This handbook is for MuseScore version 0.9.2 and above. In order to help improve or translate the handbook, leave a post in the MuseScore documentation forum and apply to become a handbook contributor.
This chapter helps you install and run MuseScore for the first time. The chapter will also show you how to create a new score.
You will find the Windows installer on the Download page of the MuseScore website. Click on the link to start the download. Your Internet browser will confirm that you want to download this file. Click "Save File".
When the download finishes double click on the file to start the installation. Windows may open a security window and ask you to confirm before running the software. Click "Run" to continue.
The installer recommends that you close all other applications before continuing. After you close the other applications click "Next" to continue.
The setup wizard displays the terms of the free software license which you may review. Click "I Agree" to continue.
Next it confirms the location for installing MuseScore. If you are installing a newer version of MuseScore but still want to keep the old version on your computer then you should change the folder. Otherwise click "Next" to continue.
Next it confirms the name for the MuseScore folder that appears in the Windows Start menu list of programs. Click "Install" to continue.
Give the setup wizard a few minutes to install the necessary files and configurations. When it is done click "Finish" to exit the installer. If you wish, you may now delete the installer file you downloaded.
To start MuseScore choose Start → All Programs → MuseScore → MuseScore.
After several seconds MuseScore will open up to the demo score. Feel free to experiment with the demo score and get the feel of the program. Next you may want to create your own score.
You will find the Mac dmg file on the Download page of the MuseScore website. Click on the link to start the download. When download is finished, the dmg file is automatically mounted on your desktop as "MuseScore-0.9.5" and the installer appears.
Drag the MuseScore icon and drop it to the Applications folder icon. If you are not admin, MacOSX will ask for password.
You can now launch MuseScore from Applications or SpotLight.
Just delete MuseScore from Applications folder.
Please see the Download page for instructions pertaining to MuseScore on Linux. Packages are provided for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and PCLinuxOS. Other distributions will require you to build the application from source. For instructions specific to Fedora see below.
su rpm --import http://prereleases.musescore.org/linux/Fedora/RPM-GPG-KEY-Seve
su yum localinstall musescore-0.9.4-1.fc10.i386.rpm
su yum localinstall musescore-0.9.4-1.fc10.x86_64.rpm
If you have difficulty with sound, see Fedora 11 and sound.
From the main menu choose File → New.... This opens the new score wizard.
Enter the title, composer, or any other information as shown above. Notice the two options at the bottom:
The first option offers a list of ready-made scores in the next screen. The second option gives you the full choice of instruments in the next screen. Templates are discussed in more detail below, but for now choose "Create new score from scratch."
Click "Next" to continue.
The instrument window is divided into two columns. The first column lists instruments or voice parts to choose from. The second column is initially empty but will soon contain a list of the instruments for your new score.
The instrument list in the first column is categorized into instrument families. Double click a category to show the full list of instruments in each family. Select an instrument and click "Add". The instrument you selected now appears in the second column. You can add more instruments or voice parts if needed.
The order of the instruments in the second column determines the order they appear in the score. To change the order click on an instrument name and use the "Up" or "Down" buttons to move it higher or lower. When you are done click "Next".
If you are using the latest version of MuseScore the wizard asks for a key signature. Select the key signature you need and click "Next" to continue.
If you are using version 0.9.2 or earlier the wizard does not ask for a key signature so you may ignore this step.
Set the time signature to the numbers you want. If your piece begins with a pickup then mark the "Pickup measure" checkbox and adjust pickup time signature to indicate the actual duration of the first measure.
If you know approximately how many measures you need you can specify that here. Otherwise you can add or delete measure later.
Click "Finish" to create your new score.
You can change any settings specified during the new score wizard even after you start working on the score.
See also: Key signature, time signature, clef.
The first screen of the new score wizard has an option to "Create new score from template" (see Title and other text above for details). To create a score using this method select the template option and click "Next" to continue.
The next screen shows a list of templates. Select a template and click "Next". Continue and finish the new score wizard as usual.
The template files are normal MuseScore files stored in the template folder. You can create your own templates by saving MuseScore files to the template folder. On Windows the template folder is usually located at C:\Program Files\MuseScore\templates. On Linux look under /usr/share/mscore-xxx if you installed from the package manager. If you compiled mscore on Linux then look under /usr/local/share/mscore-xxx. On Mac look under /Applications/MuseScore.app/Contents/Resources/templates
The "Getting started" chapter above guides you through the Installation and process for creating a new score. The "Basics" chapter gives an overview of MuseScore and describes the general methods for interacting with the score.
Notes are entered in Note entry mode. First select a note or rest on the score as your starting position for note entry. When entering notes you are always replacing existing notes or rests. So the duration of a measure does not change.
After entering Note entry mode you should select the duration of the note you want to enter by selecting a value from the note palette or by the corresponding keyboard shortcut.
In version 0.9.4 and later the keyboard shortcuts for selecting the note duration are:
In version 0.9.3 or earlier the note duration shortcuts involve two keys:
Notes are entered by typing: C D E F G A B C
Space creates a rest: C D Space E. Notice that the duration you select for the notes (quarter/crochet notes in this example) also determines the duration of the rest (quarter/crochet rest)
Notes are added to chords by holding Shift and entering a note name: C D Shift+F Shift+A E F
Add an augmentation dot to a note: 5 . C 4 D E F G A (Note: versions 0.9.3 or earlier use different keyboard shortcuts to change note duration. See section above for more information)
To change octaves use the following key combinations:
Other editing commands:
You can also insert pitches using a MIDI keyboard on Windows or Linux as of version 0.9.4. Version 0.9.3 or earlier has support for MIDI keyboard on Linux only.
Note: the MIDI keyboard enters one note or chord at a time. This mode of note entry (often called "step-time entry") is fast and reliable. Some notation software tries to interpret "real-time entry" where the musician plays a passage and the software tries to create the notation. However the results are frequently unreliable even when played by a skilled musician using expensive software. MuseScore's focus is on more reliable forms of note entry.
If you have multiple MIDI devices connected to your computer you may need to tell MuseScore which one is the MIDI keyboard. Using version 0.9.6 or later go to Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab and select your device under the section labeled "Choose PortMidi input device".
MuseScore colors out-of-range notes for as yellow or red in versions 0.9.5 or later. Notes above or below the comfortable range of an amateur appear yellow, note beyond the comfortable range of a professional appear red. The colors are informational and appear on the computer screen but do not appear on printed copies of your scores. To disable note colors in versions 0.9.6 or later choose Edit → Preferences..., click on the Note Entry tab, and unmark "Color notes outside of usable pitch range".
MuseScore can copy individual notes or large selections of music. The 0.9.4 release includes many improvements to copy-paste including support for shift-drag selections. Copy-paste in versions 0.9.3 or earlier is limited to full measures and difficult to use (see below for instructions).
Many elements in the score can be edited in Edit Mode :
Some elements show handles in edit mode which can be moved by mouse dragging or keyboard commands.
Slur in Edit Mode:
Available keyboard commands:
See also: Text editing, Slur, Bracket, Line
To add a measure to the end of the piece press Ctr+B (Mac: ⌘+B). To add multiple measures use the menu Create → Measures → Append Measures....
First select a measure then press Ins to insert a new empty measure before the selected one. To insert multiple measures use the menu Create → Measures → Insert Measures....
First select the measure then press Ctr+Del (Mac: ⌘+Fn+Backspace).
For 0.9.5 and earlier, it's different. Press Ctr (Mac: ⌘) on the keyboard as you click on an empty part of the measure with the mouse. The measure is marked with a dotted line indicating that you selected a "piece of time". Press Ctr+Click (Mac: ⌘+Click) to extend the selection. Pressing Del (Mac: Fn+Backspace) removes the selected measures.
To edit the properties of a measure right click on an empty part of the measure and select Measure Properties....
The Visible property allows you to show or hide the notes and staff lines for the current measure. The Stemless property allows you to show or hide all note stems for the current measure. Notes that normally have a stem such as half notes (minums) and quarter notes (crotchets) only show the note head when marked as stemless.
The Nominal duration is the time signature that is displayed on the score. You can change the Actual duration of a measure to anything regardless of the time signature displayed on the score. Normally the nominal and actual duration of a measure is identical. However a pickup (upbeat) measure for example can have a shorter actual duration.
In the figure below the quarter note (crochet) pickup has a nominal measure duration of 4/4 but an actual duration of 1/4. The measures in the middle have both nominal and actual durations of 4/4. The complimentary measure with only a dotted half note (dotted minum) at the end has an actual duration of 3/4.
An "irregular" measure is not counted in the measure numbering. Normally a pickup measure is marked as "irregular". If you are using version 0.9.4 or earlier and mark a measure as irregular then you may need to save and reload the score before the measure numbers show the change.
If the measure is the end of a repeat you can define how often the repeat should be played.
This property separates a multi-measure rest at the current measure. This option should be checked before you turn on the "Create multi-measure rests" option in Style → Edit General Style.
Versions 0.9.6 and later automatically break multi-measures at important breaks such as rehearsal marks, time changes, double bar lines, etc.
MuseScore automatically numbers the first measure of each system but more numbering options are possible. From the main menu choose Style → Edit Style. In the left pane choose "Numbers". In the bottom half of the right pane is the "Measure Numbers" ("Bar Numbers") section.
Mark the checkbox next to the "Measure Numbers" ("Bar Numbers") to turn on automatic measure numbers.
Mark "show first" if you want the first measure numbered.
Mark "all staffs" if you want numbers on all staffs, otherwise only the top staff of each system shows measure numbers.
Choose to show numbers on "every system" which numbers the first measure of each line, or show numbers by "interval" and specify the size of the interval. For example, an interval of 1 numbers every measure; an interval of 5 numbers every fifth measure.
You can show or hide the palette using the menu Display → Palette.
You can drag-and-drop palette symbols onto score elements.
Double clicking a palette symbol is equivalent to drag-and-dropping this symbol to each of the selected elements on the score.
For example you can quickly add tenuto marks to a group of notes:
MuseScore has unlimited undo/redo functions.
The standard shortcuts are:
Or use the toolbar buttons:
A score can be exported via File → Save As... to several different formats:
*.mscz
).msc
files.*.mscx
)*.xml
)*.mxl
)*.mid
)*.pdf
)*.ps
)*.png
)*.svg
)*.ly
)*.wav
)*.flac
)*.ogg
)In the previous "Basics" chapter you learn how to enter notes and interact with the palette. The "Notation" chapter describes the different types of notation in more detail including more advanced music notation.
Accidentals can be set or changed by dragging an accidental symbol from the accidental palette to a note in the score.
If you only want to change the pitch of a note you can also select the note and press:
MuseScore automatically tries to set an appropriate accidental for the changed pitch. If you need to manually correct an accidental or place an cautionary accidental (editorial accidental), then drag an accidental from the accidental palette to the note. If you later change the pitch with cursor keys, manual settings to the accidental are removed.
The menu function Notes → Pitch spell tries to guess the right accidentals for the whole score.
Arpeggios are set by dragging an arpeggio symbol from the arpeggio palette to a note of a chord.
In version 0.9.5 or later you can edit the length of the arpeggio by double clicking on it and dragging the handle up or down
Bar lines are changed by dragging a bar line symbol from the bar line palette to a bar line in the score.
To hide a bar line entirely right-click on the line and choose Set Invisible.
To extend bar lines over multiple staves double click on a bar line to edit it (see Edit mode).
Click and drag the blue square down to the next staff.
Display of all staff bar lines updates when you leave edit mode.
See also: Measure operations
Beams are set automatically but the automatic setting can be overridden manually. Drag a beam symbol from the beam palette to a note in order to change its beam behavior.
You can also first select a note and then double click the appropriate symbol in the beam palette.
Start a beam at this note.
Do not end a beam at this note.
Do not beam this note.
Start a second level beam at this note (not yet implemented in current versions of MuseScore).
See also: Cross staff beaming
Select the bracket and press Del
Drag a bracket symbol from the bracket palette to an empty space in the first measure of a system.
Drag a bracket symbol from the bracket palette to an bracket in the score.
In version 0.9.4 or later you can adjust the horizontal placement of a bracket. Double click a bracket and press Shift+Left or Shift+Right to move it left or right.
Double click on a bracket to enter edit mode, In edit mode you can drag the height of a bracket to span arbitrary staves of a system.
To place a breath symbol drag it from the breath palette to a note in the score. The breath symbol is placed after the note. In versions 0.9.5 and earlier the breath symbol appears before the note it was dragged to.
Breath symbol in score:
Caesura (informally called tram lines or railroad tracks) work the same way and are available in versions 0.9.6 or later.
Clefs are created or changed by dragging a clef symbol from the clef palette to a measure or another clef. Use F9 to show or hide the palette sidebar.
Drag a clef from the palette onto a clef in the score. You can also drag a clef from the score to another clef of the score by using Shift + leftMouseButton + Drag.
Drag a clef from the palette onto an empty part of a measure. This creates a clef at the beginning of the measure. Drag a clef to a particular note to create a mid-measure clef. If the measure is not the first measure in the staff it is drawn smaller.
Select a clef and press Del.
Note that changing a clef does not change the pitch of any note. Instead the notes move to preserve pitch.
In piano scores it is common to use both staves (bass and treble clef) to write a musical phrase.
This can be entered in MuseScore as follows:
First enter all notes in one staff:
Ctrl+Shift+Down moves the selected note or chord to the next staff (Mac: ⌘+Shift+Down.)
See also: Bar line for cross-staff bar lines (i.e. grand staff).
Example drum notation:
Notation for drumsets often include upstem and downstem notes happening simultaneously. If are unfamiliar with editing multiple voices in a single staff then see voices for an overview. See below for instructions specific to percussion notation.
The easiest way to add drum notation to your score is via MIDI keyboard. Most MIDI keyboard have percussion markings above each key. If you press the key for high hat then MuseScore will add the correct notation to the score. MuseScore automatically takes care of the stem direction and type of note head.
Note input via mouse is available in version 0.9.4 or later
Short grace notes (Acciaccatura) appear as small notes with a stroke through the stem. Long grace notes (Appoggiatura) have no stroke. Both are placed before the normal-sized main note.
Create a grace note by dragging a grace note symbol from the Grace Notes palette (In versions 0.9.5 and earlier the palette is simply called Notes) to a regular note on the score.
See also: Grace note at Wikipedia
Hairpins are line objects. To create a hairpin first select a note to mark the start point.
You can also create hairpins by dragging a hairpin symbol from the line palette to a note head.
Key signatures are created or changed by dragging a key symbol from the key palette to a measure or existing key signature.
F9 toggles the palette window.
Drag a key from the palette onto a key in the score. You can also drag a key from the score to another key on the score by using Shift+leftMouseButton+Drag.
Drag a key from the palette onto an empty part of a measure. This creates a key at the beginning of the measure.
Select a key and press Del.
The lines palette like other palettes works via "drag-and-drop". Use the mouse to drag the item from the palette and drop it onto the score.
If you change the length of a line using the mouse then the anchor positions (the notes or measures they apply to) do not change. Therefore the following method is recommended for adjusting the start or end points of a line.
See also: Hairpin, Volta (1st and 2nd endings)
When an entire measure is devoid of notes, a full-measure (full-bar) rest is used.
To create a one-bar rest select a measure and press Del. All notes and rests on this measure are then replaced by a one-bar rest.
Multi-measure (multi-bar) rests indicate a long duration of silence for an instrument and are frequently used in ensemble sheet music. In versions 0.9.5 and earlier this feature is experimental only (see limitations below)
Versions 0.9.5 and earlier do not automatically break multi-measure rests at important points such as double bar lines, key signatures, rehearsal marks. This is already fixed for the upcoming version 0.9.6. As a workaround for earlier versions see the "Break multi-measure rests" heading of measure operations.
The style option automatically creates multi-measure rests throughout the score. Therefore it is recommended that you enter all your notes first and then turn on multi-measure rests afterward.
The start and end of simple repeats can be defined by setting appropriate bar lines. For instructions on first and second ending measures see volta.
To hear repeats during playback make sure the "Play Repeats" button on the toolbar is selected. Likewise you can turn off repeats during playback by deselecting the button.
In the last measure of a repeat you can set the property "Repeat Count" to define the number of played repeats.
Repeat text such as "D.C. al Fine" or "D.S. al Coda" is located in the repeats palette.
A slur is a curved line between two or more notes that indicates they are to be played without separation. If you mean to join two notes of the same pitch, see Tie
The boxes or handles (displayed in the images for steps 2-4 above) can be adjusted with the mouse. The two outer handles adjust the start and end of the slur. The two inner handles adjust the contour of the slur.
A slur can span several systems and pages. The start and end of a slur is anchored to a note/chord or rest. If the notes are repositioned due to changes in the layout, stretch or style, the slur also moves and adjusts in size.
Note: It is not possible to change the start and end anchor notes using the mouse. Use Shift + left or right arrow keys to adjust the start and end points of a slur.
Dotted slurs are sometimes used in songs where the presence of a slur varies between stanzas. Dotted slurs are also used to indicate an editor's suggestion (as opposed to the composers original markings). To change an existing slur into a dotted slur right-click on it and choose Slur Properties.... From the Slur Properties dialog you can choose whether you want a solid or a dotted slur.
A tie is a curved line between two notes of the same pitch. If you want a curved line that spans multiple pitches see Slur.
Select first note:
+ creates a tie: (In version 0.9.3 or earlier the shortcut is Shift+S)
To create ties during note entry press + after the first note of the tie. In version 0.9.3 or earlier you must press + before adding the first note.
Time signatures are available in the main palette sidebar. You can drag and drop the times signatures onto the score (see palette for general information on working with palettes in MuseScore).
If you need a time signature not found in the sidebar palette then go to Create → Time... to create your own. You can edit the upper and lower numbers in the Create Time Signature pane.
In most cases you'll only need to edit the first of the upper numbers. The additional upper numbers are for additive meters which contain multiple upper numbers separated by a plus sign.
There are occasions when the actual duration of a measure is different from the duration specified by the time signature. Pickup measures are a common example. To change the actual duration of a measure without displaying a different time signature see the Properties section of measure operations.
Tremolo is the rapid repetition of one note or a rapid alternation between two or more notes. It is indicated by strokes through the stems of the notes. If the tremolo is between two or more notes, the bars are drawn between them.
The tremolo palette contains separate symbols for one note tremolos (shown with stems below) and for two note tremolos (shown with no stem below).
In a two note tremolo every note has the value of the whole tremolo duration. To enter a tremolo with the duration of a half note (minim) first enter two normal quarter notes (crotchets). After dragging a tremolo symbol to the first note the note values automatically double to half notes.
To create a triplet first create a note with a duration of the whole triplet. Then select the note and press Ctrl+3 to change it to a triplet. Similarly Ctrl+5 changes the note to a quintuplet.
First select a note:
Ctrl+3 creates a triplet:
which can be further edited
Tuplet entry works a little differently in note entry mode than the method outlined above. In version 0.9.5 or later you must select duration first then enter the pitches afterward. Below are step-by-step instructions for making triplet eight notes.
To change the display properties of a tuplet right click on the tuplet number and choose Tuplet Properties....
The number section of the properties dialog allows you to show one integer, a ratio of two integers, or no number at all.
In the bracket section the "bracket" and "nothing" allow you to explicitly show or hide the bracket. The "auto bracket" option hides the bracket for beamed notes and shows the bracket if the tuplet includes unbeamed notes or rests.
Voices allow you to have notes on a single staff which start at the same time yet have different durations. Voices are sometimes called 'layers' in other notation software.
To hide a rest right-click on the rest and select Set Invisible. If you have Display → Show Invisible marked then the rest still shows in gray on your screen. The hidden rest does not appear when you print.
Volta brackets or first and second ending brackets are used to mark different endings for a repeat.
To place a volta bracket on the score drag-and-drop the item from the lines palette.
The brackets can span more than one measure. Double click the volta to enter edit mode and then move the handles with:
These commands move the "logical" start or end of the volta which determine the bracketed measures.
Other commands in edit mode also move the handles but do not change how the repeat is played.
If you move the handles, a dashed line from the logical position to the actual position is shown
You can change the text and many other properties of a volta bracket using the Line Properties dialog. Right-click on a volta bracket and choose Line Properties.... If you are using version 0.9.3 or earlier then choose "Volta Properties..." The figure below shows the volta text as "1.-5."
Sometimes a repeat plays for more than two times. In the figure above the volta text indicates that it should play five times before it continues. If you want to change the number of times MuseScore plays a repeat then go to the measure containing the repeat bar line and change its Repeat Count (see Measure operations for details).
In version 0.9.4 or earlier you can only place voltas on the top staff of a multi-part score. Otherwise you may encounter bugs such as the MuseScore crashing when you create parts (see bug report) or the anchor position moving when you reload the score.
MuseScore has "Sound and playback" capabilities built in. This chapter covers the playback controls and ways to extend the instrument sounds beyond the built-in piano sound.
MuseScore has an integrated sequencer and synthesizer to play your score.
By pressing the Play button you enter Play mode. In Play mode the following commands are available:
Press the play button again to stop and exit Play mode.
MuseScore starts playback from the place it last left off. If you select a note then MuseScore starts from the newly selected note instead. The toolbar also has rewind button to quickly return to the beginning of the score for playback.
The Play Panel offers more controls over playback including tempo, starting position, and general volume. From the main menu choose Display → Play Panel to open the Play Panel.
Version 0.9.5 or earlier: If you want to play instruments other than piano you have to change the MuseScore integrated SoundFont with a more capable one in Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab. See SoundFont for instructions.
If you are having difficulty with sound on Ubuntu then it is recommended to upgrade to version 0.9.5 or later. Instructions for obtaining the latest release are on the download page of the website. If you have further problems feel free to use the forums.
MuseScore comes with a piano sound for play back. For more sounds, such as a violin or percussion, you need a General MIDI SoundFont.
A SoundFont file can store any number of instrument sounds. Many SoundFonts are available on the web. Look for one that covers the 128 sounds of General MIDI (GM). If you use a SoundFont that does not conform to the General MIDI standard then others may not hear the correct instruments when you share the score or save as MIDI.
The file size and sound quality of SoundFonts available on the web varies. Larger SoundFonts often sound better but may be too large to run on your computer. If you find MuseScore runs slowly after installing a large SoundFont or your computer can't keep up during play back then look for a smaller SoundFont. Below are three popular GM SoundFonts of different sizes.
Since SoundFont files are large they often are compressed into a variety of formats including .zip, .sfArk, and .tar.gz. You need to decompress these files before they can be used.
After finding and decompressing a SoundFont do not double click to open it since this does not set up MuseScore. Instead move the file to a folder of your choosing, start MuseScore, and follow the instructions below.
Go to Display → Synthesizer. If you are using version 0.9.5 or earlier then go to Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab.
The initial SoundFont setting is :/data/piano1.sf2. Replace this with the location of your new SoundFont (.sf2) file. Click on the Open icon to browse for the file and open it .
If you are using version 0.9.5 or earlier, click OK to apply changes and exit the preferences panel. Quit and and reopen MuseScore for the changes to take affect.
If the toolbar play panel is greyed out or not visible follow the instructions below to get your sound working again:
If you are setting up a SoundFont for the first time please use one of the recommended SoundFonts listed above.
Play back tempo can be changed via the play panel or via tempo text in the score.
Note that in versions 0.9.3 or earlier it is not possible to change the tempo text or BPM from the initial Tempo Text dialog. However you can change both of these after you add a tempo text to the score.
Existing tempo text can be changed by double clicking the text to enter edit mode. You can use the F2 palette to add a quarter note or another duration for a metronome mark in the tempo text.
Beats per minute (BPM) on existing tempo text can be adjusted by right clicking on the text and selecting Tempo Properties...
Note: Playback of tempo text may be faster or slower than the specified BPM if the tempo setting in the play panel is not set to 100 percent.
The mixer allows you to change instrument sounds and adjust the volume, panning, reverberation, and chorus for each staff. From the main menu choose Display → Mixer to show the mixer.
Use the Mute check box to quickly silence certain staves. Alternatively use the Solo check box to silence all staves except the staff you mark as "solo".
To turn a dials clockwise click and drag upwards. To turn a dial counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise) click and drag downwards.
The sound drop-down menu lists every instrument supported by your current SoundFont. This feature is not implemented in version 0.9.4 or earlier for Windows, but fixed in version 0.9.5.
In MuseScore some instruments can change sounds midway through a piece. For example strings can switch to pizzicato or tremolo and trumpet can switch to muted trumpet. The following instructions use muted trumpet as an example but the same principles apply to pizzicato or tremolo strings.
Every note after the staff text you added now sounds muted. To return to an unmuted sound later in the piece follow the same guidelines as above except type Open in step 3 and select normal in step 6.
The previous chapter covers text that affects playback tempo, but there are many other types of text available in MuseScore: lyrics, chord names, dynamic markings, fingering, headings, plus many more. These are all accessible from the main menu via Create → Text.
For short generic text use staff or system text. The difference between these two texts is whether you want it to apply to a single staff or apply to the whole system.
Double click on text to enter edit mode:
In text edit mode the following commands are available:
Text palette:
See also: Chord name, Lyrics, Frame, Edit mode
Text elements are created from a Text Style. This style defines the initial properties of text.
Chord names can be entered by first selecting a note and then pressing Ctrl+K. This creates a chord name text object for the selected chord.
Chord names can be edited as normal text. To add a sharp type # and to add a flat type b. These characters will automatically turn into proper sharp or flat signs when you move to the next chord.
If you prefer a more handwritten appearance to the chord names in your score then versions 0.9.5 and later include a jazz font option.
Fingering can be added to notes by dragging a fingering character from the fingering palette to a note head in the score. When a note head is selected first, the fingering character can be added using a double click. Fingerings are normal text which can be edited like any other text.
Syllables can be extended by an underline:
Entered with: soul, _ _ _ To Esc.
Lyrics can be edited as normal text with the exception of a few characters. If you want to add a space, hyphen or underscore to a single syllable then use the following shortcuts.
See also: Text, Chord name.
Page breaks or line breaks (system breaks) are applied by dragging the corresponding symbol from the breaks palette to an empty space of a measure in the score. The break happens after the marked measure. The green break symbols are visible on the screen but do not appear on printouts.
Spacers are used to increase the space between two adjacent staves. Drag and drop a spacer to a measure above the area that needs more vertical space. Double click on the spacer and drag the handle using the mouse to adjust the height of the spacer.
If you want to adjust the space between staves score-wide then use the style settings. Spacers are designed for local adjustments.
Frames provide empty space outside of normal measures. They can also contain text or pictures. MuseScore has two kinds of frames:
First select a measure. The command to insert a frame is found in the menu Create → Measures . The frame is inserted before the selected measure.
Select the frame and press Del.
Double click the frame to enter edit mode. A handle appears which can be used to drag the size of the frame.
Title frame in edit mode:
You can use images to illustrate scores or add symbols that are not included in the standard palettes.
To add an image drag-and-drop an image file onto the score. MuseScore supports PNG and JPEG files and simple SVG files. MuseScore does not support SVG shading or blurring.
This chapter describes how to find help using MuseScore: the best places to look, the best way to ask a question on the forums, and tips for reporting a bug.
Before posting your support request in the forum:
When posting your request for support or bug report, please include as much of the following information as you know:
Recent versions of MuseScore have the option to revert back to the standard built-in presets or "factory-settings". Sometimes this is helpful if your settings are corrupted. This is not a normal occurrence so it is best to consult the forums first since there maybe a way to solve your problem without resetting everything.
Warning: reverting to "factory settings" removes any changes you have made to the preferences, palettes, or window settings.
"C:\Program Files\MuseScore\bin\mscore.exe"
After a few seconds MuseScore should start and all the settings reverted to "factory settings"
/Applications/MuseScore.app/Contents/MacOS/mscore -F
This resets all MuseScore preferences to factory settings and immediately launches the MuseScore application. You can now quit Terminal, and continue using MuseScore.
mscore -F
This resets all MuseScore preferences to factory settings and immediately launches the MuseScore application. You can now quit Terminal, and continue using MuseScore.
For advanced users, the main MuseScore preference file is located at ~/.config/MusE/MuseScore.ini