Simple way to add an additional octave in Musescore?

Question

I wrote an arrangement in Musescore, and I got complaints that some (most) notes on a particular instrument were too high for a beginner. So now I want to add an additional lower octave for each note. I can do this manually, but that's very tedious. Is there an easy way to do this?

I know about those 8va-lines that changes the octave, but that's not an option.

Answer 1

There is, thankfully! This answer assumes MuseScore 2 or higher. (It may also work on MuseScore 1, but I can't verify that.)

1. Find the group of pitches where you want to add the optional lower octave.
2. Select the entire group of pitches by clicking on the first pitch and Shift+Click-ing on the final pitch; the group of pitches should now be boxed in blue.
3. From the menu, select Notes, then Add Interval, then Octave Below.

Answer 2

I agree with Richard's way, but there is another way. I myself very often do this, be it for orchestration or to add an octave variation to a theme. Here is what I do to add an octave below an existing melody or bass line:

1. Click first note and Shift + Click last note of desired selection, rests at the end of the selection don't need to be in there because they won't be affected by the octave change
2. Ctrl + Down arrow, This lowers the existing music by an octave, so you get your lower octave for free. But now you need back the upper octave
3. Alt + 8, This adds an octave interval above the notes in the selection, giving you back your upper octave

And there you have it, an upper and lower octave in 3 steps with minimal clicking.