  But for
those who can do this all you need to do is right click on an empty space of
the anacrusis bar or other bar that should not have a new number, go to
measure properties and tick the check box for exclude from count.  This will
ensure that Braille scores come through with all the correct bar numbering
matching the print.  So a really important little trick if someone is
editing a score for you to make sure they know how to do.

 

Coda, DC, DS & other Jumps:  I couldn't work out how to insert these this
week.  Turns out you need to select the whole bar not just the note.  You
can use Ctrl + Shift and arrow keys to do this then it will insert from the
palette.  I'm going to request a shortcut key for select bar to make this
easier.

 

Selecting Similar:  Another wonderful time saver is to right click on a note
and go to select similar.  This will select all of whatever that item is,
e.g. all rests, all of a particular pitch, all stave text and if you want to
be more specific use the more button at the bottom of the list to open a
dialogue where you can customise exactly what you want to select more of,
from what staves and what action to perform.  So, I used this this week to
select all the rests on a particular staff and delete them as it was an
empty part I wanted to get rid of.  I also used it when lyrics had come
through jumbled and as staff text to remove all the stave text from that
staff, taking note first of the few items I would need to put back like
tempo that would also disappear with this.

 

I'm keen to hear other peoples tips for any shortcuts, work arounds or
optimisations for Braille export.

 

Jeanie  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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