This handbook is for MuseScore version 4.0 and above. It is currently in draft status and will eventually be published at https://musescore.org/en/handbook.
(If you are still using MuseScore 3.x, you can access the old handbook).
UPDATE 2022-06-14: The MuseScore 4 Handbook is now open for editing by the community. Please respect the Editing Guidelines and see Announcement for more details. Translations will be enabled at a later date. Thank you!
Editors, please read this Google Doc.
Click on the chapter links below to view available subpages. We will try to make subpages available directly from this page at a later date.
To ensure consistency of style, the initial content of this handbook will be created by MuseScore's internal team. We will open it up to community editing and translation at a later date. In the meantime, please do not edit pages in this handbook unless asked to do so by a member of the internal team. Thank you!
Link to add a child page: https://musescore.org/en/node/add/book4?parent=329209
So you'd like to contribute to the MuseScore 4 handbook – great! We're so happy you're here.
This page contains brief guidelines to get you started with writing articles. Please read this page carefully before editing anything in our handbook. This information is intended to help, but if you're in doubt about anything or have any questions, please join the discussion on the Documentation forum.
Each page should explain a single topic more or less completely. If a page feels like it is getting too long, try splitting it into separate pages.
Not every page is identical, but keeping the following in mind can help you structure your page content in a way that's easy to understand for the reader:
Starting your page with an overview can help introduce a topic before launching into details. Overviews don't usually need a section heading.
Think about what most users will be trying to achieve, and why they might be coming to the handbook to look for information. Put solutions for the most common tasks towards the top of the page; less commonly needed information can go towards the bottom.
Related concepts should be discussed together. This may sometimes require less-commonly-used features to be discussed alongside more-commonly used ones, but that's okay.
For instance, a section about "Creating custom key signatures" is better than a section called "Using the master palette".
Please be sure to enable the "Generate a table of contents" option for all Handbook pages.
In an effort to ensure consistency of style for community-written pages, we have already provided headings on many pages. Please organise your content within this structure. For pages that lack headings, feel free to create your own in a style similar to that used elsewhere.
For accessibility reasons, headings should never be formatted in regular bold text. All headings need to be formatted as tags with semantic meaning.
All pages start by default with a Heading 1. The first section heading you will enter will therefore always be a Heading 2. Please also don’t skip heading levels (By, for example, adding a heading 4 after a heading 2).
Heading level | Usage and markdown syntax |
---|---|
Heading 1 | Default for all page headings (Not editable by contributors) |
Heading 2 | Use for the start of every section. Markdown syntax: ## Heading name |
Heading 3 | Use for the start of every sub-section, and to introduce single-step instructions (I.e. where a list is not necessary). Markdown syntax: ### Heading name |
Heading 4 | Use sparingly if additional sub-sections are required. Markdown syntax: #### Heading name |
Lastly, try to always start your headings with a verb. E.g. "Adding time signatures", rather than "Time signatures"
The MuseScore handbook broadly contains two main types of information: descriptive material, and goal-oriented instructions.
Descriptive material refers to explanations of different parts of the program. For example,
A Palette is a folder containing musical symbols which can be applied to the score. Musescore's default palettes contain collections of related symbols, but you can customize palettes to display almost any kind of symbol, line or text.
Goal-oriented instructions take the form of a numbered list, explaining how to perform a specific task. For example,
To create a new palette
The main difference between these two types of information is that, while descriptive material tends to be longer and more “fleshed out”, goal-oriented instructions should be as short and direct as possible.
In both cases, we ask you to use simple, plain language wherever you can.
When writing goal-oriented instructions, please:
For example, instead of writing this:
Please write this:
Finally, the MuseScore 4 handbook will now adopt bold text for named components of the user interface. Keyboard shortcuts will continue to be rendered with <kbd> tags (see Syntax). Where available, please also be sure to include keyboard options for goal-oriented instructions. This is especially important for improving the program's accessibility.
The use of non-written media is encouraged as a supplement to written descriptions. This includes:
Animated GIFs offer many advantages over screenshots and videos in that they expose in the shortest amount of time the sequence of actions required to achieve a particular task. There are lots of tools available for creating GIFs, however we recommend the following workflow to ensure crisp and clear image quality while maintaining as small as possible file size (ideally <2MB per GIF).
It's really helpful to link to other pages in the handbook. You might do this wherever you mention a different part of the user interface, or even when referring back to previous versions of the handbook.
There is a specific process for adding links to other handbook pages, which will allow accurate redirects regardless of the language version being read.
[node:######,title="Name of the page you want to link to"]
To find a page's node number:
You will find the page's node number in the URL address visible in this edit screen (yes, it only appears in the edit screen). It will look something like this:
The handbook is written in Markdown with a few permitted HTML tags.
If you're not familiar with Markdown, it doesn't take long to learn. Get started by reading this page first (a MuseScore account is required to properly view the content on that page, also note that you cannot use Filtered HTML).
The simplest way to install MS4 is via an AppImage.
Althought the AppImage can be run as it is, to ensure correct association of the program with its MuseScore files you will need to install the program as follows:
Alternatively:
If you’re coming to MuseScore 4 from earlier versions, you’ll notice changes not only to the user interface, but also to many familiar features and ways of doing things. These changes have been designed to improve the user experience while providing much greater functionality. Here's a very quick overview of some of the major changes.
MuseScore 4 comes with a sleek new interface. Nearly every part of the application has been completely redesigned to be cleaner and easier to read. You can choose between light, dark and high contrast themes, as well as pick your preferred accent colour. Changes to the appearance of the app can be made in Preferences.
A new instruments panel allows you to hide, rearrange and customise your instruments without having to leave the score view.
The instruments panel integrates tightly with the process of creating parts, making it much easier to produce custom parts with any combination of available instruments. There’s now also a convenient button in the toolbar that allows you to quickly open any available part.
The Inspector from earlier versions of MuseScore is now known as the Properties panel. Every option in this panel has been re-organised and the entire experience has been streamlined. By default, the Properties panel displays multiple useful options, like the ability to show or hide empty staves and various other types of score markings. Whereas previously you needed to select single element types before you could make changes to them, MuseScore 4 always displays relevant settings, regardless of how many different elements you have selected.
Playback improvements are the single largest change to MuseScore 4. Apart from new sample libraries (Muse Sounds, available as a separate download), there’s now support for VSTi plugins, which can be applied to instruments using the new mixer panel. The mixer also lets you easily switch between VSTi, SoundFonts and the Muse Sounds libraries, while also supporting VST effects. Sounds will now always be saved on a per-score basis, so there is no longer any need for the Synthesiser panel found in MuseScore 3 (this has been removed in MuseScore 4). If you previously used SFZ files for playback in MuseScore 3, we now recommend that you use a free VST sampler, like Sfizz or Sforzando, both of which support SFZ playback.
MuseScore 4 features many engraving improvements, some of which will have an effect on the appearance and layout of scores created in earlier versions. The most significant changes affect the placement of beams, slurs and ties, horizontal spacing, and page layout. There are far too many changes to list here, so those interested in learning more about the particularities may wish to read this dedicated document (link forthcoming) that explains and illustrates everything in detail.
An unavoidable consequence of having made such significant engraving improvements is that it will not be possible to open a score in MuseScore 4 from an earlier version of MuseScore and have it look identical.
When you save a document for the first time, you’ll now be asked whether you want to save your file locally to your computer, or to the cloud. This new option is part of an exciting expansion we are making to services on musescore.com. Learn more about this in Open/Save/Export/Print and Share Scores Online.
As you use the program, you’ll find lots of other small but significant changes that have been designed to make the process of composing and notating music just that bit easier. These include:
We’ll start by creating a new score from a template (Alternatively, you can learn about creating a score from scratch in Adding and removing instruments).
To create a score from a template:
In the Additional score information screen, you can set:
The simplest way to enter notes in MuseScore is to:
You’re now engraving in MuseScore! You’ll notice the blue note input highlight, which indicates that you are in note input mode. It shows you where in the measure your next note will be entered.
You can specify the duration of each note you enter in the Note input toolbar. To change note duration:
Learn more about this topic in Entering notes and rests.
The Palettes panel contains almost every notational object you might need to add detail to your score. The simplest way to add palette items to your notation is to:
Learn more about this topic in Palettes
The Properties panel can be revealed by clicking on the Properties tab on the left side of the screen:
(Users of MuseScore prior to version 4 will know this as the Inspector).
The properties panel will show settings that are specific to the object being selected. These settings usually affect the visual appearance of the selected object. Most of the time, changes you make in Properties will apply only to the object you have selected (e.g. you’ll change the selected hairpin, and not every hairpin in your score).
As you add details to your score, click on any object to see what settings are available.
Learn more about this topic in Properties.
To insert a single measure:
This Measure section contains controls that allow you to insert multiple measures at once. Simply set the number of measures you wish to insert in the text field. You can also use the dropdown menu to change the point where new measures will be inserted.
To delete a measure or group of measures:
More information on this topic can be found in Measures.
Export allows you to create non-MuseScore files, such as PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, and various audio and image formats.
To export your score:
You can also share scores online on musescore.com.
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You can create a score from scratch by choosing instruments yourself or by starting from a template and then possibly changing instruments later.
You can start a score from scratch by adding instruments in the New Score dialog under the tab Choose instruments.
MuseScore contains over 500 instruments. Instruments are grouped into categories, and categories are organized into families. If you know what you’re looking for, you can simply type the name of your desired instrument in the search bar. Available instruments will appear beneath the search bar. Alternatively, you can browse instruments by selecting an instrument family in the Family dropdown menu and clicking on a category to see available instruments.
To add an instrument to your score:
Instruments are automatically arranged according to the order selected in the dropdown menu under Your Score. From this menu, you can choose from a range of standard score configurations.
To change the order of instruments:
Click Done to confirm your selection and close the dialog.
To delete an instrument from your score:
You can also delete multiple instruments at once by first holding down Shift and selecting multiple instruments, then clicking the trash can icon to delete them.
There are two ways of changing existing score instruments:
This brings up the Add or remove instruments dialog which works in exactly the same way as the New score dialog described above.
This displays a sidebar Instruments panel. Note: you can also create and delete unlinked / linked staves here.
You can select elements in MuseScore using the keyboard or mouse. Selections can consist of a single element, a list of individual elements that may possibly be discontiguous, or a range of measures and staves that includes the elements within it. Certain commands work only on single elements or lists; some work only on ranges; others work on any type of selection. The documentation for any given command should explain which types of selection are allowed.
When selected, elements display in blue (or whatever color is defined for the [voice] the element belongs to). For range selections, a blue rectangle appears around the entire range.
To select a single element with the mouse, simply click it.
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To select a single element with the keyboard, use the cursor keys to [navigate] to the element. Note that there is no separate concept of a “cursor” in MuseScore that is separate from the selection, except while in Note Input mode. In Normal mode, the cursor keys actually select elements one by one as you navigate.
A note normally consists of multiple elements: the notehead, stem, flag, dot, accidental, etc. Most commands that operate on a single note expect you to select the notehead itself.
The notes of a chord share a single stem and flag. Even a single note can be considered a “chord” in the sense that it consists of these multiple elements.
To select a complete chord (all noteheads plus the stem and other elements) see the section on range selections below.
If multiple elements overlap, clicking selects the topmost element. To select the element underneath a currently-selected element, Ctrl+click it. This deselects the currently-selected element and selects the next element beneath it, if any. Thus, repeated Ctrl+click operations cycle through a set of overlapping elements.
You can select a list of elements manually by selecting each individually or automatically by using commands to select elements that are similar to a given element.
To add an element to the list of selected elements, Ctrl+click it. If an element is already selected, Ctrl+click removes it from the list of selected elements.
You can also use Ctrl+click to add or remove individual elements from a [range selection](#select-range}. In the process, this converts the selection into a list selection.
If the elements you wish to select are outside of the staff and clear of other elements, you may be able to create a list selection by using Shift+drag to draw a selection box around the desired elements. If any notes or rests are included, however, a range selection is performed instead.
To select all elements of a given type in the entire score or in a given staff:
To select all elements of a given type within a range:
—OR—
To create more complex selections of similar elements:
The options available in the select dialog will depend on the type of element you right-clicked. For example, for notes, you will see the following:
The selection options specific to notes are:
In addition to the type-specific selection options, there are action options at the bottom of the dialog that are common to all element types. These control what happens to the selected elements, and only one of these can be chosen at a time:
A range selection includes all elements from a given beginning and ending time position across a given set of staves. It is the usual starting point for operations such as copy and paste.
To select a range of measures and staves with the mouse alone, use Shift+drag to draw a rectangle around it. Note that this is only feasible for relatively small selections that fit on screen at once.
A more flexible method for making selections uses a combination of mouse and keyboard:
In between the click and Shift+click, you can use [navigation] commands to position the score. This allows you make selections that span several pages.
This method works just as well if you first click the last note/rest then Shift+click the first.
You can also make range selections using the keyboard alone or primarily:
The available commands include:
MuseScore includes some special commands to make command selections:
For certain operations involving range selections, you might want to exclude elements of a given type from the selection. For example, you may wish to copy the notes, rest, and most other markings in a phrase, but skip the lyrics. Or in a passage with multiple voices, you may wish to delete everything not in voice 1. To exclude elements of a given type from a range selection:
Note that if you exclude voice 1, you will not be able to select any measures that lack content in other voices. So be sure to restore voice 1 after performing the operation for which you you are excluding voice 1. For example, if you wish to copy and paste only voice 1, make your range selection, use the Selection Filter to exclude voice 1, use Edit→Copy or Ctrl+C, then restore the checkbox next to voice 1 before attempting to select the destination to paste.
The Properties panel shows settings for objects you select in the score. It was known as the “Inspector” in MuseScore 3.6 and earlier.
You can select one object (say, a dynamic mark) or multiple objects at a time (say, a dynamic mark, a notehead, and a hairpin). If any of the objects you have selected contains editable settings, Properties will be the place to find them.
An important thing about Properties is that it effects only the object(s) you have selected, so changing how one hairpin looks won’t change all of the hairpins in your score — only those you have selected.
From the Score window, click on the Properties tab in the panel on the left side of the screen:
This is what the Properties panel looks like when you have nothing selected in your score. All these settings affect your entire score (not just individual elements):
MuseScore 4 automatically creates a separate part for every instrument in your score.
To open a part:
The selected part appears as a tab in the score window.
You can also open multiple parts at once. Do this by holding Shift while selecting the parts you’d like to open in the parts dialog.
This all takes place in the parts dialog (accessible from the Parts button in the toolbar). Simply click the menu icon next to a selected part to reveal these options.
Parts can also be deleted by:
Note that a part must first be opened before it can be duplicated or deleted. When a part is deleted, its tab in the score window is closed, and any customisations made to that part will be lost. The part will also no longer appear in the Parts dialog.
If you delete a part and can no longer see it in the Parts dialog, simply close and reopen the dialog. MuseScore will always make sure there is a part available in the Parts dialog for every available instrument in your score.
For information on exporting and printing parts, see Open/Save/Export/Print
The parts dialog is tightly integrated with the new instruments panel. This integration makes it easy for you to create parts with any combination of instruments from your score. There are two ways to customise parts in MuseScore 4.
As we’ve already seen, MuseScore 4 automatically creates a new part for every instrument in your score. All you have to do is open the part from the parts dialog.
What’s actually happening is that each automatically-created part contains all of the instruments in your score – they’re all just hidden from view (except, of course, the chosen part instrument).
You can “reveal” other instruments within an existing part. To do this:
This instrument will now be visible in the chosen part.
You can also create a customised part entirely from scratch. To do this:
Your new part will now be open in the scores tab, but it will appear to contain no instruments. To add instruments to this part:
Sometimes it will be necessary to create individual parts from staves that contain multiple voices. You might, for example, want to extract separate parts for orchestral players who share a stave in the main score (E.g. Flute I and Flute II). Or you might wish to create individual vocal parts from choral scores where, for example, four voices are notated across two staves.
You'll need to first create or duplicate a part (See above). To then select which voices will appear in a part:
On macOS, make the following substitutions:
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Zoom in | Ctrl+= | Cmd+= |
Zoom out | Ctrl+- | Cmd+- |
Zoom to 100% | Ctrl+0 | Cmd+0 |
First element | Ctrl+Home | Cmd+Fn+Left |
Last element | Ctrl+End | Cmd+Fn+Right |
Screen: Next | PgUp | Fn+Up |
Screen: Previous | PgDn | Fn+Down |
Page: Top of first | Home | Fn+Left |
Page: Bottom of last | End | Fn+Right |
Page: Next | Ctrl+PgUp | Cmd+Fn+Up |
Page: Previous | Ctrl+PgDn | Cmd+Fn+Down |
Find / Go To | Ctrl+F | Cmd+F |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Next chord | Right | Right |
Previous chord | Left | Left |
Next measure | Ctrl+Right | Cmd+Right |
Previous measure | Ctrl+Left | Cmd+Left |
Up note in chord | Alt+Up | Option+Up |
Down note in chord | Alt+Down | Option+Down |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Note input | N | N |
Piano keyboard | P | P |
Voice 1 | Ctrl+Alt+1 | Cmd+Option+1 |
Voice 2 | Ctrl+Alt+2 | Cmd+Option+2 |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Duration | 1 – 9 | 1 – 9 |
Tuplets | Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 | Cmd+2 – Cmd+9 |
Tie | T | T |
Halve selected duration (dotted) | Shift+Q | Shift+Q |
Double select duration (dotted) | Shift+W | Shift+W |
Full measure rest | Ctrl+Shift+Del | Cmd+Shift+Del |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Pitch | A – G | A – G |
Add pitch to chord | Shift+A – Shift+G | Shift+A – Shift+G |
Interval above | Alt+1 – Alt+9 | Option+1 – Option+9 |
Toggle accidental: Flat | - | - |
Toggle accidental: Natural | = | = |
Toggle accidental: Sharp | + | + |
Rest | 0 | 0 |
Acciaccatura | / | / |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Duration | Shift+0 – Shift+7 | Shift+0 – Shift+7 |
Fret | 0 – 9 | 0 – 9 |
String above | Up | Up |
String below | Down | Down |
Ghost note | Shift+X | Shift+X |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Select all | Ctrl+A | Cmd+A |
Add previous chord to selection | Shift+Left | Shift+Left |
Add next chord to selection | Shift+Right | Shift+Right |
Add staff above to selection | Shift+Up | Shift+Up |
Add staff below to selection | Shift+Down | Shift+Down |
Select to beginning of measure | Ctrl+Shift+Left | Cmd+Shift+Left |
Select to end of measure | Ctrl+Shift+Right | Cmd+Shift+Right |
Select to beginning of score | Ctrl+Shift+Home | Cmd+Shift+Fn+Left |
Select to end of score | Ctrl+Shift+End | Cmd+Shift+Fn+Right |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Escape | Esc | Esc |
Undo | Ctrl+Z | Cmd+Z |
Redo | Ctrl+Shift+Z | Cmd+Shift+Z |
Copy | Ctrl+C | Cmd+C |
Cut | Ctrl+X | Cmd+X |
Paste | Ctrl+V | Cmd+V |
Repeat selection | R | R |
Insert one measure before selection | Ins | Ins |
Insert measures before selection | Ctrl+Ins | Cmd+Ins |
Insert one measure at end of score | Ctrl+B | Cmd+B |
Insert measures at end of score | Alt+Shift+B | Option+Shift+B |
Delete | Del | Del |
Remove selected range | Ctrl+Del | Cmd+Del |
Properties | F8 | Fn+F8 |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Duration | 1 – 9 | 1 – 9 |
Tuplets | Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 | Cmd+2 – Cmd+9 |
Tie | T | T |
Halve selected duration (dotted) | Shift+Q | Shift+Q |
Double selected duration (dotted) | Shift+W | Shift+W |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Toggle accidental: Flat | - | - |
Toggle accidental: Natural | = | = |
Toggle accidental: Sharp | + | + |
Up | Up | Up |
Down | Down | Down |
Up octave | Ctrl+Up | Cmd+Up |
Down octave | Ctrl+Down | Cmd+Down |
Change enharmonic spelling (both modes) | J | J |
Move note to higher string (TAB) | Ctrl+Up | Cmd+Up |
Move note to lower string (TAB) | Ctrl+Down | Cmd+Down |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Flip direction | X | X |
Voice 1 | Ctrl+Alt+1 | Cmd+Option+1 |
Voice 2 | Ctrl+Alt+2 | Cmd+Option+2 |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Staff text | Ctrl+T | Cmd+T |
System text | Ctrl+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T |
Tempo marking | Alt+Shift+T | Option+Shift+T |
Rehearsal mark | Ctrl+M | Cmd+M |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Bold face | Ctrl+B | Cmd+B |
Italic | Ctrl+I | Cmd+I |
Underline | Ctrl+U | Cmd+U |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Lyrics | Ctrl+L | Cmd+L |
Next text element | Space | Space |
Previous text element | Shift+Space | Shift+Space |
Next syllable | - | - |
Add melisma | _ | _ |
Add lyrics verse | Return | Return |
Next lyrics verse | Down | Down |
Previous lyrics verse | Up | Up |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Chord symbol | Ctrl+K | Cmd+K |
Next text element | Space | Space |
Previous text element | Shift+Space | Shift+Space |
Next beat | ; | ; |
Previous beat | Shift+; | Shift+; |
Duration advance | Ctrl+0 – Ctrl+9 | Cmd+0 – Cmd+9 |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Palettes | F9 | Fn+F9 |
Palette search | Ctrl+F9 | Cmd+Fn+F9 |
Slur | S | S |
Accent | Shift+V | Shift+V |
Marcato | Shift+O | Shift+O |
Staccato | Shift+S | Shift+S |
Tenuto | Shift+N | Shift+N |
Crescendo | < | < |
Decrescendo | > | > |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Instruments | I | I |
Shift left | Left | Left |
Shift right | Right | Right |
Shift left quickly | Ctrl+Left | Cmd+Left |
Shift right quickly | Ctrl+Right | Cmd+Right |
Toggle visibility of elements | V | V |
Toggle system break | Return | Return |
Toggle page break | Ctrl+Return | Cmd+Return |
Reset shapes and positions | Ctrl+R | Cmd+R |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
New | Ctrl+N | Cmd+N |
Open | Ctrl+O | Cmd+O |
Close | Ctrl+W | Cmd+W |
Save | Ctrl+S | Cmd+S |
Ctrl+P | Cmd+P | |
Quit | Ctrl+Q | Cmd+Q |
Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
---|---|---|
Play | Space | Space |
Mixer | F10 | Fn+F10 |
The Instruments panel is a new feature in MuseScore 4. It gives you control over your instruments and some basic staff properties without having to leave the score view. All of the instruments in your score will appear in this panel.
Open the panel by clicking on the Instruments tab on the left side of the screen:
click the Add button. This will open the Instruments dialog (see Adding and removing instruments for more information).
Select any instrument and click the trash can icon to delete it from your score.
Select any instrument and use the ↑ or ↓ arrows to change its position in the score.
The visibility of entire instrument staves can be toggled by clicking the eye icon next to an instrument label.
Hidden instruments aren't ever deleted — they are simply hidden. This means they won't be printed, but you can still generate and export parts for them.
This feature might be useful if you have alternative instruments or alternative versions of a part that you'd like to toggle between (e.g. for different performers or instrumental configurations). You might also like to isolate different sections of a larger score (say, for orchestra) without actually deleting anything or generating any new project files.
Click the cog icon to expose settings for renaming your instruments. Leaving any of these fields blank will ensure that no label appears on the score or in the part for that instrument.
To replace an instrument in the Instruments panel:
The Instruments panel can also be used to add staves and configure some of their basic properties.
To add a stave to an existing instrument:
Each stave contains some independently configurable properties. By clicking on the cog icon alongside a staff label (E.g. "Treble clef"), you can:
Learn more about staff customisation in Staff/part properties.
Certain notational objects on one staff can be reproduced on other staves if those staves are linked together. This can be useful for instruments that contain, for example, both standard and tablature staves.
To create a linked staff:
When a musician is required to double on a different instrument for a section of a piece, the instruction to switch instruments is generally placed above the staff at the beginning of that section. A return to the primary instrument is handled in the same manner.
In MuseScore, the instruction to change to a different instrument is handled by the Change Instrument text element, which is found in the Text Palette. This text element is different from Staff and system text in that it is linked to playback, allowing for a change in sound to the new instrument.
To add an instrument change:
The instruction to change to the new instrument will appear above the selected insertion point in the score.
To remove an instrument change, click once on a Change instrument text element to select it, and press either del or backspace.
You can re-label any Change instrument text element in the score by double-clicking on it and entering new text. This will not affect the playback sound of the new instrument.
Playback sounds for instrument changes are reflected in the Mixer as separate channel strips stacked to the right of the primary instrument channel strip. These instruments are labelled in parentheses. You can change the assigned playback library, apply effects, adjust the volume, and mute, solo, and pan these channel strips just as you would any other instrument channel strip. For more information, see the Mixer.
Changing to a different instrument may necessitate the use of different key signatures, clefs, and even staff type. Learn more about changing staff type in Staff type change.
Fretboard (or Chord) diagrams usually appear above the staff on lead sheets and piano scores:
They are commonly used for guitar chords, but MuseScore allows you to create diagrams for any stringed instrument.
A library of common guitar chord diagrams (major, minor and 7th) is provided in the Fretboard Diagrams palette.
To reveal the chord name of any diagram in the palette, hover the cursor over it.
Use one of the following methods:
When any of the preset diagrams is applied to the score, a chord symbol is automatically placed above it. This linked chord symbol has the same properties as a stand-alone chord symbol and can be edited and moved as such.
The default placement of a chord symbol in relation to its parent diagram is controlled by the “Distance to Fretboard Diagram” property (Format→Style...→Chord Symbols→Positioning). This value interacts with the chord symbol “Minimum distance” (Properties→Appearance). Adjust the diagram’s position manually if you need to override this.
A linked chord symbol can be deleted independently of its parent diagram. You can also add a new linked chord symbol to a fretboard diagram: see Entering a chord symbol.
Note: Neither fretboard diagrams nor their linked chord symbols are affected by transposition commands.
Note: See also Fretboard diagram properties (below).
The default finger marker is a round black dot, which suffices for standard chord (and scale) diagrams. However a number of other shapes are provided—cross, square and triangle—to enable other notation styles.
Some arrangers and educators have extended the basic form of the fretboard diagram, incorporating finger dots of various shapes, and allowing multiple dots per string. Jazz guitarist Ted Greene and his successors are notable examples.
Multi-dot notation style. With this approach, the chord signified by round dots on the fretboard diagram is played first (see image below). Then, on successive beats marked by chord symbols, the chord fingering is modified to incorporate other shapes on the same diagram; the usual playing order is: dot → X → square → delta, but this can vary.
Optional-note notation style. Another use of multiple dots per string allows other symbols to show optional notes, rather than delayed notes:
Edit the following properties as desired:
When a fretboard diagram is selected, its properties are viewable in the Properties tab of the sidebar as follows:
At the bottom of the Fretboard diagram section of the sidebar is an image of the selected fretboard diagram. Any changes made to this image are automatically applied to the fretboard diagram in the score as well.
Bends are created with the Bend Tool located in the the Guitar palette.
To apply one or more bends to the score, use one of the following options:
When you select a bend its properties appear in the Properties panel:
Line thickness and arrow width for all bends in the score can be edited in Format→Style...→Bend. General text properties (font, size etc.) in Format→Style...→Text Styles→Bend.
The bend is represented by a graph consisting of red lines connected by circular, blue nodes. The slope of the line indicates the type of bend:
The vertical axis of the graph represents the amount by which the pitch is bent up or down: one unit equals a quarter-tone: 2 units a semitone, 4 units a whole-tone, and so on. The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the length of the bend: each line segment extends for 1 sp. in the score.
A bend is created/modified by adding or deleting nodes in the graph:
Adding a node lengthens the bend by 1 sp; deleting a node shortens the bend by 1 sp. The Start and End points of the bend can be moved up and down only.
The height of the bend symbol is automatically adjusted so that the text appears just above the staff. This height can be adjusted, if necessary, with a workaround:
To adjust position use one of the following:
Slides can be found in the Arpeggios and glissandi palette. They are of two types:
Use one of the following methods:
In the case of in-between slides going from one chord to the next, the program will attempt to link the correct notes where possible. If further adjustment is required, see below.
For in-between slides, the following properties can be adjusted in the Glissando section of the Properties panel.
In-between slides:
To move an end handle vertically or horizontally, from one note to the next:
Use this command to create cross-staff glissandi. Or to correct the positions of end handles when applying multiple glissandi to chords.
Slides in/out:
To adjust the position of the end handle:
A Barre lines is a text-line drawn above a guitar staff to indicate that the passage requires a full or half barre. The following notation is widely accepted in classical guitar music:
Full bar (2nd fret):
Half barre (2nd fret):
The C before the roman numerals can be omitted and other variations in line style and text are possible—according to the publisher.
To apply a barre:
To adjust the length of a line, see Changing range of a line.
Music for fretted, stringed instruments is commonly notated using tablature (often abbreviated as tab); this gives a visual representation of the strings and fret numbers. Tablature is frequently found in combination with traditional staff notation.
(To be added)
If you wish to create tablature as part of a new score, use the New Score dialog. If you want to add tablature to an existing score, use the Instruments dialog or the Instruments panel. Or, alternatively, you can edit a pre-existing staff.
To create tablature in a new score:
Note: If the desired tablature is not available, add any tablature staff at step 2 (above). Then, in the score, edit it using one of the methods shown in Change staff type (below).
To create a tablature staff in an existing score:
You can convert any existing plucked-string staff into the desired tablature type using the Instruments panel (sidebar), or the Staff/Part properties dialog.
To change an existing (plucked string instrument) staff into any tablature staff:
Music for the guitar (and other plucked-string instruments) is often notated using both standard musical staff and tablature on the same page. In MuseScore, you have the choice of either linked or unlinked staves.
Linked: In this case, any change you make to the notation in one staff is immediately applied to the other staff, and vice versa.
Unlinked: Each staff can be edited independently of the other. To transfer music notation from one staff to the other, select the desired range and copy and paste it onto the other staff.
Note : In both cases, the staff/tablature pair shares the same instrument.
This method is for linked staff/tab only.
This method can be used for both linked and unlinked staff/tab.
To create a new staff/tab pair:
To add tab to an existing plucked instrument staff (or vice versa):
Note for period instrument tablature: A to K (skipping I) can also be used to enter numbers 0 to 9. In French tablature the corresponing letters appear instead; for L, M, N, you need to type respectively 10, 11, 12.
See also, Edit notes (below).
To enter notes into tablature with a mouse:
See also, Edit notes (below).
MuseScore also supports tablature notation for period instruments such as the renaissance and baroque lutes, Theorbo etc. There are a number of notation systems in use (French, Italian, German, Spanish), but the most common is French.
French tablature features 6 lines representing the top 6 courses. Instead of numbers, fretmarks are indicated by letters—as explained above. Any notes on bass courses below the 6th string (fretted or unfretted) are represented by symbols in the space underneath the 6th line of tablature.
To enter symbols below the 6th line:
In note input mode, you can use any of the following methods to set note duration in tablature:
In note input mode:
In normal mode:
Note: The fret mark cannot be higher than the “Number of frets” value set in the Edit String Data dialog.
To move the fret mark to an adjacent string without changing the pitch (if the string is free and can produce that note):
In note input mode:
In normal mode:
Use one of the following methods:
To change a fret mark to a crosshead/ghost note:
Notes: (1) If the tuning is changed on a tab staff that already contains some notes, fret marks will be adjusted automatically (if possible); (2) Any change of tuning to a particular instrument applies only to the score at hand, and does not change any program default settings.
The new string is inserted below the selected string. You will also need to adjust the number of lines in Staff/Part properties→Advanced style properties.
Note: After deleting a tablature string you will also need to adjust the number of lines in Staff/Part properties→Advanced style properties.
This feature is used to mark a (bass) course as unstopped (i.e. like a harp string, always played open). This means that only “0” (zero) or “a” is accepted as a fret mark: any other fret mark will be converted to 0/a.
This property defines the maximum fret number which can be entered on a tablature staff.
MuseScore provides a range of common tablature types. If you want to change the tablature type, choose one of two options:
Note: If you need finer control over customization, see Customizing appearance of tablature (below).
You will find the terms "simple", "common" and "full" in the tablature type names:
To access the full range of tablature customization options:
This gives you access to the following options:
Fret marks are the numbers or letters used to indicate the location of notes on the fingerboard. The following group of properties define the appearance of fret marks:
This group of properties defines the appearance of the symbols indicating note values.
On a percussion staff, each line or space is allocated to a different instrument (rather than a different note as is the case with melodic instruments). Noteheads of different shapes (such as crossheads) are also used in addition to the standard ones.
Multiple voices may be used to group different instruments that are playing at once. For example, in a drumset, voice 1 (with stems upward) usually shows instruments played by the hands, such as drums and cymbals; while voice 2 (stems downward) shows instruments played by the feet, such as the bass drum and hi-hat pedal (see image above).
Generally, percussion music is written on a 5-line, 3-line, or 1-line staff. When a percussion instrument is added to a score via the New Score Wizard or the Instruments dialog, MuseScore automatically chooses the most appropriate staff type. This can be changed by using the "Staff type" column in the Instruments dialog.
You can add a percussion staff to your score in the same way other instruments are added. SeeInstruments dialog for more details.
The Drum input palette allows you to enter notes using a mouse.
First, enter note input mode by following these steps:
1. Select the percussion staff you'd like to add notes to.
2. Enter Note Input mode (see Entering notes and rests)
3. The Drum input palette will appear at the bottom of the window.
The Drum input palette displays all of the percussion instruments in the currently selected staff. Clicking on one of the note previews will display the name of that instrument.
To input notes into your score:
1. Select the instrument you'd like to use in the Drum input palette.
2. Select your desired note duration using the Note input toolbar.
3. Click the score where you would like to add the notes. You don't need to worry about placing it on the correct line/space because it will automatically snap into position.
The drum input palette provides keyboard shortcuts for inputting the most common instruments in a percussion staff.
Use the letters shown in the drum input palette to insert notes. You can use the shortcuts described in Keyboard shortcuts to change note duration and perform other actions.
If you'd like to insert notes that don't have a shortcut, you can input a nearby note that does have a shortcut, then use the up/down arrow keys to cycle through the instruments until you find the one you want.
Shortcuts can be customized by using the Edit drumset feature.
Diddles can be added by using an eighth-note Tremolo.
(will add soon, possibly in HowTo or a different page?)
To add a vibraphone pedal line, see Pedal.
To add a drumroll to your score, see Tremolo.
Will add
Distances
picture of page with elements labeled
The Mixer allows you to change instrument sounds (including loading virtual instruments and effects), adjust volume and panning, and make other adjustments to the playback for each stave.
A channel strip is automatically created for each stave in the score (this includes when a mid-score instrument change is applied to a stave). There is also a dedicated metronome channel strip and master fader.
Users of previous versions of MuseScore should note that the concept of a “part track” with subsidiary “channel tracks” does not exist in MuseScore 4 due to compatibility issues with the new playback engine. It may be reintroduced in later versions.
You can display/hide the mixer by:
Each channel strip contains the following controls (described from the bottom of a channel strip upwards):
Mute and solo controls can be used in combination to change which instruments are heard during playback. For example, it is possible to put multiple staves into solo mode, so that only those staves are heard. It is also possible to mute a soloed stave.
MuseScore 4 supports virtual instrument effects plugins (VSTs). If you have VSTs installed on your computer, they will automatically appear in the Sound and Audio FX drop-downs in the mixer.
The plugin will load as a separate window above your score. When you load an audio FX plugin, a new slot appears in the track
This deactivates the plugin without removing it from the mixer.
This removes the effects plugin from the mixer.
Only one sound plugin (virtual instrument) can be loaded for each track, and there must always be a sound assigned to each track (I.e. a track cannot contain no instrument sound). You can replace a sound using the process described above and selecting a different plugin or the default MuseScore General HQ SoundFont.
Out of the box, MuseScore comes packaged with its own SoundFont MuseScore GeneralHQ. This contains practically all of the instrument sounds you’ll need to get up and running with score creation. For a far more realistic, high quality audio experience, however, you can install our Muse Sounds orchestral plugins, using the Muse Installer. Aside from this, MuseScore continues to support the SoundFont format (.sf2, .sf3), which is a single file containing one or more virtual instruments.
Once you’ve downloaded a SoundFont to your computer, there are two ways to install a SoundFont in MuseScore 4:
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By default, MuseScore looks for SoundFonts in the following directories:
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You can also specify in which folder(s) on your computer MuseScore looks to find SoundFonts. If a SoundFont is installed in a recognised folder (“directory”), it will automatically be available in MuseScore.
First, specify the SoundFont directory in MuseScore 4:
Once a SoundFont is installed, all you’ll need to do is choose the SoundFont you want for each instrument in your score. To do this:
Repeat this process for each instrument. In most cases, MuseScore will automatically map instruments to their correct sounds in the specified SoundFont, as long as that SoundFont is using the correct MIDI instrument definitions.
To uninstall a SoundFont, simply open the folder where its file is installed and delete it.
Users of MuseScore 3.6 and earlier may be accustomed to using the Zerberus player, which supports the .sfz file format. In building a new system that now supports VST instruments, changes were required that necessitated the removal of the Zerberus player, as well as the Synthesizer found in previous versions of MuseScore. Consequently, some functionality has been lost in this process, including the ability to map specific instrument sounds like pizzicato and tremolo to specific MIDI channels. Our highest priority in future releases of MuseScore 4 is to again support this functionality for VST, SoundFont and the Muse Sounds libraries. Users who rely extensively on mapping .sfz sounds to specific performance directions are advised to continue using earlier versions of MuseScore until we re-enable this capability in MuseScore 4. It is worth mentioning that the new systems we are planning will be much more flexible, easy to use and powerful than those found in MuseScore 3.
For those who wish to still use SFZ sounds in MuseScore 4, good alternatives would be the open source VST samplers, Sfizz (Windows, Mac & Linux) or Sforzando (Windows & Mac), both of which support SFZ playback.
potentially delete this page - piano roll editor is not currently in MU4
This section needs to be organized / written by someone with an understanding of how to use MIDI input/output in MuseScore 4. If JACK is still supported, it could be discussed here too, or in a new page.
MuseScore 4 supports VSTi plugins and effects. Any compatible VST plugins on your computer will be automatically made available in the Mixer, where you can easily switch between VSTi plugins, stack multiple VST effects, and access plugin interfaces for further customisation.
MuseScore 4 also supports its own free, high quality sample libraries (Muse Sounds, available as a separate downloads). See Download and Installation for details on how to install this.
Sounds you load in the Mixer will always be saved on a per-score basis, so there is no longer any need for the Synthesizer panel found in MuseScore 3 (this has been removed in MuseScore 4). If you previously used SFZ files for playback in MuseScore 3, we now recommend that you use a free VST sampler, like Sfizz or Sforzando, both of which support SFZ playback. #
See SoundFonts to learn more about support for the .sfz format in MuseScore 4.
To learn more about how to work with VST plugins in the Mixer, see Audio FX and Sounds.
The glossary is a work in progress—please help if you can. You can discuss this page in the documentation forum.
The list below is a glossary of frequently used terms in MuseScore as well as their meaning. The differences between American English and British English are marked with "(AE)" and "(BE)", respectively.
A curved line between two or more notes on the same pitch to indicate a single note of combined duration:
The act of moving the pitches of one or more notes up or down by a constant interval. There may be several reasons for transposing a piece, for example: