Topic #26: Stems and beams in MuseScore
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In this MuseTube lesson, we’ll take a deep dive into two essential aspects of musical notation in MuseScore: stems and beam grouping. We’ll explore how they work, how to edit them manually, and how to adapt the grouping of notes like eighths, sixteenths, or thirty-seconds for clearer and more accurate notation.
📏 Stem direction and style
By default, MuseScore automatically manages stem direction based on pitch and voice. However, you can manually invert the direction using the “Flip direction” button or the shortcut X. From the Properties panel, you can also adjust stem length, thickness, offset, or even hide the stem entirely.
🎶 Grouping rhythmic figures
Starting from eighth notes and shorter, MuseScore groups notes based on time signature rules. You can customize this by right-clicking the time signature and opening “Time Signature Properties”, where you can define how to group eighths, sixteenths, etc., according to beats or subdivisions.
🧩 Manual beam editing
You can also manually adjust specific note groupings using the “Beam Properties” palette, which includes options to:
- Break beams
- Join with previous and/or next note
- Remove inner beams in shorter notes
- Apply feathered beams
These tools allow for precise control over note grouping, essential in complex transcriptions or contemporary notation styles.
🪶 Feathered beams
Feathered beams are a visual tool used to indicate gradual acceleration or deceleration within a note group. MuseScore allows you to apply these from the palette or directly in the Properties panel. You can also adjust beam angle and height for a custom appearance.
🧠 Automatically regroup rhythms
From “Tools > Regroup Rhythms”, MuseScore can automatically rearrange note groupings to match natural subdivisions within the measure. This significantly improves readability, especially in syncopated or rhythmically complex passages.
This feature doesn’t directly modify stems or beams, but it complements them by producing clearer and more logical notation.
