MuseScore
Contents
MuseScore is a free open-source graphical music-notation editor that is available for all three major operating systems: linux, Apple MacOS, and Microsoft Windows. This is possible due to the use of the cross-platform graphical window interface called Qt.
MuseScore' user interface is an intersection of those found in Sibelius and Finale. All three notation programs have significant overlap in their user interface conceptualization and organization. But there are differences in how each of these programs behave, which hinders users' facility in more than one of these programs at a time.
Finale has been around the longest of the three notation editors, and has been dominant in the U.S. where it was originally developed. Sibelius was originally created for the Acorn computer in the U.K. MuseScore development started around 2002.
Exercises
Notes and Lyrics
This exercise introduces note entry (PDF file).
Octaves, Slurs, Fingerings and Text
- A demonstration of how to add fingerings, slurs as well as dealing more with octave transposition during data entry on the computer keyboard.
Chords
- A demonstration of how to enter chords. Chords can also be entered by interval: Shft plus a number will add a diatonic interval below the current note in a chord. Alt plus a number will add a diatonic interval above the current note in a chord.
Voices/Layers
- A demonstration of how to place multiple voices onto a single staff.
Links
- http://www.musescore.org MuseScore program website.
- http://musescore.org/en/download MuseScore download page.
- https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore MuseScore source code.
- http://www.musescore.com Score sharing site for MuseScore files.
- http://www.musescore.org/en/handbook MuseScore online documentation:
- Note entry
- Palette
- Accidental
- Arpeggio
- Barline
- Beam
- Bracket
- Breath & pause
- Clef
- Cross-staff beaming
- Drum notation
- Endings
- Grace note
- Hairpin
- Key signature
- Line
- Measure rests
- Repeat
- Slur
- Tie
- Time sig.
- Tremolo
- Tuplet
- Voices
Getting started
Basics
Notation
Sound and playback
Text
Formatting
Support
Appendix