musescore / musescore/MuseScore

MusicXML exports chord symbols on grand staves incorrectly, moving them to the top staff

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MusicXML P3
Dominant language
C++
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Description

Issue type

Import/export issue

Bug description

Chord symbols on grand staves are not correctly exported to MusicXML.

  1. Start new score with a grand staff instrument.
  2. Enter multiple chord symbols, some on the upper staff, some on the lower staff.
  3. Export the file to MusicXML.

On importing the file back into MuseScore, all chord symbols have moved to the upper staff.
It has been confirmed that this is an export problem rather than an import problem.

MuseScore Version

checked in 4.4.1, but also occurs in 4.3.2; earlier versions have not been checked

Additional context

This issue has been significantly edited by @cbjeukendrup, because previously it discussed not only this MusicXML export problem but also a MIDI export problem that turned out to be unrelated.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the grand-staff case in MuseScore 4.4.1 by placing chord symbols on both staves and exporting and reimporting MusicXML. Trace the MusicXML export path and compare the staff assignment of exported chord symbols; done means symbols remain on their original upper or lower staff after round-tripping.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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