Pizzicato technique won't play after it's notated (Dorico 5, Noteperformer 4, importing MIDI)

Hi, I just recently ran into this problem. I’ve imported a midi file from musescore recently and planned on editing a part of the score in Dorico. I currently use Noteperformer playback template and expression map.
By default, the score is for string quartet (arco first). When I add the pizzicato technique, no problems occur. Even during playback if I play from the beginning or BEFORE the pizz marking it’ll play just fine. However, if I select a note that occurs AFTER the pizz marking and press play, then the playback will play arco as if the pizz marking didn’t exist at all.

I’ve reset the pizz marking already; did the Shift+Alt+arrow key to reset the ‘duration’ of the pizz, and even checked the midi to see that the technique still says Base and Active switch to Pizz. I’ve even reset the expression/playback template maps and Noteperformer twice. I’ve also tried copying the entire score in dorico to a new project where I’ve tested previously that there were no problems. I’m thinking its an issue with the Midi and noteperformer taking priority over nat/pizz? But that wouldn’t make sense since the pizz technique has no problem sounding if the playhead actually runs past it when playing. It’s only when I want to go into editor mode and play a section AFTER the pizz marking where it’ll sound like arco and won’t change back until a new pizz makring comes up.

Maybe it’s an issue with importing Midi? Either way, could someone help me with this? I’m going crazy troubleshooting and wondering if it’s a simple fix, or if I really can’t get around this issue and need to re write it from scratch to avoid importing MIDIs.

If you delete the pizz and then enter it again, making sure only a single note is selected as you do so, what happens?

In addition to what @fratveno suggests, in the Key Editor, if you select a note that shouldn’t be pizz and look at (hover your mouse over) the Playing Techniques lane, it will show you details of the active techniques. That should give you a clue as well.

Yes that’s what confuses me. In the key editor, it says Pizzicato as it should “Base: Pizzicato, Active: Pizzicato” and expression map aligns all well too. The only thing is if I start the playhead anywhere after the actual marking of pizz in the score (where it still should be pizz as indicated in the key editor) it comes out as arco when playedback. I’ve tried removing the pizz and entering it again in different spots too, and it’ll only work if the playhead passes through the marking. It makes editing a nightmare since starting the playhead in the middle of a passage will always come out as arco.

Check the expression map’s ‘Init’ entry and see if there is some kind of "“reset” in there.

I managed to recreate the problem. Didn’t find a solution, though, but it’s apparently something with the NotePerformer playback template, because the problem goes away when using e.g. the VSL supplied PTs…

Edit: A midi file from Finale did not upset NotePerformer, so there must be something in Muse that triggers this as well. (MS XML exports are fine.)

Hm… okay thank you for trying. I guess there’s no solution? It’s not really a massive problem since playback works OKAY, it’s just a nightmare to edit since you’ll need to go back to when the pizz is marked for it to actually play pizz. I’ll continue to see if there’s a work around but from what I’m seeing right now maybe it’s a problem with Noteperformer interpreting musecore’s midi. Thanks.

You can try this: Go to PLAY>Automation>Delete all automation… don’t know if this is the final word, but it worked on my test file…

Have you tried importing an xml rather than MIDI from MuseScore?

2 Likes