A Notation tunes to C Notation...

[Trapdoor2]

Ok, I'm working on some tunes from George C. Dobson's "The National Banjo Method" of 1886.

Tonight's tune is "Epsilon Quickstep" from the hand of Edward H. Hulse. Mr. Hulse was born in 1860 and spent most of his life in Buffalo, NY. Died in 1920, buried in Buffalo (Forest Lawn Cemetery). Off the top of my head, I believe Mr. Hulse was a well known minstrel player. Perhaps Joel has a photograph of him he can share.

I've transposed it to C notation (raised bass) and Tab. Neat tune with some interesting bits and some syncopation. As a "quickstep" it should move right along!

Enjoy!

[Trapdoor2]

Ok, back home. I replied via my phone...from the doc-in-the-box. I, um, weed-whacked my yard dressed only in my shorts and a t-shirt...and ran thru a patch of poison ivy. I itch like crazy...but got a shot, should be better soon.

I do notice that Ian has a player loaded to play files from the website...and it really makes the Musescore files sound wonderful, much better than the player I use with Windows. If I simply click on the files here on the site, they pop up full screen and sound great. If I download them to my desktop and use Windows to play them...back to being in the public toilet.

[Jody Stecher]

 Thanks. Curiouser and curiouser. I am using version 1.0 in which there is no export option. It offers "Save As" and from there one can select where it will be saved to and one can chose from a menu of 13 formats, some of which are sound file types, and some of which are score types. MP3 is not offered as an option. I have to move the file to my desktop and from there convert to mp3.

I did find a way to reduce the PT (public toilet) affect. From the Display menu on top I select Synthesizer. This opens a box in which I can affect the the sound wave in various ways. Once I move the file out of Musescore however, the best I get is BG (better garbage).

Trapdoor2 said:

I hate to tell you...but I hit "export", choose .mp3 as my filetype and click "save".
IOW, I don't do nuthin'.

[Trapdoor2]

Perhaps you should upgrade to the latest version, 2.2 is what I'm using. Still free!

Jody Stecher said:

 Thanks. Curiouser and curiouser. I am using version 1.0 in which there is no export option. It offers "Save As" and from there one can select where it will be saved to and one can chose from a menu of 13 formats, some of which are sound file types, and some of which are score types. MP3 is not offered as an option. I have to move the file to my desktop and from there convert to mp3.

I did find a way to reduce the PT (public toilet) affect. From the Display menu on top I select Synthesizer. This opens a box in which I can affect the the sound wave in various ways. Once I move the file out of Musescore however, the best I get is BG (better garbage).

Trapdoor2 said:

I hate to tell you...but I hit "export", choose .mp3 as my filetype and click "save".
IOW, I don't do nuthin'.

[Jody Stecher]

My cousin uses 2.2 and apparently the Play Panel function is rather limited compared to what version1 can do. I'm scared that if I download 2.2 my version 1 will automatically go in the trash and I won't be able to get it back should I find I prefer it to 2.2.  With this old version  I can play anything back in swing time or shuffle time as well as straight time. Can you do that with 2.2?

Trapdoor2 said:

Perhaps you should upgrade to the latest version, 2.2 is what I'm using. Still free!

Jody Stecher said:

 Thanks. Curiouser and curiouser. I am using version 1.0 in which there is no export option. It offers "Save As" and from there one can select where it will be saved to and one can chose from a menu of 13 formats, some of which are sound file types, and some of which are score types. MP3 is not offered as an option. I have to move the file to my desktop and from there convert to mp3.

I did find a way to reduce the PT (public toilet) affect. From the Display menu on top I select Synthesizer. This opens a box in which I can affect the the sound wave in various ways. Once I move the file out of Musescore however, the best I get is BG (better garbage).

Trapdoor2 said:

I hate to tell you...but I hit "export", choose .mp3 as my filetype and click "save".
IOW, I don't do nuthin'.

[Joel Hooks]

Here is an example of one of the few pieces that I have transposed to C using Musescore.  The only changes I made were to the positions.  I tend to mark the position based on where the first finger lands even if it is not used.

This is the orignial ...

And this my version...

You will notice that I try to make the page balance exactly like the SSS publication.  I flag all of the 5th string Gs.

I have been working on an arrangement of "Cloud Chief" this weekend using the Walter Jacobs publication as a base and putting in things I like from the Ossman recording (trying to find pieces from the decade of 1910 to 1920 for the next rally.  I am just about finished.  With all the editing options that Musescore offers I was able to balance the page with the same number of lines and measures per line as the Jacobs publication.  The repeat endings all balance at the end of the line and reading it is just as pleasant as the Jacobs published version.

I wish Musecore offered some different typefaces for the notes and I would try to match the typeface as close as I possible.

[Trapdoor2]

Well, usually things are 'improved' when they up the versions...it is probably simply different or more involved than it used to be.

I don't know anything about how swing was addressed previously. I never used it...and I don't remember if I first downloaded ver 1 or got in with ver 2, etc.

Looking at the latest handbook online https://musescore.org/en/handbook/swing: "swing" is available from the Text palette (usually for application to specific measures) or globally under the Style/General tab (not in the Play Panel). You have buttons for 1/8 or 1/16 swing and a percentage assignment (default 60%). Standard swing tempo markings (via triplets/tuplet text) isn't available but can be imported easily as an image...if just typing "swing" isn't enough.

I recently spent a good deal of time on the Musescore forums, asking questions, etc. They have been very friendly and patient with this old banjo player. They led me to features I didn't know existed and really helped me with a lot of input/output issues, dotted note entry especially.

Yah, the system has its own quirks and I've had to re-train or forget old TablEdit habits. Currently trying to figure out how to import my old TablEdit files so I can use them in Musescore.

Musescore has easier/faster data entry, better Tab generator (from notation) and I'm growing to like the look of its tablature. Also, it allows total control over stuff like position of any sort of markup (dots, beams, flags, slurs, text, you name it, etc.), much of which is simply designed for click/drag mouse work.

[Trapdoor2]

Joel,

Yes, I try to do the same thing with mine...try to get the pages to look the same as the original. Most of the time it works, sometimes it simply doesn't. I don't spend a lot of time with it as the Tab version is unlikely to come out the same. Also, sometimes the original has line breaks in really odd places. If possible, I like to have the parts change at a line break, same for key changes, etc. Any major change and I try to move it to a line break or page break.

Musescore has three available fonts for note heads: "Emmentaler" (default), "Bravura" and "Gonville". I was advised that "Bravura" matches the 5th-string flag symbol font (from the symbols panel) so if I'm using that symbol, I'll globally go with Bravura. I can't really tell the difference...but if you zoom in far enough, they're shaped slightly different. If you find a musicfont that you like, you might ask the software team to add it (or how to add it yourself). The software is open and the team is pretty open minded (although it would probably go in to the back of the queue). 

[Trapdoor2]

Here's another Ed Hulse tune, "Dale Polka", from the Dobson National. It doesn't have any instructions like D.C. al Fine, so I added them where I thought they ought to go. There's an odd sounding note (C#) in m21 and 29...it sounds better to my ears as a Cnatural...but I left it 'as is'.