MuseScore
Contents
MuseScore is a free open-source graphical music-notation editor which is available for all three major operating systems: linux, Apple OS X, 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. See the editor war between vi (a superior text editor) and Emacs (an inferior text editor). Notation editors are much more complex than text editors, so their wars tend to go nuclear, particularly since some of them are commercial.
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., and is now owned by Avid who incorporates it into their audio workstations. MuseScore is the new kid on the block, with development starting around 2002. Being the youngest commercial-grade general-purpose notation editor, it has fewer features and some rough edges; this is also caused by being free software. However, it poses stiff competition to the main commercial programs at the lower end of the market.
>== Exercises ==
- <b>Exercise 1: Note Entry and Lyrics</b>
- Basic note and lyric entry. You may need to use Ctrl+↑/↓ to transpose the notes by an octave at the start of the note entry.
- <b>Exercise 2: Octaves, Slurs, Fingerings and Text</b>
- A demonstration of how to add fingerings, slurs as well as dealing more with octave transposition during data entry on the computer keyboard.
- <b>Exercise 3: Chords</b>
- 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.
- <b>Exercise 4: Upper and Lower Voices</b>
- A demonstration of how to place multiple voices onto a single staff.
<center>
| Description | Exercise 1 | Exercise 2 | Exercise 3 | Exercise 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instructions: | musescore1.pdf | musescore2.pdf | musescore3.pdf | musescore4.pdf |
| PDF file export: | ex1.pdf | ex2.pdf | ex3.pdf | ex4.pdf |
| Native MuseScore data file,<br> uncompressed: | ex1.mscx | ex2.mscx | ex3.mscx | ex4.mscx |
| Native MuseScore data file,<br> compressed: | ex1.mscz | ex2.mscz | ex3.mscz | ex4.mscz |
| MusicXML file export,<br> uncompressed: | ex1.xml | ex2.xml | ex3.xml | ex4.xml |
| MusicXML file export,<br> compressed: | ex1.mxl | ex2.mxl | ex3.mxl | ex4.mxl |
| Lilypond file export: | ex1.ly | ex2.ly | ex3.ly | ex4.ly |
| MIDI file export: | ex1.mid | ex2.mid | ex3.mid | ex4.mid |
| PostScript file export: | ex1.ps | ex2.ps | ex3.ps | ex4.ps |
| PNG image file export: | ex1.png | ex2.png | ex3.png | ex4.png |
| SVG image file export: | ex1.svg | ex2.svg | ex3.svg | ex4.svg |
| HE-AAC audio export | ex1.m4a | ex2.m4a | ex3.m4a | ex4.m4a |
</center>
Links
- http://www.musescore.org MuseScore program website.
- http://musescore.org/en/download MuseScore download page.
- http://sourceforge.net/projects/mscore/files 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