musescore / musescore/MuseScore

Speech does not indicate Pedal Change position Correctly or type of pedal shape with screen reader

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Since May 20, 2025.

accessibility needs review
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Description

Issue type

Accessibility issue (e.g. for keyboard-only or screen reader users)

Description with steps to reproduce

As it is now correct to add pedal marks where there will be a change of pedal (inverted V) by selecting the note range, but not including the final note that the pedal mark is actually under, the speech is misreading these.

STEP:

  1. Assume you are duplicating a piece of music that has 2 bars each with 4 crotchets and the pedal is to go down on beat 1, change under beat 1 of bar 2 and finish on beat 4 of bar 2.
  2. Add the 8 notes to a score of 4/4.
  3. Select the first four notes (all of bar 1) and choose the angled end pedal mark from the palette.
  4. Select all the notes in bar 2 and select the angle start pedal mark from the palette.
  5. MuseScore will nicely align these two angles to create the inverted V.
  6. Now arrow over them with NVDA so you can hear what it says. you will hear start of pedal on the first beat of bar 1, end of pedal on the 4th beat and start of pedal again on beat 1 of bar 2.
    This is in fact exactly what you have entered. But is confusing because there is no way to know that this is actually a pedal change under beat 1 of bar 2 rather than a lift on beat 4 of bar 2 and back down at the beginning of bar 2.

It gets even more confusing if there are strings of these on single notes.
STEPS:

  1. Create 4 bars each with a semibreve.
  2. Select the first one and add an angled end pedal mark.
  3. Select the 2nd semibreve and select the pedal mark with both ends angled.
  4. Do the same for the 3rd semibreve.
  5. Select the 4th semibreve and select the angled start pedal mark.
  6. Move across these with arrow keys to hear the speech output.
    You will now hear start of pedal end of pedal on each one, so even though the pedal changes are lined up nicely under each note it sounds like the pedal is starting and stopping on the same note.

It is almost impossible for a blind user to work out strings of pedal marks when they vary trying to always imagine them changing 1 note after they say end and still not being sure if it is a change or an end on the note before.

Supporting files, videos and screenshots

N/A

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

4.5.2

Regression

I was unable to check

Operating system

Windows 11

Additional context

No response

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

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Assessment

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