[musicxml] Finale import of ottava (and presumably related directions)

rpatters1 commented 1 week ago

Issue type

Import/export issue

Description with steps to reproduce

A Finale file that looks like this

exports the attached 8va.musicxml file (zipped for uploading).

The <octave-shift type="stop"> element appears before the final E, even though in Finale the E will be played back as ottava (and Finale's xml import includes the E in the ottava.)

The grace notes are not included in the ottava (a shortcoming of Finale). Thus the MuseScore import looks like this:

I can improve the import by hand-editing 8va.musicxml (see attachment) and get the following import into MuseScore:

The hand edits were:

Increase the octave number of each grace note by 1.
Move the <octave-shift type="down"> before the first grace note
Move the <octave-shift type="stop"> after the E.

The issue is, given the new placement of <octave-shift type="down">, should the 8va line not visually start at the 1st grace note?

Beyond this, is Finale's export doing it wrong? If so, can/should we compensate? I am considering writing a massager script for Finale xml files to fix some of the export issues. (The grace note issue would be one.) But I'd like to know of this group thinks it makes any sense for MuseScore's import to compensate for any of these issues.

FWIW: this issue is even worse if the 8va ends on the D. Then Finale's exported 8va contains no notes and MuseScore apparently ignores it.

Supporting files, videos and screenshots

8va.musicxml.zip 8va-edited.musicxml.zip

What is the latest version of MuseScore Studio where this issue is present?

4.4.2

Regression

I was unable to check

Operating system

macOS 12.7.6

Additional context

No response

Checklist

[X] This report follows the guidelines for reporting bugs and issues
[X] I have verified that this issue has not been logged before, by searching the issue tracker for similar issues
[X] I have attached all requested files and information to this report
[X] I have attempted to identify the root problem as concisely as possible, and have used minimal reproducible examples where possible

oktophonie commented 1 week ago

There is some work in progress re ottava import at https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/pull/24776. It may make sense to incorporate any changes we make regarding this issue there. @miiizen is bound to have thoughts.

Due to unfortunate design decisions long ago, MuseScore treats grace notes as attachments to 'real' notes, not as actual notes in themselves. This causes unending problems with layout and playback and until that is solved (https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/18484) I'm not sure it's worth tinkering around the issue. For now, it means you can't actually visually attach an 8va to a grace note in MuseScore (nor a clef, nor a dynamic, or lyric...)

rpatters1 commented 1 week ago

Lol, I guess MuseScore inherited Finale's bad design around grace notes.

musescore / MuseScore