musescore / musescore/MuseScore
add new instrument "Gaita navarra"
@shoogle is already working on this.
Since Sep 16, 2026.
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Description
Your idea
Add the Gaita Navarra (also called "gaita" in Navarre, not to be confused
with a bagpipe) to the Woodwind instrument list, alongside the existing
Castilian Dulzaina in F# added in 4.7.4.
Regional names: Nafar Gaita (Basque), Gaita Navarre (French). There is no
exact one-word English equivalent — like "Dulzaina" and "Dolçaina", "Gaita
Navarra" is best kept as the proper name in English text rather than
translated, since it refers to a specific regional instrument rather than a
generic category.
Problem to be solved
The Gaita Navarra is a traditional double-reed conical aerophone from
Navarre, the Basque Country (Euskadi), parts of Aragón, and La Rioja
in Spain and French Basque Country in the south of France, part of the
same shawm/dulzaina family as the already-supported Castilian Dulzaina. It
is actively taught in music schools in Navarre and used in traditional
ensembles across this territory, but currently has no dedicated entry in
MuseScore, forcing users to substitute Oboe or Alto Shawm.
Its widest visibility worldwide comes from the Sanfermines in
Pamplona, where gaita players (gaiteros) are a central and internationally
recognized part of the celebrations.
Hornbostel–Sachs classification: 422.112 (double-reeded aerophone with
conical bore) — same family as the Dulzaina and Shawm entries already in
instruments.xml.
Suggested specification
- Name: Gaita Navarra
- Short name: Gta.
- Family: Woodwind (same group as Dulzaina/Shawm)
- Clef: Treble (G)
- Playable range: F4–E6 (aPitchRange 65–88)
- Comfortable range: F4–E6 (pPitchRange 65–88)
- Sound: closest available — Oboe (GM program 68) until/unless a dedicated
Muse Sounds patch is modeled - musicXMLid: suggest a new id, e.g. wind.reed.gaita-navarra (or reuse
wind.reed.shawm if preferred by maintainers)
A draft XML entry is attached below, modeled on the existing Dulzaina/Shawm
entries in instruments.xml.
Prior art
- Castilian Dulzaina in F#, added in MuseScore 4.7.4 (same instrument
family, different regional variant) - Herrimusika / Soinuenea instrument encyclopedia (Basque Government
cultural heritage body), entry on Gaita Navarra: double-reed conical
aerophone, same mouthpiece/tube/finger-hole system as the dulzaina - Wikipedia "Dulzaina" article explicitly lists "gaita" as the name used in
parts of Navarre and Castile for this instrument family - Actively taught instrument in Navarre's music schools (per public
records from the Parliament of Navarre, 2025)
Additional context
I maintain custom music-notation tooling for a water-management
organization in Navarre and have been using a local custom instrument
definition (via the "Instruments and score orders" folder preference) as a
workaround.
I am a gaita navarra player myself, and can confirm the suggested range
(F4-E6) is achievable — I personally reach these notes, and I know other
players who do as well. Happy to provide further playing-range feedback if
useful for calibration.
### Checklist
- [x] This request follows the <a href="https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/wiki/Reporting-bugs-and-issues" target="_blank">guidelines</a> for reporting issues
- [x] I have verified that this feature request has not been logged before, by searching the <a href="https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues" target="_blank">issue tracker</a> for similar requests
<Instrument id="gaita-navarra">
<longName>Gaita Navarra</longName>
<shortName>Gta.</shortName>
<description>Traditional double-reed conical aerophone from Navarre, the Basque Country, Aragón, La Rioja (Spain), and the French Basque Country (same family as the Castilian Dulzaina)</description>
<musicXMLid>wind.reed.gaita-navarra</musicXMLid>
<clef>G</clef>
<barlineSpan>1</barlineSpan>
<aPitchRange>65-88</aPitchRange>
<pPitchRange>65-88</pPitchRange>
<Channel>
<program value="68"/> <!-- Oboe (closest GM approximation) -->
</Channel>
<genre>popular</genre>
<genre>world</genre>
</Instrument>
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Assessment
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