Published on MuseScore (https://musescore.org)

Handbook for MuseScore 4

This handbook is valid for MuseScore version 4.0 and above. If you are using a different version of the program, please consult the appropriate handbook for your version:

  • MuseScore 3 Handbook
  • MuseScore 2 Handbook
  • MuseScore 1 Handbook

This handbook is maintained and translated by the MuseScore community. Contributions are welcome! In case of doubt, please consult the English version of this handbook, or ask for help in the Support Forum.

If you are upgrading from MuseScore 3, you may find the following pages useful:

  • Upgrade from MuseScore 3.x (includes a list of keyboard shortcuts that have changed)
  • MuseScore 3 features not implemented in MuseScore 4

Use the links below to explore content in each chapter of the handbook. Alternatively, you can view the entire handbook as a single continuous page, and use your browser's Print facility to turn that page into a PDF for offline viewing.

To search for information:

  • Try browsing the illustrated Glossary for notations you are incapable of naming.
  • Open "Full Table of Contents", use "Find in page (Ctrl/Cmd⌘ + F)" function of your web browser, or
  • Use this Google search syntax site:musescore.org your topic, e.g. site:musescore.org tempo, or
  • Use the search function as shown on the screenshot below

If you can't find the information you need in the Handbook, please ask for help in the Support Forum.

Full Table of Contents

Full Table of Contents

Chapters

Editing the Handbook

    Guidelines for writing articles

    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.

    Structure - General principles

    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:

    Start with an overview

    Starting your page with an overview can help introduce a topic before launching into details. Overviews don't usually need a section heading.

    Establish a hierarchy

    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.

    Group information logically

    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.

    Focus on user tasks, not just UI components

    For instance, a section about "Creating custom key signatures" is better than a section called "Using the master palette".

    Create a table of contents

    Please be sure to enable the "Generate a table of contents" option for all Handbook pages.

    Headings

    In an effort to ensure consistency of style for community-written pages, we have already provided headings on many pages. Please organize 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"

    Content

    The MuseScore handbook broadly contains two main types of information: descriptive material, and goal-oriented instructions.

    Descriptive material

    This is used to explain different areas 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.

    Descriptive material tends to be longer and more “fleshed out” than goal-oriented instructions, but we still ask that you use simple, plain language wherever you can.

    Goal-oriented instructions

    These explain how to perform a specific task. The instructions should be as short and direct as possible, generally taking the form of a numbered list. For example,

    To create a new palette

    1. Open the palettes tab
    2. Click Add palettes
    3. Click Create custom palette
    4. Name your new palette and click Create

    Notice that we use bold text for named components of the user interface, including menus. Keyboard shortcuts, such as Ctrl+S, are rendered with <kbd> tags (see Syntax).

    When writing goal-oriented instructions, please:

    • Use only numbered lists (no dot points)
    • Begin each numbered instruction with a verb
    • Write only one task/direction per numbered item

    For example, instead of writing this:

    1. Open the palettes tab and click Add palettes

    Please write this:

    1. Open the palettes tab
    2. Click Add palettes

    Please be sure to include keyboard options for goal-oriented instructions, where such options exist. This is especially important for improving the program's accessibility.

    Use of non-written media

    The use of non-written media is encouraged as a supplement to written descriptions. This includes:

    • Animated GIFs
    • Screenshots of relevant parts of the user interface

    Creating animated GIFs

    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).

    • Use only the MuseScore 4 interface, and set its appearance to dark mode with blue highlights (to achieve consistency across the entire handbook)
    • Plan and rehearse the mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts you will use, aiming to demonstrate the required steps in as short as possible time (ideally <10s)
    • Use a free tool like gifcap to record the contents of your screen
    • Use a free tool like KeyCastr to record keystrokes (where required)
    • Only show the amount of UI required demonstrate a particular task

    Linking to other pages

    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.

    Use the right syntax

    [node:######,title="Name of the page you want to link to"]

    or, to link to a specific heading within the page:

    [node:######,fragment="heading-slug",title="Name of the page you want to link to"]

    Link to the page's node number, not the page's URL

    To find a page's node number:

    1. Open the desired page in your browser
    2. Click the "three dots" icon in the top-right of the page
    3. Click Edit in the context menu that appears
    4. Click on your browser's search bar to read the URL

    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:
    Image showing where to find a page's node number

    You can use this as a bookmarlet in your bookmarks

    javascript:void function()
    {prompt("",`[node:${drupalSettings.path.currentPath.replace("node/","")}${document.querySelector("meta[property=\"og:title\"]").content?`,title="${document.querySelector("meta[property=\"og:title\"]").content}"`:""}${window.location.hash?
    `,fragment="${decodeURIComponent(window.location.hash).replace("#","")}"`:""}]`)}();

    Taken from node,title,fragment bookmarklet

    Syntax

    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 anymore).

    Some examples for stuff beyond MarkDown:

    Keys
    <kbd><kbd>A</kbd></kbd>, looks like A. (See Writing keyboard shortcuts below.)
    Key combinations
    <kbd><kbd>Shift</kbd>+<kbd>A</kbd></kbd>, looks like Shift+A. (See Writing keyboard shortcuts below.)
    Buttons
    <kbd><samp class="button">Advanced Style Properties…</samp></kbd>, looks like Advanced Style Properties…, but this particular form is not used in the MuseScore 4 handbook (instead use bold for text that appears in the program).
    Menu entries
    __File&rarr;Open__, looks like File→Open
    Images
    <img src="image URL" alt="File name description" width="500px"/>, can be a useful alternative to inline images, where the image width needs to be specified

    Writing keyboard shortcuts

    Use the <kbd> syntax described above and follow these guidelines:

    • For accessibility reasons, always use words instead of symbols for the names of all whitespace keys, arrow keys, and modifier keys.

      • Good: Cmd+Space; Win+Return; Shift+Tab

      • Bad: ⌘+ ; ⊞+⏎; ⇧+↹

    • For keys that represent printable characters, the appropriate character should be used (e.g. write $ not Dollar).

    • Use common abbreviations like Ctrl, Cmd, Esc, Del, PgDn. Don't abbreviate key names that are not normally abbreviated.

    • Except where it matters, prefer Return instead of Enter, and Del instead of Backspace.

    • For combinations, write modifier keys in this order: Win+Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Fn+… (Mac: Ctrl+Cmd+Option+Shift+Fn+…).

    When in doubt, consult Default keyboard shortcuts for the canonical way to write key names and combinations.

    Leaving a revision log message

    Finally, whenever you make a change to a page (however big or small!), please leave a concise message that briefly describes the changes you made. For example,

    • Added content about xxx
    • Added images
    • Corrected content
    • Added keyboard tags

    Leave this information in the Revision log message text field in the right panel of the Edit view for each page:

    Revision log text field

    Introduction to MuseScore 4

      Download and installation

      Windows

      macOS

      Linux

      AppImage

      New features in MuseScore 4

      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.

      New user interface

      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 color. Changes to the appearance of the app can be made in Preferences.

      Instruments and parts

      A new instruments panel allows you to hide, rearrange and customize 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.

      Inspector

      The Inspector from earlier versions of MuseScore is now known as the Properties panel. Every option in this panel has been re-organized 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.

      New playback and VSTi support

      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 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.

      Engraving improvements

      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.

      Cloud storage

      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.

      Other changes

      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:

      • An expanded note input toolbar, with one-click access to frequently used elements like tuplets and articulation marks. There’s also a convenient “+” menu where you can quickly add everything from notes and intervals, to frames and text elements.
      • Easy-access features in the Properties panel that let you quickly add and remove measures, and show and hide empty staves
      • A beautiful new mixer
      • Improvements to the time signature properties dialog
      • A streamlined experience for setting the language of the app
      • A new Learn center for instructional videos on how to get the most from the app

      Create your first score

      We’ll start by creating a new score from a template (Alternatively, you can learn about creating a score from scratch in Setting up your score).

      To create a score from a template:

      1. Click New score in the Scores screen
      2. In the New score dialog that appears, browse templates by Category, or use the search bar to look up a template directly
      3. Click Next to enter additional score information (or skip this step and let MuseScore pre-fill your score with default information, which you can always change later)
      4. Click Done to create your new score

      Create new score (animated image)

      Entering score information

      In the Additional score information screen, you can set:

      • The initial key signature (the default key signature contains no sharps or flats)
      • The initial time signature (the default time signature is 4/4)
      • The initial tempo (Click Tempo, then Show tempo marking on my score for this to appear)
      • A pickup measure (anacrusis or upbeat measure), and its duration
      • The initial number of measures in the score (the default is 32, but you can add/remove measures from the score edit window)

      Entering notes

      The simplest way to enter notes in MuseScore is to:

      1. Hit N on your keyboard to enter note input mode
      2. Start typing note names (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

      Entering notes (animated image)

      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:

      1. Ensure you are in note input mode (See above)
      2. Click on the desired note duration, or
      3. Use shortcut keys 1 through 7 to select different note values

      Changing note durations (animated image)

      Learn more about this topic in Entering notes and rests.

      Adding items from the palettes

      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:

      1. Select an existing object (or range of objects) in your score (e.g. a notehead, clef, measure, etc.)
      2. In the Palettes panel, open a palette by clicking the triangular arrow button
      3. Click once on a palette object

      adding palette items to the score (animated image)

      Learn more about this topic in Palettes

      Making adjustments in Properties

      The Properties panel can be revealed by clicking on the Properties tab on the left side of the screen:

      locating the properties panel image

      (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.

      Properties demonstration (animated image)

      Learn more about this topic in Properties.

      Inserting and deleting measures

      To insert a single measure:

      1. Click on a measure to select it
      2. In the Measure section of Properties, click Insert measures
      3. Click the + button

      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:

      1. Select the measure(s) you wish to delete
      2. In the Measures popup, click the trash can icon

      inserting and deleting measures (animated image)

      More information on this topic can be found in Measures.

      Exporting your score

      Export allows you to create non-MuseScore files, such as PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, and various audio and image formats.

      To export your score:

      1. Select the Publish tab
      2. Click Export
      3. Select the parts you wish to export
      4. Choose the file format for your exported file(s)
      5. If exporting multiple parts, choose whether you want each part combined into one file or exported to as separate files
      6. Click Export

      You can also share scores online on musescore.com.

      Saving your score

      [Content on its way!]

      Viewing and navigation

        Accessibility

          Screen readers

          MuseScore 4 supports the following screen readers on each operating system:

          • Windows 10 and 11: Narrator and NVDA
          • macOS: VoiceOver
          • Linux: Orca

          Speech with JAWS is mostly working, but the output is not as complete as it is with Narrator or NVDA.

          Speech on Windows

          If screen reader speech output stops working for you at any time, try pressing Alt+F to focus the File menu, then press Esc twice to return to where you were in the app, at which point speech should work again as normal. It can be necessary to do this if you start the screen reader after MuseScore is already running, for example.

          Speech on macOS

          VoiceOver's Quick Nav mode must be turned off while using MuseScore 4. You can toggle Quick Nav on or off by pressing the Left and Right arrow keys simultaneously while VoiceOver is running, or you can disable Quick Nav from within VoiceOver Utility > Commanders.

          MuseScore's interface is navigable with the tab cursor and with VoiceOver's own cursor. In general it's best to use the tab cursor because this matches the interface on other platforms, and as such is the interface described in most documentation and tutorials. VoiceOver's cursor can be used to reach areas of the application that are not yet accessible via the tab cursor. When using the tab cursor, remember to use the arrow keys as well as Tab for navigation (see Navigating the UI).

          Speech on Linux

          On Linux it is necessary to start the screen reader running before you launch MuseScore, otherwise accessibility features will be disabled to save system resources. If you forget to do this, simply exit MuseScore and launch it again. The same is true of all Linux applications built on the Qt framework.

          Orca is the most feature-complete screen reader available for Linux. Orca is built into the GNOME desktop environment, so it is recommended that Linux users with accessibility needs use a distribution based on GNOME or one of its derivatives.

          Keyboard access

          Navigating the UI

          Keyboard navigation in MuseScore 4's user interface (UI) relies on the arrow keys in addition to the tab key. Press the tab key to cycle through each control group, then use the arrow keys to navigate to individual controls within the group. This new system of navigation allows you to navigate to anywhere in the interface with far fewer keypresses than if the tab key was used to access every individual control, as is commonly the case in other applications, including previous versions of MuseScore. The new navigation system is still being refined, and feedback is welcome in the Development Forum.

          In addition to the arrow keys and tab, there is a new F6 shortcut that will take you between different panels within the program. Here is how the navigation shortcuts work together to create a hierarchical system of navigation:

          • Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys: Move focus from one control to the next within a control group (e.g. navigate between buttons in a toolbar).

          • Tab and Shift+Tab: Move focus out of one control group and into the next one (e.g. navigate between toolbars).

          • F6 and Shift+F6: Move focus between panels and large sections of the UI (e.g. navigate from toolbars to the Palettes or notation view).

          By default, the grave accent key ` (sometimes called "backtick") can be used as an alternative to F6 for navigation between panels. Grave accent is found above the Tab key on most QWERTY keyboards. If it's not there on your keyboard, consider changing this shortcut in Preferences to set it to whatever key is above Tab on your keyboard, as it can be convenient to have the navigation keys located close to each other.

          Once you have navigated to a button or control, in most cases it can be activated by pressing the Spacebar, Enter or Return key. Within lists and other item views, Spacebar is often used to select items rather than to activate them. Once selected, certain items can be deleted by pressing the Delete key, or modified by tabbing to other UI controls that become active once something has been selected. For example, this approach can be used within the Instruments panel to remove instruments that you have previously added to the score.

          Navigating the score

          Navigation within the score (i.e. inside the "Notation view") is much the same as it was in MuseScore 3. Here are the shortcuts that are of particular value to accessibility users:

          Shortcut Action
          Alt+Right and Alt+Left Move to next or previous element. These shortcuts enable you to visit all kinds of notation elements, not just notes and rests.
          Alt+Up and Alt+Down Move to note above or below. These shortcuts enable you to move between individual notes in a chord, and also to reach notes and rests in other voices and in other staves.
          F2 or Alt+Shift+E Edit selected element. This is the keyboard equivalent of double-clicking on an element with the mouse. It enables you to edit text objects, including lyrics, dynamics, and tempo markings. It also enables you to adjust the length of line elements such as hairpins, slurs, and voltas (use the Tab key to change which end of the line you are adjusting). When you are done editing, press Esc to return to Normal mode.

          Other aspects of keyboard navigation are described on pages throughout this handbook.

          Video tutorials

          The following accessibility tutorials are designed to get you up and running with MuseScore, using your keyboard and screen reader. They don't cover every aspect of the program, but they should give you a solid foundation that will enable you can take full advantage of the rest of this Handbook.

          Video Description
          Installing MuseScore This video covers the installation of MuseScore on Windows, including Muse Hub and Muse Sounds. The process is similar on macOS and Linux, although on Linux you need to install Muse Hub and MuseScore separately.
          Score setup This video covers the initial setup of your score, including choosing instruments and selecting the key and time signature and other settings.
          Entering music This video covers basic note input.
          Adding markings This video covers adding markings such as dynamics to your score, by using the palettes.
          The user interface This video walks through the main window of the program, so you can understand where all the different panels, toolbars, and controls are, and how to reach them by keyboard.

          The user interface

            Menu bar

            Main menu

            The Menu bar in MuseScore 4 contains the following menus:

            • File: Create a new file, open and save files, import and export various formats, create and edit instrument parts, and print
            • Edit: Undo and redo options, copy/cut/paste options, and Find / Go to function
            • View: Show or hide various palettes, dialogs, and other workspace elements
            • Add: Add different kinds of score elements; notes, text, measures etc.
            • Format: Adjust global and local formatting of the score. Also allows you to stretch or contract the score, load and save score styles, and much more
            • Tools: Many useful commands are available here including transpose, exchange voices, slash notation etc.
            • Plugins: Manage your plugins
            • Help: Access the online handbook, report bugs and give feedback, and restore factory settings

            Keyboard users on Windows and Linux can access these menus by holding the Alt key and pressing a certain letter or number key, known as the mnemonic access key, that is displayed with an underline in the name of the menu item you are looking for. For example, press Alt+F for File followed by Alt+A for Save as. The letters 'F' and 'a' are underlined in the UI while the Alt key is held.

            On macOS, MuseScore's menus are part of the system-wide menu bar, which you can navigate to by pressing Ctrl+F2.

            Home tab

            Home tab

            Beneath the main menu are three tabs, the first of which is the Home tab. This tab contains the following sections:

            My account

            Create a new MuseScore account, or login to your existing account. With an active account, you can get technical assistance and report bugs in the forums at musescore.org. You can also save your files to the cloud on musescore.com.

            Scores

            This section allows you to set up a new score, or to open an existing one. Learn about creating new scores in Setting up your score.

            Plugins

            This window displays a list of available plugins. See the chapter on Plugins to learn about managing these useful add-ons.

            Learn

            This is where video tutorials are hosted. Clicking on any video tutorial opens it on the official MuseScore YouTube channel.

            Score tab

            Score tab

            This are is where you do most of your work in MuseScore, including adding music notation and listening to the playback of your score. The workspace consist of several regions (numbered according to labels in the below diagram):

            MuseScore 4 user interface diagram

            1. Parts: The button near the top center of the window opens the Parts dialog, where you can create, edit and delete instrument part scores.
            2. Mixer: The button to the right of Parts opens and closes the Mixer panel.
            3. Playback toolbar. Located to the right of the mixer icon.
            4. Note input toolbar: Extending across the program window, this includes essential notation elements used in score writing. Use it to set the note input duration, toggle accidentals, apply common articulations, enter tuplets, and change between voices.
            5. Side bar: The area on the left-hand side of the program window contains various panels such as Palettes, Properties, and Instruments. These can be hidden or displayed as desired.
            6. Document/Score window: This area contains your score, and is where notation elements are added, edited, and deleted.
            7. Status bar: This runs along the bottom of the window. The left-hand side displays useful information about the score when one or more elements are selected. The right-hand side contains controls for switching between workspaces, selecting concert or written pitch views, and specifying the page display and zoom factor (magnification).

            Keyboard users can use the Tab key or F6 to navigate between these UI regions via the keyboard. Within each region, navigation is performed with the arrow keys and Tab.

            Almost all panels and toolbars can be un-docked and repositioned according to your project requirements and workflow preferences. Learn more about this in Workspaces.

            Publish tab

            Publish tab

            This tab allows you to view your score without the clutter of the note input toolbar or sidebar panels. There are options to print the score, and to export it in a variety of image, audio and document formats. When your score is finished, you can also publish it to musescore.com.

            Context menus

            In certain parts of the application, primarily in the Score tab, context menus are available with additional functionality, such as options to copy, edit, customise, delete, or view the properties of whatever item(s) were selected at the time you opened the menu.

            Element context menus

            Within the score, every element has a context menu. To open the context menu for a particular element, right-click on the element with the mouse, or select the element via the keyboard and press Shift+F10 (some PC keyboards also have a dedicated Menu key near to the right Ctrl key). The exact options available in the context menu can differ depending on the type of element you selected, so it is worth experimenting to find out what options are available for different kinds of elements. For example, when you right-click on an empty region within a measure the resulting context menu contains options for Staff/Part properties and Measure properties. This is currently the only way to get to those options and the dialogs they lead to.

            UI context menus

            Outside of the score, the presence of a context menu is often indicated by a small button with three dots, or by a settings cog. Press the button to open the menu. Sometimes the button is associated with another item in the vicinity, such as in the Palettes, where there is three-dots button for each palette. In this case you can right-click on the palette name, or select it with the keyboard and press the Shift+F10 or Menu key shortcut, as an alternative to using the three-dots button.

            Navigating your score

              Scrolling

              Mouse wheel

              • Use the scroll wheel to move the view up and down.
              • Use Shift plus the scroll wheel to move the view left and right.

              Scrollbars

              Scrollbars appear at the right-hand and bottom edges of the score view. Click and drag them to quickly move the score view up and down, or left and right. Scrollbars are usually hidden from view, but can be revealed by hovering over the edge of the score view with your mouse.

              Using scrollbars

              Keyboard

              You can also scroll the score using the PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys on your keyboard. If your keyboard lacks dedicated keys for these functions, most systems will also allow you to access these functions by holding Fn or a similar key, then pressing Up, Down, Left, or Right respectively.

              By themselves, PgUp and PgDn scroll one screenful at a time. This may be less than an actual page of your score. If you hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) while pressing PgUp or PgDn, it moves a full page at a time.

              Element navigation

              When a single element is selected in your score, it acts as a cursor. You can change the selection—and thus move the cursor—using common keyboard shortcuts.

              The Left and Right keys will move horizontally through your score one note or rest at a time. If you hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) while pressing Left or Right, you can navigate a full measure at a time.

              To move the cursor vertically through the various notes, voices, and staves in your score, use the shortcuts Alt+Up and Alt+Down (Mac: Option+Up and Option+Down).

              You can also use the shortcuts Alt+Left and Alt+Right (Mac: Option+Left and Option+Right) to select elements other than notes or rests. These commands allow you select almost any elements—including articulations, barlines, hairpins, and more—using the keyboard alone.

              In addition, Ctrl+Home (Mac: Cmd+Home) will select the first element in your score, and Ctrl+End (Mac: Cmd+End) will select the last element. Again, for keyboards that lack dedicated Home and End keys, most systems provide the alternative of Fn+Left and Fn+Right respectively.

              See Default keyboard shortcuts to learn more.

              Navigator

              The Navigator is a panel that displays thumbnails of score pages. To view or hide the Navigator, click View → Navigator.

              Using scrollbars

              The blue bounding box represents the area of the score currently in focus in the score view. Click on the box and drag it to move around your score.

              Timeline

              A navigation aid that shows instruments and score structure. For details, see Timeline.

              Views

              You can switch between different views of the score using the pop-up in the right-hand side of the status bar.

              Using scrollbars

              Page view

              The score is shown as it will appear when printed or exported as a PDF or image file: that is, page by page, with margins. MuseScore applies system (line) and page breaks automatically, according to the settings made in Page settings and Style. In addition, you can apply your own system (line), page or section breaks.

              Continuous view (horizontal)

              The score is shown as one unbroken system. Even if the starting point is not in view, measure numbers, instrument names, clefs, time and key signatures will always be displayed on the left of the window.

              Continuous view (vertical)

              The score is shown as a single page with a header but no margins, and with an infinite page height. System (line) breaks are added automatically, according to the settings made in Page settings and Style. In addition, you can apply your own system (line) or section breaks.

              Zoom

              There are several ways to zoom the score in or out:

              Zoom in

              Ctrl++ (Mac: Cmd++)
              or scroll up with the mouse scroll wheel while holding Ctrl (Mac: Cmd).

              Zoom out

              Ctrl+- (Mac: Cmd+-)
              or scroll down with the mouse scroll wheel while holding Ctrl (Mac: Cmd).

              Status bar zoom controls

              To zoom in and out of your score from the Status bar controls:

              • Click on the magnifying glass icons in the right-hand area of the status bar:
              • Click the number field to the right of these icons, then type a custom zoom level
              • Choose from one of the preset zoom levels in the pop-up list on the extreme right

              Zooming

              Restoring 100% zoom

              This restores the zoom to the default (100%) level.

              Ctrl+0 (Mac: Cmd+0)

              Find/Go to

              The Find/Go to panel allows you to speedily navigate to a specific measure, rehearsal mark or page number in the score.

              To show the panel:

              • Go to Edit → Find, or
              • Press Ctrl+F (Mac: Cmd+F).

              To hide the panel:

              • Click the X (close) button on the left side of the panel, or
              • Press Esc while the panel has focus.

              Navigating to a numbered measure

              Enter the measure number (counting every measure, starting with 1, irrespective of pickup measures, section breaks or manual changes to measure number offsets).

              Navigating to a numbered page

              Enter the page number using the format pXX (where XX is the page number).

              Navigating to a numerical rehearsal mark

              Enter the number using the format rXX (where XX is the name of the rehearsal mark).

              Navigating to an alphabetic rehearsal mark

              Enter the name of the rehearsal mark (the search is not case sensitive).

              Pro tip! It is best to avoid naming rehearsal marks with the single letters “R", “r", “P”, “p", or one of these letters with an integer (e.g. “R1” or “p3”), as this can confuse the search algorithm.

              Timeline

                Overview

                Timeline is a navigation aid that displays at the bottom of the program window, giving you an overview of the instruments and main structural elements measure-by-measure. You can easily move about the score by clicking on a measure or a structural element.

                There are four parts to the timeline:

                Meta labels

                This is found in the top left corner of the timeline. These are the names of the meta rows.

                Instrument labels

                This is found in the bottom left corner of the timeline. These are the names of the rows in the main grid.

                Meta rows

                This is found in the top right corner of the timeline. These hold the meta values of the score.

                Main grid

                This is found in the bottom right corner of the timeline. This holds multiple 'cells' (a specific measure and staff in the score represented as a square)

                Meta elements

                Meta elements are those found in the score that are not notes, but are still important to the score—such as key signature, time signature, tempo, rehearsal marks, bar lines, and jumps and markers.

                Timeline

                Basic interactions

                Selecting a measure

                To select a measure in the timeline, press the mouse button on the cell. A blue box will appear around the selected cell and the respective measure in the score will be selected. The score view will place the selected measure in view.

                Selecting multiple measures

                Drag selection

                Holding Shift and holding the left mouse button and dragging the mouse over the main grid will create a selection box. Upon releasing the mouse button, all the cells underneath the selection box will be selected, as well as all the measures in the score.

                [Shift] selection

                If a cell is already selected, holding Shift and selecting another cell in the timeline will stretch the selection to that new cell, similar to how the score does

                [Ctrl] selection

                If no cells are currently selected, holding Ctrl and selecting a cell will select the entire measure

                Clearing a selection

                To clear selection, holding Ctrl and clicking anywhere on the grid or the meta rows will clear any current selection.

                Meta values selection

                Selecting the meta values on the timeline will attempt to select the respective meta values in the score.

                Scrolling

                Standard scrolling

                Scrolling the mouse wheel up or down will move the grid and instrument labels down or up respectively. The meta labels and rows do not move.

                [Shift] scrolling

                Holding Shift and scrolling the mouse wheel up or down will move the grid and meta rows left or right respectively. The meta labels and instrument labels do not move.

                [Alt] scrolling

                Holding Alt and scrolling the mouse wheel up or down will move the grid and meta rows left or right respectively, faster than Shift scrolling. The meta labels and instrument labels do not move.

                Dragging

                To drag the contents of the timeline, hold the left mouse button and move it around.

                Labels interaction

                Rearranging meta labels

                All meta labels besides the measures meta may be rearranged in any way. By moving the mouse cursor onto one of the meta labels, small up and down arrows will appear. Click the left mouse button on the up arrow to swap the meta label with the one above it. Click the left mouse button on the down arrow to swap the meta label with the one below it.

                Collapsing the meta labels

                In order to hide all the meta labels while keeping all the meta information on the timeline, there is an arrow that appears on the measures meta when the mouse is over it. Click the left mouse button on the large up arrow to collapse all the currently visible meta rows into one row, where the meta values are staggered in that row. Click the left mouse button on the large down arrow to expand the meta rows again.

                Timeline collapsed

                Hiding instruments

                All instruments--hidden or not--will be displayed on the timeline. To start this interaction, the mouse cursor is moved over an instrument label. A small eye will appear on the right side of the label that is open if the instrument is visible on the score, and closed if the instrument is hidden. Click the left mouse button on the eye to toggle between the two options.

                Hidden instrument

                Zooming

                To zoom in or out of the score, hold Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel up or down respectively (Mac: Cmd + scroll).

                Context menus

                To bring up a context menu, right-click on the timeline. There are three context menus found in these locations: meta labels, instrument labels, and meta rows.

                Meta labels context menu

                Upon clicking the right mouse button on the meta labels, a context menu appears that displays all possible meta labels as well as two options: "Hide all" and "Show all." Next to each meta label in the menu, there is a check box that shows if the meta label is currently being shown on the timeline. To show or hide one of the meta labels, select the box of the meta label in the context menu. Selecting "Hide all" will hide all meta labels except for the measures meta. Selecting "Show all" will display all meta labels.

                Meta rows context menu

                Clicking the right mouse button on the meta rows will display the same context menu as the meta labels.

                Instrument context menu

                Clicking the right mouse button on the instrument labels will display a context menu with the option to "Edit Instruments." Selecting this will bring you to the same dialog as Edit > Instruments... or pressing I for the shortcut.

                Basics

                  Setting up your score

                    Overview

                    To create a new score, use one of the following options:

                    • in the Home: Scores tab, select New score, or click New (bottom right).
                    • From the menu, select File→New.
                    • Use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+N (Mac: Cmd+N).

                    Create new score (animated image)

                    This will open the New Score dialog (More instructions about this dialog are below). Once you've finished setting up your score, it will be visible in the Score tab.

                    Instruments

                    When creating a new score, you can either choose instruments yourself, or you can use a template that comes pre-configured with appropriate instruments (These can always be changed later).

                    Choose instruments

                    In the New Score dialog, make sure the Choose instruments tab is selected.

                    Choose instruments (animated image)

                    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. Alternatively, you can browse instruments by group from the Family dropdown menu.

                    Adding instruments

                    To add an instrument to your score:

                    1. Click on the instrument name to select it
                    2. Click the → button to add the instrument to your score (Pro tip: double-clicking an instrument name does the same thing).

                    Add instruments (animated image)

                    Instruments are automatically arranged according to the order shown in the dropdown menu under Your Score. From this menu, you can choose from a range of standard score configurations or use a custom one.

                    Changing order of instruments

                    To manually change the order of instruments:

                    1. Select an instrument in the Your Score panel
                    2. Click on ↑ or ↓ to change its position

                    Change order of instruments (animated image)

                    Removing instruments

                    To delete an instrument from your score:

                    1. Select an instrument in the Your Score panel
                    2. Click the trash icon

                    Deleting instruments (animated image)

                    You can also delete multiple instruments at once by first holding down Shift and selecting multiple instruments, then clicking the trash icon.

                    Create from template

                    Scores can also be created from pre-configured templates.

                    Templates are organized into categories based on musical style or ensemble configuration. Each template contains the instruments most commonly required for a particular type of score. Instruments are ordered and styled according to conventional practice.

                    To create a score from a template:

                    1. Click Create from template
                    2. Select a group of templates from the Category panel
                    3. Choose your desired template from the center panel
                    4. Click Done

                    Create score from template (animated image)

                    You can also search across all available templates in the search bar.

                    Visit Templates and styles to learn more templates, including how to create your own for future use.

                    Additional score information

                    Click Next in the New score dialog to specify additional information about your score.

                    Specify additional score information (animated image)

                    Key signature

                    By default, new scores are created with a key signature containing no sharps or flats (C major). Specify a different key signature by clicking the button under Key signature. Major keys are shown first; minor keys can be displayed by selecting the Minor tab.

                    Time signature

                    New scores will be created in 4/4 by default. Change this by clicking the button under Time signature. Change the number of beats per bar using the arrows in the spin box, and change the beat quality from the dropdown menu. You can also select common and cut-common (alla-breve) time signatures in this popup.

                    Tempo

                    By default, new scores will play at a tempo of crotchet (quarter note) = 120 beats per minute (bpm). Metronome markings are not automatically included in new scores.

                    To customize the starting playback tempo, and to show a metronome marking above the uppermost stave:

                    1. Click the button under Tempo
                    2. Tick Show tempo marking on my score
                    3. Select the desired beat value
                    4. Enter the desired number of beats per minute (20-400) in the text field or use the up and down arrows to scroll through the tempo range.

                    Learn more about tempo text indications, metronome markings, and playback speed in tempo markings.

                    Measures

                    New scores are created with 32 measures and no pickup (anacrusis). To change the starting number of measures in your new score:

                    1. Click the button under Measures
                    2. Enter the desired number of measures in the Initial number of measures field

                    Learn more about Adding and removing measures at any time after score creation.

                    To start your score with a pickup:

                    1. Click the button under Measures
                    2. Tick Create pickup measure
                    3. Enter the desired number of beats for the pickup in the text field
                    4. Select the metrical value of the pickup measure from the drop-down menu

                    You can always create a pickup later. Learn how to do this in Pickup and non-metered measures.

                    Title and other text

                    Enter text in the fields at the bottom of the New score dialog, and MuseScore will automatically place it in an appropriate format in your new score. You can enter text labels for the score's:

                    • Title
                    • Composer
                    • Subtitle
                    • Lyricist
                    • Copyright

                    This information also becomes data in the score's project properties (menu File), which you can change at any time.

                    Once you've finished specifying additional score information, click Done to confirm your selections and create your score.

                    Changing instruments after score creation

                    There are three ways to change existing score instruments:

                    • Use the keyboard shortcut I while in the Score tab
                    • Click Add from the Instruments panel (If this panel is not yet visible, press F7, or select View → Instruments)
                    • Click Replace instrument in the Staff/Part properties dialog

                    Entering notes and rests

                      Overview

                      inputting music via the computer keyboard is both quick and easy. To enter a note or rest, simply choose a duration, then type the pitch name (A-G) for a note or a 0 (zero) for a rest. You can also input notation using a mouse, MIDI keyboard or MuseScore's own virtual piano keyboard (see below for details).

                      MuseScore supports virtually unlimited undo, so you don't have to worry too much about making mistakes. Just click the undo button on the far right of the toolbar, or use the standard keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z (Mac: Cmd+Z).

                      Entering notes

                      The information in this page refers primarily to music notation on standard staves. See also tablature and percussion notation.

                      The most common input method (and the one assumed on this page) is step-time in which notes and rests are entered one at a time. For other modes of entry see Alternative note input methods.

                      Selecting a start point

                      To add a note or rest to the score, start by selecting a location to begin entry. You can use the mouse or the keyboard navigation commands.

                      Selecting a start point

                      Entering note input mode

                      Next, enter note input mode by pressing the pen icon in the toolbar, or using the keyboard shortcut N. A note input cursor appears, indicating where the next note will be added.

                      Entering note input mode

                      If you forget to select a starting location first, MuseScore will place the cursor at the last input position, or in some other logical place, so be sure the cursor is where you intend.

                      Once in note input mode, you will enter notes left to right by first selecting a duration and then entering a pitch or rest. When you are done entering notes in this location and are ready to do something else—for example, entering notes at a different location, adding other markings, or performing other operations like copy and paste—you can leave note input mode by clicking the note input button or pressing N again. You can also press Esc to return to normal mode from note input or any other mode.

                      Selecting duration

                      While in note input mode, select a note value for the next note to be entered by:

                      • Clicking a corresponding note icon in the Note Input toolbar (directly above the score window)
                      • Entering the keyboard shortcut 1–9 corresponding to the desired duration

                        Durations on toolbar

                      The keyboard shortcuts are designed to be efficient and easy to remember. The most common note values are eighth, quarter, and half (UK: quaver, crochet, minim) and these are represented by the keys 4, 5, and 6 respectively (the middle row of a numeric keypad). Shorter note values are represented by smaller numbers, longer values by larger numbers. The full list is as follows:

                      • 64th (hemidemisemiquaver): 1
                      • 32nd (demisemiquaver): 2
                      • 16th (semiquaver): 3
                      • Eighth (quaver): 4
                      • Quarter (crotchet): 5
                      • Half (minim): 6
                      • Whole (semibreve): 7
                      • Double whole (breve): 8
                      • Longa: 9
                      • Dot: . (changes the selection into a dotted note/rest)

                      Other durations, including double dots and 128th notes, can be selected if you first customize your toolbar and/or define your own keyboard shortcuts.

                      Note: it is also possible to select duration using a MIDI keyboard, if you set up the keys you wish to use for this in advance..

                      Selecting pitch

                      Once you have selected a duration, you can enter pitches using the computer keyboard, mouse, MIDI keyboard, or virtual piano keyboard.

                      Selecting pitch using the computer keyboard

                      This is normally the most efficient way to enter notes in MuseScore.

                      To enter a note of a given pitch using the computer keyboard, simply press the corresponding letter (A–G) on your computer keyboard.

                      Selecting pitch

                      Notes entered in this way will replace any rests or notes that were already present at the cursor location. To add a note to an existing note or chord, press Shift while entering the note. See the section on chords below for more information.

                      When entering notes by letter name, MuseScore will choose the octave that is closest to the previous note on that staff. This works well for passages that move mostly by steps and small leaps. If you need to change the octave for a larger leap, use Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑ and Cmd+↓) to raise or lower the pitch of the previously entered note by an octave.

                      Selecting pitch using the mouse

                      To enter a note using the mouse, position your mouse on the desired line or space in the staff, then click. The mouse cursor will show you a preview of the note you are about to enter to help you place it accurately.

                      Mouse cursor

                      If any notes already exist at the location where you are entering a new note, the new note will be added above or below it. To replace existing notes instead, press Shift while entering the new note.

                      It can be difficult to enter notes very far above or below a staff with this method, because MuseScore may interpret clicks far from the intended staff as an attempt to enter notes onto the staff above or below. Instead, try entering the note an octave lower or higher, then raise or lower the pitch by an octave using Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑ and Cmd+↓).

                      Note: although one would normally enter notes left to right, the mouse entry method actually allows you to enter a note at any location where there is an existing note or rest to replace.

                      Selecting pitch using a MIDI keyboard

                      If you have a MIDI keyboard connected, you can enter notes by simply pressing the corresponding keys.

                      When playing notes on a MIDI keyboard, they are entered consecutively so long as you release each key fully before pressing the next. If you press a key before releasing the previous key, the new note is added above or below the previous note.

                      Notes entered via MIDI keyboard that are outside of the current key signature will have accidentals applied automatically, but the spelling of the accidental may not be what you intend. To change the enharmonic spelling of a note, press J.

                      Selecting pitch using the virtual piano keyboard

                      You can also input notes using the on-screen Piano keyboard window. To display this, use View→Piano keyboard or press the shortcut P. The window can be closed the same way.

                      Virtual piano keyboard

                      To enter a note of a given pitch, simply click the appropriate piano key with your mouse.

                      As with the computer keyboard, notes entered in this way replace any existing notes or rests. To create chords instead, press and hold Shift while entering notes.

                      Note: to resize the keyboard, position the mouse within the window and hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) while scrolling up or down.

                      Entering chords

                      For the purpose of this section, chords are any combinations of multiple notes all starting at the same time, all sharing the same duration, and all sharing a single stem.

                      Chord entry

                      If you wish to enter notes that sound together but start at different times, have different durations, or have separate stems, see Voices. Text of the form "Dm7" is a chord symbol, discussed in Chord symbols.

                      Just as for individual notes, chords can be entered by computer keyboard, mouse, MIDI keyboard, or virtual piano keyboard. Except for MIDI keyboard (where you can play multiple notes at once), the notes are still entered one at a time, but in a way that tells MuseScore to combine them into a chord rather than add them sequentially.

                      • To add a note to a chord using the computer keyboard, press and hold Shift while entering the note
                      • To add a note to a chord using the mouse, click the location where you wish to add the note
                      • To add a note to a chord using a MIDI keyboard, either play all the notes at the same time, or play them one at a time but do not release one key before pressing the next
                      • To add a note to a chord using the virtual piano keyboard, press and hold Shift while entering the note

                      When using Shift+A–G to add a note to a chord, the note will be added above any notes already present at the cursor location. You can also specify the note to be added based on the interval above or below the currently-selected note.

                      • To add an interval above the selected note, use one of the following:
                        • From the menu bar, select Add→Intervals and choose an interval from the list;
                        • Press Alt+1-9.
                      • For intervals below the selected note, you will need to apply a custom shortcut of your own (see Preferences).

                      Entering rests

                      Rests can be entered using the computer keyboard or mouse. The duration is selected in the same way as for notes (e.g., using the toolbar or keyboard shortcuts 1–9). Then instead of entering a pitch as you would for a note, choose one of the following options.

                      • From the computer keyboard: press 0 (zero)
                      • From the note input toolbar: click the rest icon, then click in the score
                      • Using a mouse: right-click in the score

                        Rest entry

                      Accidentals

                      Accidentals

                      Standard accidentals (flat, natural, sharp, double flat, double sharp) can be entered either by selecting one before entering the pitch it applies to or by adding them to a note already entered.

                      Selecting an accidental before entering a pitch

                      To specify an accidental to be applied to the next note entered, you can use the buttons on the Note input toolbar above the score or the corresponding keyboard shortcuts. This can be done either before or after selecting the duration.

                      Accidentals on toolbar

                      The default accidental shortcuts are:

                      • Flat : -
                      • Sharp : +
                      • Natural : =

                      Unlike selecting duration—which applies to all subsequent notes until you change it—an accidental is applied only to the next note entered. But the usual rules of music notation apply, so if you apply a flat to a given note, any subsequent notes you enter of that same pitch within the same measure will be flatted as well, even though no explicit flat sign will be added in front of them.

                      Adding an accidental after entering a pitch

                      Appropriate accidentals are automatically added to a note when you increase or decrease its pitch:

                      • ↑: move pitch up a semitone (spells with sharps).
                      • ↓: move pitch down a semitone (spells with flats).

                      You can also apply an accidental to a note by clicking the appropriate icon in the Accidentals palette. This palette also contains a large number of microtonal and other special accidentals.

                      Adding courtesy/cautionary accidentals

                      Although the rules of music notation say that a barline cancels an accidental, and that any note on the same staff line or space in the next measure returns to the pitch indicated by the key signature, it is considered good practice to add a courtesy (also called cautionary) accidental anyhow. These do not change the pitch of the note, so they cannot be added with the ↑ and ↓ keys. However, any of the other methods described above work.

                      While parentheses or brackets are not required for courtesy accidentals, some editors do choose to use them. To add parentheses or brackets around an accidental, you will need to temporarily leave note input mode, select the accidental, then either use the Properties panel to select a bracket type, or click the parentheses or brackets in the More section of the Accidentals palette.

                      Note: there are also a set of plugins pre-installed with MuseScore that can automatically add courtesy accidentals as needed.

                      Ties

                      A tie is a curved line between two notes of the same pitch, indicating that they are to be played as one combined note. Even though they look similar, ties should not be confused with slurs, which join notes of different pitches and indicate legato articulation.

                      MuseScore makes it very easy to enter ties. Because ties are always between notes of the same pitch, you do not need to enter the pitch for the second note—just select the duration and enter the tie; MuseScore will add the note automatically. After entering the first note, follow these steps to create the tie:

                      1. Select the duration for the second note
                      2. Click the tie button on the toolbar or use the shortcut T

                        Tie entry

                      The tie command adds the second note and ties it to the first in one step. If the first note you entered is part of a chord, then the tie command actually creates an entire second chord with the same pitches as the first and ties all of the notes.

                      Tied chord

                      Note: ties normally connect adjacent notes in the same voice, but MuseScore also supports ties between non-adjacent notes and between notes in different voices as described in the section on editing.

                      See also

                      • Editing notes and rests
                      • Voices
                      • Tuplets
                      • Alternate note input modes
                      • Tablature
                      • Drum notation
                      • Slash notation
                      • Noteheads

                      Working with multiple voices

                        Overview

                        A "voice" is a musical line with its own rhythm independent of other voices on the same staff. They are normally indicated using opposing stems—an upper voice with stems up and a lower voice with stems down. Although the term "voice" comes from vocal music, the concept applies equally well to keyboard or guitar music in which there are multiple rhythms happening at the same time:

                        Music using two voices on a single staff

                        MuseScore allows up to four voices per staff, but each staff should always start with voice 1, and the next voice should normally be voice 2. Voices 3 & 4 are needed only if there are more than two voices on a single staff, which is not common.

                        So for example, in a four-part SATB arrangement on two staves, you would use voices 1 & 2 on the top staff for soprano and alto, and voices 1 & 2 on the bottom staff for the tenor and bass:

                        Multiple voices in an SATB arrangement

                        When there is only a single voice on a staff, the default stem directions are determined by pitch—notes above the center line have stems pointing down, while notes below the center line have stems pointing up. However, when there are multiple voices on a staff, the stem directions are determined according to the voice—up for voices 1 and 3, down for voices 2 and 4. You can change the stem directions if desired using the Flip direction button on the toolbar or the keyboard shortcut X.

                        Entering notes and rests in multiple voices

                        By default, notes are entered into voice 1. To enter notes into a different voice:

                        1. Select your starting point in the score.
                        2. Click the pen icon on the toolbar or press N to enter note input mode.
                        3. Select the desired voice using the toolbar icons or press one of the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+1–Ctrl+Alt+4
                        4. Enter notes and rests normally as described in Entering notes

                        You can repeat these steps to enter notes into other voices.

                        Note: be sure to enter note input mode before selecting the desired voice. Pressing one of the voice buttons while in normal mode will change the voice of any currently-selected elements. This can be a useful editing technique, however. For more information, see the section on Changing voice in normal mode.

                        Note: the note toolbar only displays voice 1 and 2 icons by default. You can make all voice icons visible using the controls that appear when you click the gear icon on the toolbar. For more information, see the section on customizing the note input toolbar.

                        Editing notes and rests in multiple voices

                        Adjusting rests

                        Normally, each voice should include any necessary rests to show all beats for the measure. This can lead to a cluttered appearance, however. MuseScore automatically positions rests to avoid notes in other voices, but in some cases, you may wish to adjust the position of these rests. In other cases where the rhythm is sufficiently clear, you may wish to hide or delete some of the rests.

                        Rests in music with multiple voices

                        Hiding or deleting rests

                        Rests may be hidden by selecting them and unchecking the Visible box in the Properties panel or using the keyboard shortcut V.

                        Rests in voices 2-4 may also be deleted by selecting them and pressing Delete. However, this leaves a "hole" in the voice that can be difficult to edit later. To restore missing rests from a voice, you can use the commands in Tools→Voices to exchange the contents of the voice with those of voice 1, which will fill the holes with rests again. You can then use the same command to move the contents of the voices back where they were.

                        Note: to ensure the correct duration of each measure, voice 1 rests can be hidden, but they cannot be deleted.

                        Positioning rests

                        While MuseScore will normally avoid collisions with other voices, it can sometimes be helpful to move rests up or down to create more space or to clarify which voice they apply to.

                        To move a rest vertically, select it and press Up or Down to move it a staff space at a time.

                        For more information on manual positioning, see Changing position of elements.

                        Changing voice of existing notes

                        Notes originally entered into one voice can be moved into another voice. For more information, see Changing voice in normal mode.

                        Combining voices into chords

                        In cases where the rhythms match, notes originally entered as multiple voices can be combined into chords in a single voice. For more information, see the Implode command.

                        See also

                        • Editing notes and rests
                        • Stems and flags
                        • Positioning of elements
                        • Implode and explode

                        Alternative note input methods

                          Accessing alternative note input methods

                          In addition to the default step-time note entry method, there are several other methods by which notation can be entered in MuseScore.

                          To enter these alternative note input methods:

                          1. Click and hold the small triangle at the bottom of the Note input button in the Note input toolbar.
                          2. Select from one of the available note input methods.

                          Keyboard users can get to the Note input button by pressing Shift+Tab or Shift+F6 a few times from the score. Screen readers will say something like "Note input toolbar: Default (step-time)". Press Space on this button to open a menu that contains all the available note input methods.

                          Entering alternative input modes (animated image)

                          Each note input mode can also be activated directly using an assigned keyboard shortcut (See Keyboard shortcuts to learn how to assign these).

                          Note that the selected note input method remains in effect even when you leave note input mode and will be enabled the next time you enter note input mode. So if you change to the Re-pitch method for a single passage, be sure to change back to the Step time method when you are done.

                          Rhythm only

                          The Rhythm note input method allows you to enter durations with a single keypress. This is especially useful for unpitched percussion instruments that use a single sound. In addition, you can combine Rhythm and Re-pitch methods for an efficient workflow in certain circumstances.

                          1. Select your starting point in the score.
                          2. Select the Rhythm note input method as described above.
                          3. Select a duration from the note input toolbar, or use the keyboard shortcuts 1-9, to add a note of the selected duration.
                          4. Add a dotted duration by pressing . and selecting/typing your desired duration. In this mode, the duration dot is toggled on/off for all subsequently entered durations. It's worth noting that the duration dot needs to be activated prior to entering the note value, rather than afterwards (unlike in the step time method).
                          5. Enter rests by pressing 0, then selecting/typing your desired duration. Similarly to how dotted durations are entered, 0 toggles the rest button on/off, meaning all subsequently entered durations will be rests until 0 is pressed again. The rest toggle can be used concurrently with the duration dot toggle to enter dotted rests.
                          6. Continue pressing duration keys to enter notes with the chosen durations.

                          By default, notes are entered onto the middle staff line. You can use the cursor keys to change the pitch of the note just entered, and subsequent notes will also be entered using that pitch. You can also use Re-pitch mode to quickly enter pitches for a passage after entering the rhythm.

                          Re-pitch

                          The Re-pitch note input method allows you to change the pitches of a sequence of notes while leaving their durations unaltered.

                          1. Select your starting point in the score.
                          2. Select the Re-pitch note input method as described above, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+I (Mac: Cmd+Shift+I).
                          3. Enter pitches using the computer keyboard, MIDI keyboard or virtual piano keyboard. Note: you cannot use the mouse to input notes in the Re-pitch method.

                          The Re-pitch method can be an extremely efficient way of entering notes in music with repeated rhythmic patterns. Simply copy and paste an existing passage that uses the same rhythm as your new passage, then use re-pitch mode to alter the pitches. The same technique can be used to enter multiple instrumental or vocal parts that share the same rhythm but different pitches.

                          Real-time

                          The real-time note input methods basically allow you to perform the piece on a MIDI keyboard (or MuseScore's virtual piano keyboard) and have the notation added for you. However, you should be aware of the following limitations which currently apply:

                          • You must pre-select the shortest duration you wish to use.
                          • You cannot enter tuplets in Real-time note input.
                          • You must enter notes onto a single staff and in a single voice, just as with other note input modes.
                          • It is not possible to use a computer keyboard for Real-time note input.

                          These restrictions mean that MuseScore has very little guessing to do when working out how your input should be notated, which helps to keep these methods accurate.

                          Real-time (metronome)

                          With the Real-time (metronome) note input method, you play at a fixed tempo indicated by a metronome click. You can adjust the tempo by changing the delay between clicks from the menu: Edit→Preferences...→Note Input (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...→Note Input).

                          1. Select your starting position in the score.
                          2. Select the Real-time (metronome) note input method as described above.
                          3. Select a duration from the note input toolbar to represent the metronome click.
                          4. Press and hold a MIDI key or virtual piano key to enter a note of the selected duration.
                          5. Listen for the metronome clicks—with each click the note grows by the selected duration.
                          6. Release the key when the note has reached the desired length.

                          The score stops advancing as soon as you release the key. If you want the score to continue advancing—necessary to enter rests—then you can use the Real-time Advance shortcut to start the metronome. The same action will stop the metronome again.

                          Real-time (foot pedal)

                          With the Real-time (foot pedal) note input method, you indicate your input tempo by tapping on a key or pedal. You can play at any speed you like, and it doesn't have to be constant. The default key for setting the tempo (called "Real-time Advance") is Enter on the numeric keypad (Mac: Fn+Return), but it is highly recommended that you change this to a MIDI key or MIDI pedal (see below).

                          1. Select your starting position in the score.
                          2. Select the Real-time (foot pedal) note input method as described above.
                          3. Select a duration from the note input toolbar to represent the metronome click.
                          4. Press and hold a MIDI key or virtual piano key.
                          5. Press the "Real-time Advance" shortcut with each press, the note grows by the selected duration.
                          6. Release the note when it has reached the desired length.

                          Real-time Advance shortcut

                          The "Real-time Advance" shortcut is used to start the metronome with the Real-time (metronome) method or to tap beats with the Real-time (foot pedal) method. It is called "Real-time Advance" because it causes the input position to move forward, or "advance", through the score.

                          The default key for Real-time Advance is Enter on the numeric keypad (Mac: Fn+Return), but it is highly recommended that you assign this to a MIDI key or MIDI pedal via MuseScore's MIDI remote control. The MIDI remote control is available from the menu: Edit→Preferences...→Note Input (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...→Note Input).

                          Alternatively, if you have a USB footswitch or computer pedal which can simulate keyboard keys, you could set it to simulate Enter on the numeric keypad.

                          When the notes are entered they will be placed just before the selected starting element, which will be highlighted with a square blue marker. The start element and any subsequent notes or rests within the same measure will be shifted forward. You can move the insertion point forward and backward using the arrow keys → or ←, and the new insertion point will then be highlighted.

                          Insert

                          Insert note input method allows you to insert and delete notes and rests within measures, automatically shifting subsequent music forward and backward within the measure. The measure duration is automatically updated as you go.

                          To insert a note:

                          1. Select your starting position in the score.
                          2. Select the Insert note input method as described above.
                          3. Enter a note or rest as you would in Step time mode. Each note is inserted before the current cursor position, and the measure duration is increased to compensate.

                          Alternatively, if you have only one or two notes to insert, you can do this directly with the default Step time note input method. Press Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift) while adding the note by mouse or keyboard shortcut (A-G).

                          To insert a rest, first insert a note of the desired duration, then press Delete.

                          To delete a note or rest, use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete. The measure duration is decreased to compensate. The shortcut works with both the Step time and Insert note input methods.

                          Because inserting and notes may cause the measure duration to increase or decrease beyond what is specified by the time signature, a small "+" or "-" sign will be shown above the measure when this happens.

                          Adding and removing measures

                            Inserting measures

                            In MuseScore 4, measures can be inserted:

                            • After the selection
                            • Before the selection
                            • At the start of the score
                            • At the end of the score

                            The Properties panel

                            To insert one or more measures:

                            1. Click on a measure
                            2. Go to the Properties panel
                            3. Click Insert measures in the Measure section
                            4. Type the number of measures you wish to insert (or leave it as “1” to insert a single measure)
                            5. Select where you want the measure(s) to be inserted from the dropdown menu (or leave it as is to insert the new measure(s) after the selection point)
                            6. Click the + button

                            This popup remains open until you click another part of the user interface. As such, you can continue pressing the + button as many times as you need to insert further measures.

                            Adding measures (animated image)

                            In addition, you can insert measures from one of two menus:

                            Note input toolbar

                            1. Select something in your score (can be anything except line objects)
                            2. Click the + button in the Note input toolbar
                            3. Navigate to Measures
                            4. Choose where you want the new measure(s) to be inserted

                            Menu bar

                            1. Select something in your score (can be anything except line objects)
                            2. Click the Add in the Menu bar
                            3. Navigate to Measures
                            4. Choose where you want the new measure(s) to be inserted

                            Inserting measures with keyboard shortcuts

                            To quickly insert one measure before the selection point:

                            1. Select something in your score (can be anything except line objects)
                            2. Press Ins

                            Insert more measures before the selection point by repeatedly pressing Ins.

                            To quickly insert multiple measures before the selection point:

                            1. Select something in your score (can be anything except line objects)
                            2. Press Ctrl+Ins (Mac: ⌘+Ins)
                            3. Type the number of required measures in the dialog that appears
                            4. Click OK

                            To append to the end of your score, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+B (Mac: ⌘+B) for a single measure, or Alt+Shift+B (Mac: Option+Shift+B for multiple measures.

                            Deleting measures

                            To delete one or more measures using keyboard shortcuts:

                            1. Select a measure (or hold Shift and select multiple measures)
                            2. Type Ctrl+Backspace or Ctrl+Del (Mac: ⌘+Backspace or ⌘+Del).

                            Alternatively,

                            1. Select a measure (or hold Shift and select multiple measures)
                            2. Right-click on any measure within the selection
                            3. Select Delete measures

                            You can also:

                            1. Select a measure (or hold Shift and select multiple measures)
                            2. Go to Tools
                            3. Select Remove selected range

                            Remove empty trailing measures

                            To remove any empty measures at the end of your score:

                            1. Go to Tools
                            2. Select Remove empty trailing measures

                            See also

                            Other measure-related pages:

                            • Measure numbering
                            • Measure and multimeasure rests
                            • Pickup and non-metered measures
                            • Measure properties
                            • Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                            Selecting elements

                              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 discontinuous, 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).

                              Single selection

                              For range selections, a blue rectangle appears around the entire range.

                              Range selection

                              Selecting a single element

                              To select a single element with the mouse, simply click it.

                              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 left and right cursor keys select elements one by one as you navigate, so even though there is technically not a cursor, the selection itself acts in a similar way.

                              By themselves, the cursor keys navigate through notes and rests only. When combined with Alt, they navigate through all elements, including articulation, dynamics, and other markings.

                              Notes

                              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.

                              Chords

                              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), first make sure nothing is currently selected (you can press Esc to be sure) and then Shift+click the chord. This creates a range selection that encompasses the chord.
                              Selection of a chord

                              Note that the selection may also include content in other voices if present, but see the section on excluding elements from range selections for information on how to avoid that if necessary.

                              Overlapping elements

                              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.

                              Selecting a list of individual 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.

                              Selecting multiple elements manually

                              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.

                              List selection

                              You can also use Ctrl+click to add or remove individual elements from a range selection. 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.

                              Selecting similar elements automatically

                              To select all elements of a given type in the entire score or in a given staff:

                              1. Right-click one such element
                              2. In the resulting menu, click Select→Select: similar or Select→Similar on this staff as appropriate

                              To select all elements of a given type within a range:

                              1. Click the first such element
                              2. Shift+click the last such element

                              —OR—

                              1. Perform the range selection using the techniques described below
                              2. Right-click one element within the range
                              3. In the resulting menu, click Select→Similar in this range

                              To create more complex selections of similar elements:

                              1. (Optional) Perform a range selection
                              2. Right-click an element
                              3. In the resulting menu, click Select→More
                              4. Check the desired boxes within the resulting dialog (see below)

                              The options available in the select dialog will depend on the type of element you right-clicked.

                              Select dialog

                              The selection options specific to notes are:

                              • Same notehead: notes with the same notehead group (normal, cross, slash, etc.)
                              • Same pitch: notes with the same pitch name, accidental, and octave
                              • Same string: notes with the on the same string (tablature only)
                              • Same type: notes of the same type (normal, acciaccatura, appoggiatura)
                              • Same note type: notes of the same duration, not considering presence of dots or tuplets
                              • Same duration: notes of the same actual duration
                              • Same note name: notes with the same pitch name and accidental, not considering octave
                              • Same staff: notes in the same staff
                              • Same voice: notes in the same voice
                              • In selection: notes within the current selection
                              • Same system: notes in the same system

                              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:

                              • Replace selection: if checked, this action selection replaces an existing selection
                              • Search in selection: if checked, this action applies only to elements within an existing selection
                              • Add to selection: if checked, this action adds elements to an existing selection
                              • Subtract from selection: if checked, this action removes elements from an existing selection

                              Selecting a range of measures and staves

                              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.

                              Selecting a range by dragging

                              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.

                              Selecting a range by clicking

                              A more flexible method for making selections uses a combination of mouse and keyboard:

                              1. Click the first note or rest of the desired selection
                              2. Shift+click the last

                              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.

                              Selecting a range using the keyboard

                              You can also make range selections using the keyboard alone or primarily:

                              1. Select the first note or rest using keyboard navigation or by clicking
                              2. Hold Shift while using keyboard navigation to extend the selection as you navigate

                              The available commands include:

                              • Shift+Left and Shift+Right to extend the selection one note or rest at a time
                              • Shift+Ctrl+Left and Shift+Ctrl+Right to extend the selection one measure at a time (Mac: use Cmd instead of Ctrl)
                              • Shift+Up and Shift+Down to extend the selection one staff at a time
                              • Shift+Home and Shift+End to extend to the beginning or end of the system
                              • Shift+Ctrl+Home and Shift+Ctrl+End to extend to the beginning or end of the score (Mac: use Cmd instead of Ctrl)

                              Special range selections

                              MuseScore includes some special commands to make command selections:

                              • Edit→Select all or Ctrl+A (Mac: Cmd+A) to select the entire score
                              • Edit→Select section to select the current section of the score (everything between the previous and next section breaks)

                              Excluding elements from a range selection

                              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:

                              1. Perform the range selection normally
                              2. Open the Selection Filter with View→Selection filter or by pressing Shift+F6
                              3. Remove the checkmarks next to any element types you want excluded from the selection

                              Selection filter

                              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 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.

                              Editing notes and rests

                                Overview

                                After you have entered notes into your score, you may wish to change something about them - pitch, duration, time position, etc. MuseScore provides a number of commands for this purpose. Many of the most powerful commands are only available after you leave note input mode and return to normal mode, but there are a number of quick edits possible while still in note input mode.

                                Making changes in note input mode

                                Immediately after entering a note or rest, it is selected, and there are a handful of commands that operate on the selected note or rest while in note input mode. These commands also work if you use the cursor keys to navigate to a previously-entered note or rest.

                                Changing duration in note input mode

                                There are two commands that alter the duration of an existing note or rest while in note input mode:

                                • Shift+W increases the duration
                                • Shift+Q decreases the duration

                                Both commands will first add or remove a dot if appropriate, then will move to the next larger or smaller note value. So for instance, pressing Shift+W on a quarter note changes it into a dotted quarter, and pressing Shift+W again changes it to a half note.

                                Changing pitch in note input mode

                                The commands for changing the pitch of a selected note while in note input mode are:

                                • ↑ - move pitch up a semitone (spells with sharps)
                                • ↓ - move pitch down a semitone (spells with flats)
                                • Alt+Shift+↑ - move pitch up a step diatonically
                                • Alt+Shift+↓ - move pitch down a step diatonically
                                • Ctrl+↑ (Mac: Cmd+↑) - move pitch up an octave
                                • Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↓) - move pitch down an octave

                                Replacing notes and rests in note input mode

                                Most note input in MuseScore is in what a word processor might call "replace" or "overwrite" mode. This means that if you wish to replace a note with a different one, you don't need to delete the old note first—just enter the new one directly, and it automatically overwrites what was there before.

                                Note: sometimes you may wish to add a new note and move some of the subsequent notes later to make room. In MuseScore, this is done by moving the subsequent notes directly using cut and paste.

                                Deleting notes in note input mode

                                To delete a note and replace it with a rest, simply press Del.

                                Note: if you instead wish to move subsequent notes earlier to take the place of the deleted note, there is no need to first delete the original note - simply move the subsequent notes directly using cut and paste.

                                Moving notes in note input mode

                                Although for the most part, moving notes to a different time position is done in normal mode, there is one pair of commands that can be used to change the time position of a note or rest in certain cases while in note input. If you have two notes or rests of the same duration and you wish to exchange them while in note input mode, you can use Shift+← or Shift+→ to exchange a note or rest with its neighbor of the same duration.

                                Making changes in normal mode

                                Most changes one might want to make to notes and rests already entered are more easily performed in normal mode—the mode you are in when you leave note input or any other mode.

                                Except where noted, the methods described below work on either a single selected note or rest, a list selection consisting of multiple notes or rests, or entire range selections. See the page on selections for more information.

                                Changing duration in normal mode

                                Changing selected notes to a specific note value

                                To change the duration of one or more selected notes in normal mode to a specific note value, simply click the appropriate duration icon or use the keyboard shortcuts 1–9.

                                Increasing or decreasing the duration of a selected note

                                To increase the duration of a selected note, you can use the Shift+W command as described above. This adds an augmentation dot if one is not already present, or changes to the next longer note value if the note is already dotted. For example, an eighth note will be changed into a quarter note, and a dotted quarter will be changed into a half note. You can also use W to double the duration, thus changing an eighth note into a quarter note directly, or a dotted eighth into a dotted quarter.

                                The commands Shift+Q and Q to perform the opposite operation, decreasing or halving the duration in the same way.

                                All of these commands work on only a single selected note.

                                Doubling or halving all note values in a range selection

                                If you have entered a passage using eighths and sixteenths but wish to double the durations of all notes and rests—thus doubling the duration of the passage itself—see the section on the paste half/double duration commands.

                                Changing pitch in normal mode

                                The same commands that work to change pitch in note input also function in normal mode, including single, list, and range selections. These commands are:

                                • ↑ - move pitch up a semitone (spells with sharps)
                                • ↓ - move pitch down a semitone (spells with flats)
                                • Alt+Shift+↑ - move pitch up a step diatonically
                                • Alt+Shift+↓ - move pitch down a step diatonically
                                • Ctrl+↑ (Mac: Cmd+↑) - move pitch up an octave
                                • Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↓) - move pitch down an octave

                                In addition, when in normal mode, the accidental buttons on the Note input toolbar and corresponding keyboard shortcuts will toggle (add or remove) accidentals on any selected notes, thus potentially changing their pitch. The Accidentals palette can also be used to add accidentals to selected notes.

                                Deleting notes and rests in normal mode

                                To delete a note and replace it with a rest, simply press Del.

                                If multiple notes are selected as a list, Del replaces them each by rests individually.

                                If you select a range, Del replaces the entire passage with the correct rests according to the meter.

                                Rests cannot normally be deleted, as removing them would leave a measure with fewer beats than it should have. However, see the remove selected range command below for information on how to do this when required. Also, rests in voices 2–4 can be deleted without removing time from a measure.

                                Removing notes and rests and their associated time

                                To completely remove selected notes or rests—thus leaving the piece with fewer measures if entire measures are selected, or fewer beats within the measure if a partial measure is selected—use Tools→Remove selected range or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Del (Mac: Cmd+Del).

                                Adding ties in normal mode

                                Ties can be added in normal mode, but unlike in note input mode where the tie command automatically adds a note and creates a tie, in normal mode, both notes must already exist.

                                To add a tie in normal mode:

                                1. Select a note that you wish to tie to the next note of the same pitch
                                2. Click the tie button or use the shortcut T

                                This works even if the next note of the same pitch is in a different voice.

                                If you select multiple notes, MuseScore will start a tie at each of them. You can use the technique to tie entire chords at once.

                                This technique also allows you to tie notes that are not adjacent, such as to show an arpeggiate-and-hold pattern on piano.

                                Changing voice in normal mode

                                A note entered into a given voice may be moved into another voice if this is musically possible, or the contents of two voices may be exchanged.

                                Moving selected notes into another voice

                                To move a selection of one or more notes into another voice, either press one of the voice buttons on the toolbar or use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+1–4 (Mac: Cmd+Option+1–4). Notes will be moved to the extent it is possible without compromising the current content of the destination voice.

                                A note can be moved into another voice if there is currently silence (rests, or nothing at all) in the destination voice at that time position for the duration of the note to be moved. In that case, the note will simply be moved to the new voice.

                                A note can also be moved into another voice if there is already a note or chord of the same duration starting at that time position. In that case, the note will be combined with the existing note or chord.

                                Exchanging the contents of two voices

                                MuseScore can also exchange the contents of any pair of voices. These commands work only on full measures (or multiple measures), not on individual notes.

                                To exchange the contents of any two voices, use the corresponding command in Tools→Voices:

                                • Exchange voice 1-2
                                • Exchange voice 1-3
                                • Exchange voice 1-4
                                • Exchange voice 2-3
                                • Exchange voice 2-4
                                • Exchange voice 3-4

                                See also

                                Entering notes and rests

                                Copy and paste

                                  The cut, copy, and paste commands are powerful tools in MuseScore. They can be used to reproduce entire passages of music, to move music earlier or later, to copy text or other markings between staves, to exchange the content in different measures, and more.

                                  Accessing the commands

                                  In all cases, the first step is to select what you want to cut or copy.

                                  As with other programs that support cut, copy, and paste, you can access these commands from the Edit menu, from a context menu that appears upon right-click or related gesture (e.g., Ctrl+click, or two-finger tap), or via the standard keyboard shortcuts.

                                  Command Shortcut (Windows) Shortcut (Mac) Context menu Main menu
                                  Cut Ctrl+X Cmd+X Cut Edit→Cut
                                  Copy Ctrl+C Cmd+C Copy Edit→Copy
                                  Paste Ctrl+V Cmd+V Paste Edit→Paste
                                  Swap with clipboard Ctrl+Shift+X Cmd+Shift+X Swap with Clipboard Edit→Swap with clipboard
                                  Paste half duration Ctrl+Shift+Q Cmd+Shift+Q N/A Edit→Paste half duration
                                  Paste double duration Ctrl+Shift+W Cmd+Shift+W N/A Edit→Paste double duration

                                  Copying a range

                                  To copy a range—whether a single chord, a single measure, several measures on one staff, or multiple measures across multiple staves—do the following:

                                  1. Select the range you want to copy
                                  2. Use the Copy command from the menu or press Ctrl+C (Mac: Cmd+C)
                                  3. Select the first note or rest of the destination
                                  4. Use the Paste command from the menu or press Ctrl+V (Mac: Cmd+V)

                                  Copying a rangeCopying a range

                                  Copied music will replace the existing content of the destination. All elements in the selected range will be copied, with the exception of system-wide elements such as tempo text, key and time signature changes, and repeats. You can use the Selection Filter to exclude other elements of a given type from the operation.

                                  Copying a single element or list of elements

                                  MuseScore allows you to copy lyrics, chord symbols, dynamics, articulation, or other markings from one place to another while keeping the notes in the destination intact. For chord symbols and dynamics, MuseScore will preserve the relative beat positions of the markings if possible. For lyrics and articulations, MuseScore will copy note by note.

                                  To copy a single element or list of elements to a new destination:

                                  1. Select the elements you want to copy
                                  2. Use the Copy command from the menu or press Ctrl+C (Mac: Cmd+C)
                                  3. Select the first note or rest of the destination
                                  4. Use the Paste command from the menu or press Ctrl+V (Mac: Cmd+V)

                                  Moving elements

                                  In MuseScore, cut and paste is way to move element from one location to another. This can be used to move a passage from a flute part to a clarinet part, from one measure to another within a single part, or simply shift a passage earlier or later. The latter is especially useful as a way to “insert” or “delete” a note or rest while shifting existing notes to the right or left. Simply cut and paste the notes you wish to shift to their new position.

                                  To move a selection:

                                  1. Select what you want to copy
                                  2. Use the Cut command from the menu or press Ctrl+X (Mac: Cmd+X)
                                  3. Select the first note or rest of the destination
                                  4. Use the Paste command from the menu or press Ctrl+V (Mac: Cmd+V)

                                  Swapping a selection with the clipboard

                                  The swap with clipboard command combines two operations into one: (1) First it overwrites a selected part of the score with the contents of the clipboard, just like the paste command; (2) Second, it transfers the overwritten part of the score back to the clipboard, just like the copy command.

                                  It can be used, for example, to swap two equal-length sections of a score, A and B:

                                  1. Select section A
                                  2. Apply the cut command
                                  3. Select section B
                                  4. Apply the swap with clipboard command to paste A over the contents of B while moving the contents of B to the clipboard
                                  5. Select section A again (or just the first note, rest, or measure)
                                  6. Apply the paste command

                                  Like the other commands discussed here, you can access the swap with clipboard command from the menu or via a keyboard shortcut—in this case, it is Ctrl+Shift+X (Mac: Cmd+Shift+X).

                                  Repeating a selection

                                  A common use for copy and paste is to duplicate a given passage immediately after the original. MuseScore provides a special repeat selection command to simplify this process. To quickly repeat a note, chord, measure, or other passage to the location immediately following the selection:

                                  1. Select the passage to be repeated
                                  2. Press R

                                  Unlike the other commands discussed here, repeat selection works in note input mode and it repeats the entire chord containing the selected note. This is useful for creating a series of repeated chords.

                                  Copying a selection to multiple staves

                                  If you wish to copy a passage to multiple staves—for instance, to double a flute part in the oboes and clarinets—you can use the explode command:

                                  1. Select the passage you wish to copy
                                  2. Extend the selection to include the staves below (e.g., by pressing Shift+↓)
                                  3. Use Tools→Explode

                                  This copies the original selection, assuming it contains only single notes—no chords and no multiple voices. If there are chords or multiple voices, then these are distributed among the remaining staves as described in the section on the explode command.

                                  Paste half/double duration

                                  If you have entered a passage using mostly eighth notes but wish to halve the entire passage to using mostly sixteenth notes, or double it to quarter notes, MuseScore provides a pair of special commands to accomplish this. You can either modify the durations of a selection in place or create a separate copy of the passage with the modified durations. To halve or double the duration of a passage:

                                  1. Select a range to modify
                                  2. Use the copy command
                                  3. If you wish to create a separate copy of the passage with the modified durations, select the destination
                                  4. Use the paste half duration or paste half duration command

                                  Duplicating individual elements

                                  Individual elements—even those that are not normally copied as part of a range select, like time signatures or voltas—can be duplicated using the mouse:

                                  1. While pressing Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift), and click and hold on an element
                                  2. Drag it anywhere in the score
                                  3. When you release the mouse button, the selected element is copied to the new location

                                  Duplicating a hairpin

                                  See also

                                  • Selecting elements
                                  • Implode and explode

                                  Using the palettes

                                    Overview

                                    The Palettes panel contains musical symbols that can be applied to your score. These symbols are organized into a number of different palettes such as Key Signatures and Articulations. There is a basic set of palettes that are shown by default, but MuseScore also provides optional palettes you can add easily, and you can also create and customize your own palettes.

                                    Accessing the palettes panel

                                    The Palettes panel is normally displayed on the left sidebar of the main window. There are three tabs displayed at the top of the sidebar: Palettes, Instruments, and Properties. If one of the other tabs is currently being displayed in the sidebar, click the Palettes tab to display the palettes instead.

                                    Palettes

                                    You can open and close the Palettes panel using View→Palettes or the keyboard shortcut F9. If all of the panels in the sidebar are closed, the sidebar itself closes as well, allowing more room for the score display.

                                    Like most other panels within MuseScore, the Palettes can also be undocked to function as a separate window.

                                    Adding palette items to your score

                                    To add a palette item to your score, first open the appropriate palette if it is not already open, by clicking its title or the arrow icon to the left. The items in that palette will be displayed in a grid.

                                    Adding palette element (animated image)

                                    in general, to apply palette items to your score, you can either select the target elements in the score and then click the palette item, or drag the item from the palette to a target element. See the section on searching and navigating below for information on applying palette items via the keyboard.

                                    Items applied to individual score elements

                                    Many palette items—for example, articulations, dynamics, and most other text—can be applied to individual notes, rests, or other score elements. When using drag and drop, be sure to drag the palette item onto a specific score element, and do not release until the target element highlights to indicate it can accept the palette item.

                                    It is usually more efficient, however, to select the target elements in your score first and then click the palette item. This is especially true if you wish to apply the same palette item to multiple score elements, since this method allows you can apply the palette item to multiple score elements at once.

                                    To apply a palette to one or more score elements:

                                    1. Select the elements you wish to apply the palette item to (single, list, or range selection)
                                    2. Click the palette item

                                    The palette item will normally be added to each of the selected elements. Note that with a range selected, when clicking a palette item representing text (including dynamics and tempo markings), the item will be added to the first element in the range only. System text (including tempo markings) will be applied to the top staff only; other text will be applied to the first selected element of each selected staff.

                                    Items applied to ranges

                                    Palette items such as hairpins, slurs, ottavas, and pedal markings are applied to a range rather than a single note or rest. The process for adding them is the same:

                                    1. Select the range of elements you wish to apply the palette item to
                                    2. Click the palette item

                                    Items applied to full measures

                                    Certain palette items such as barlines, time signatures, voltas, and layout breaks are normally applied to a measure as a whole—or a range of measures—instead of a specific note or rest. The process for adding these to the score is the same as for other palette items:

                                    1. Select the measure or range of measures you wish to apply the palette item to
                                    2. Click the palette item

                                    Expanding and collapsing palettes

                                    A palette can be opened (expanded) or closed (collapsed) individually by clicking on the title bars or the icon to the left of the title. In addition, you can expand or collapse all palettes at once, or let MuseScore close palettes automatically. To access these options, click the ... button at the top of the palette window to popup the palettes menu.

                                    Palette options

                                    • Single-click to open a Palette: controls whether palettes are opened by single or double click
                                    • Open only one Palette at a time: if checked, then whenever you open a palette, any already-open palettes are automatically closed
                                    • Collapse all Palettes: immediately close all open palettes
                                    • Expand all Palettes: immediately open all palettes

                                    Searching and navigating the palettes

                                    You can also search and navigate the palettes using your keyboard instead of a mouse.

                                    Search

                                    To search for palette elements by name, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F9 (Mac: Cmd+F9), or click the magnifying glass icon at the top of the Palettes panel.

                                    Search palettes—step 1

                                    This will display a search box. As you type characters into the box, MuseScore will display any matching palette items.

                                    Search palettes—step 2

                                    To close the search box, click the "X" icon.

                                    Navigation

                                    The palettes are completely accessible by keyboard. The search facility described above is one method you can use to start the process, but you can also focus the keyboard on the Palettes panel by using Shift+F6 to move focus to the sidebar.

                                    Once focus is on the palette panel, the ↑ and ↓ keys will move through the various individual palettes. You can then open and close a palette by pressing Enter. To access the elements with a palette, press → to access the palette, then ↑ and ↓ to move through the elements on the palette. Pressing Enter will apply element in the same way as clicking it.

                                    Accessing more palette items

                                    Some palettes also contain additional elements that are not displayed by default. To access those, click the More button at the bottom right of the palette.

                                    Palette—more items

                                    You can add any of these additional items to the main part of the palette by simply dragging. For more information, see Palettes under Customization.

                                    Adding more palettes

                                    The palettes that are shown by default are the ones most users will need often. But MuseScore provides additional palettes that you may find useful. To access these, click the Add Palettes button at the top of the Palettes panel.

                                    Add palettes

                                    This will display a list of palettes you can add to your Palettes panel. To add any palette, click the + button next to the palette name.

                                    More palettes

                                    Any palettes you add in this way will be displayed added at the top of the panel, but you can then drag them down to reorder the panel as you like.

                                    Also, in addition to the standard Palettes panel, there is a Master palette you can access via View→Master palettes or the keyboard shortcut Shift+F9.

                                    Master pelette

                                    This provides all the symbols found on the other palettes, as well the controls for creating custom key signatures and custom time signatures, plus the Symbols palette that provides thousands of additional symbols from any of the available music fonts.

                                    See also

                                    • Palettes under Customization

                                    Properties panel

                                      The Properties panel shows settings for objects you select in the score. It was known as the “Inspector” in MuseScore 2 and 3.

                                      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 by default it affects 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. However, for most settings, you can also choose to save as the default style for the score.

                                      Accessing the Properties panel

                                      From the Score window, click on the Properties tab in the panel on the left side of the screen:

                                      Image of Properties panel with mouse cursor

                                      Global settings

                                      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):

                                      Image of Properties panel with nothing selected

                                      Show

                                      • Invisible hides/shows all invisible objects in your score
                                      • Frames hides/shows Frames
                                      • Formatting hides/shows formatting elements added from the layout palette
                                      • Page margins hides/shows the page margin

                                      Score appearance

                                      • Empty staves hides/shows staves that contain no notated music within a system. This setting mirrors the Hide empty staves within systems settings in the Style dialog.
                                      • Page settings triggers the Page settings dialog.
                                      • Style settings triggers the Style dialog.

                                      General settings

                                      These settings are visible whenever something is selected in your score.

                                      Image of Properties panel when element is selected

                                      Visible

                                      Click this box to hide/unhide selected elements, or use the keyboard shortcut V.

                                      Use this feature to hide elements so they don't appear in your exported or printed score. This can be useful when, for example, applying tempo marks or dynamics solely to affect playback in MuseScore. Use the Invisible toggle in Properties (when nothing is selected) to show or hide these hidden elements in the score view (hidden elements will be rendered in a lighter shade).

                                      Auto-place

                                      Usually checked by default, this feature positions the selected object according to MuseScore's vertical and horizontal collision avoidance algorithms. Uncheck Auto-place to have more control over the positioning of certain elements. Learn more about this feature in Positioning elements.

                                      Cue size

                                      This feature is used to create small cue notes: i.e. notes provided to assist the performer by indicating what another ensemble/orchestra member is playing at the same time. Checking the box makes any selected notes smaller, including their stems and any attached beams.

                                      Playback settings

                                      The Playback button displays the editable playback properties of the element (if none, it will be greyed out).

                                      Image of Properties panel showing playback settings

                                      Appearance settings

                                      Image of Properties panel showing appearance settings

                                      Leading space

                                      This changes the leading space of selected elements: i.e. the space in front of the element. The leading space adjustment is applied across all staves, so that notes at the same time position remain aligned.

                                      Measure width

                                      This changes the width of the measure as a proportion of the original width: e.g. 1.5 = one-and-a-half times the default width.

                                      Minimum distance

                                      This is used by the auto-place collision avoidance algorithm and applies only to elements that are applied above/below the staff by default, such as staff text, dynamics, fingerings, lines etc. It sets the minimum distance (in sp.) of the selected objects from other elements that are closer to the staff, or the staff itself.

                                      Offset

                                      When newly applied, elements assume a default position. The horizontal/vertical offsets give you a more precise way of positioning an element than dragging it or moving with the keyboard arrows.

                                      Snap to grid

                                      This feature allows you to constrain drag operations to increments of a desired distance. First you need to check the Snap to grid box, then press Configure grid and set the desired horizontal/vertical step distances.

                                      You can switch Snap to grid on/off as required by checking/unchecking the box.

                                      Arrange

                                      The four buttons in this section control how overlapping elements are drawn. They work as follows:

                                      • Forwards moves the selected element in front of the next element
                                      • Backwards moves the selected element behind the next element
                                      • To front moves the selected element in front of all other elements.
                                      • To back moves the selected element behind all other elements, including the staff lines.

                                      Color

                                      Click on this button to change the color of selected element(s). Choose a preset or custom color, or create your own by clicking the + button. This is stored for future reference in the list of custom colors to the right.

                                      Saving and restoring default settings

                                      After changing any given setting, you can click the "three dots" menu button adjacent to the setting to reveal a menu that allows you to either Reset the setting to the default for the score, or Save as default style for this score. The latter option is only available for properties that correspond to style settings, but this includes many of the properties in this panel.

                                      Adjusting elements directly

                                        Changing the position of elements

                                        To reposition most score elements, use any of the following methods:

                                        • Click and drag the element with your mouse. You can constrain movement to a vertical or horizontal straight line by pressing Shift before dragging (see also Snap to grid).
                                        • Press the keyboard arrows, either on their own for small steps (0.1 sp), or in combination with Ctrl (Mac: ⌘) for larger steps (1 sp).
                                        • Adjust the horizontal and vertical offsets in the Properties panel.

                                        Certain score elements, such as articulations, ornaments, symbols, and notes and rests, can only be moved with the keyboard arrow keys after placing the element into "Edit mode". To move these elements with the arrow keys:

                                        1. Right-click on the desired element
                                        2. Select Edit element to place the object in "Edit mode", or use the keyboard shortcuts F2 or Alt+Shift+E (Mac: ⌥+Shift+E)
                                        3. Use the ← → ↑ ↓ keys to move the object in increments of 0.5 sp, or click and drag it with the mouse

                                        Changing the shape of elements

                                        To change the shape of elements such as slurs and ties after adding them to the score:

                                        1. Click on the slur or tie to be adjusted
                                        2. Click and drag the adjustment handles that appear around the element (N.b. red letters in the below diagram are for reference only)
                                          Adjust shape

                                        Note that:

                                        • Handles B, C, and D change the shape of the curve at that point
                                        • Handles A end E adjust the element's length (This can also be achieved by pressing Shift+←/→ to move the ends one chord/rest at a time)
                                        • Handle F repositions the whole line without changing its shape or length

                                        If you wish to change the note to which a slur or tie is connected, the recommended method is to use the keyboard shortcuts described above (Shift+←/→). This is the most efficient way of changing both the visual and playback range of notes encompassed by a slur or tie.

                                        Working with lines

                                        Changing the range of a line

                                        To change the start and end points of a line:

                                        1. Select the line to reveal its adjustment handles
                                          Adjust line
                                        2. Click either the start or end adjustment handle
                                        3. Press Shift+←/→ to move the handle one step at a time (a step = one note/rest, or one measure—depending on the line type). Note: You can use Tab to move the focus between handles when adjusting.
                                        4. Fine-tune the position of handles using the keyboard arrows ←/→ if required. Note that this does not affect the playback range of the line.

                                        As with slurs and ties, it is recommended to use Shift when adjusting line length with the arrow keys to ensure that the playback range also adjusts accordingly.

                                        Creating diagonal lines

                                        By default, lines are always horizontal, but you can enable any given line to be oriented diagonally by checking the corresponding box in the Properties panel. Once this option is enabled, you can adjust the angle of a line by moving the start and/or end handle up or down.

                                        Editing line text

                                        To edit the text of text line elements such as "system text line", "staff text line", and "barré line":

                                        1. Select a text line element in your score
                                        2. Go to the Properties panel
                                        3. Click the Text tab in the Text line section
                                        4. Enter the desired text in the Beginning text field.

                                        Note If the text line spans more than one system, you may also wish to modify the contents of the Text when continuing to a new system field.

                                        See also

                                        • Other lines: Line properties
                                        • Positioning of elements

                                        Parts

                                          Opening a part

                                          MuseScore 4 automatically creates a separate (default) part for every instrument in your score.

                                          To open all parts at once:

                                          1. Click Parts in the toolbar (This will open the Parts dialog)
                                          2. Click Open all

                                          To open an individual part:

                                          1. Click Parts in the toolbar
                                          2. Click a part to select it
                                          3. Click Open selected

                                          You can also select specific parts to open at once. Do this by holding Control (Mac: ⌘) while selecting the parts you’d like to open, then click Open selected. You can also select a range of contiguous parts by clicking the first and holding Shift while clicking the last.

                                          Opening parts (animated image)

                                          Closing a part

                                          Click the X close button in a part tab to close a part.

                                          Closing parts (animated image)

                                          Note that changes you make to a part will be saved with that part and retrievable the next time you open it from the Parts dialog.

                                          Creating custom parts

                                          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 customize parts in MuseScore 4: using the default (i.e. ready-made) parts to reveal other instruments, and creating entirely new parts.

                                          Reveal instruments in default parts

                                          As we’ve already seen, MuseScore 4 automatically creates a new (default) part for every instrument in your score. All you have to do is open the part from the Parts dialog.

                                          In fact, each default part already contains all of the instruments in your score – they’re simply hidden from view (except, of course, the chosen part instrument).

                                          This means you can “reveal” other instruments within any of the default parts. To do this:

                                          1. Open a part (as described above)
                                          2. Select the Instruments panel
                                          3. Click the eye icon next to another instrument

                                          This instrument will now be visible in the chosen part.

                                          This makes creating custom parts an incredibly flexible process. Revealing or hiding other instruments is completely non-destructive, meaning you can customize every instrument in every part, and hide or show only what you want to reveal to different players (or for different musical projects) without having to create entirely new parts each time.

                                          Create a new part

                                          MuseScore 4 does of course give you the option to create a completely "blank" part from scratch, allowing you complete customization control. To do this:

                                          1. Click Parts in the toolbar to open the Parts dialog
                                          2. Click Create new part
                                          3. Give your new part a name
                                          4. Click Open selected

                                          Your new part will now be open in the Score tab, but it will appear to contain no instruments. To add instruments to this part:

                                          1. Go to the Instruments panel
                                          2. Click the "eye" icon next to each instrument you’d like to appear in your part

                                          Choose which voices appear in each 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 staff 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 (see above) or duplicate (see below) a part. To then select which voices will appear in a part:

                                          1. Open a part (see above)
                                          2. Go to the Instruments panel
                                          3. Expand an instrument by clicking on the triangular dropdown icon
                                          4. Click the settings icon next to the staff name
                                          5. Select which voice(s) you want to appear in your part by ticking/un-ticking the checkboxes under Voices visible in the score

                                          Showing and hiding voices in parts (animated image)

                                          Applying styles to parts

                                          Style settings for a wide range of engraving elements can be applied specifically to parts without affecting the main score.

                                          To change style settings for a specific part:

                                          1. Ensure a part has been opened and is currently selected in the Score tab
                                          2. Go to Format → Style...
                                          3. Make your desired style settings changes (applicable changes will be visible in the score in real time)
                                          4. Click OK to confirm your changes

                                          Changes you make in this dialog will affect only the part selected in the Score tab. If you want changes to affect all parts (but not the main score), select Apply to all parts before clicking OK.

                                          Learn more about saving and loading default style settings in Templates and styles.

                                          Renaming, duplicating and deleting parts

                                          This all takes place in the Parts dialog (accessible from the Parts button in the toolbar).

                                          Context menu for parts image

                                          Simply click the "three dots"" menu icon next to a selected part to reveal its options. Note that only newly created parts (created by clicking the Create new part button) can be deleted or renamed. All parts can be duplicated.

                                          To duplicate any part:

                                          1. Select a part in the Parts dialog
                                          2. Click the "three dots" menu icon for the selected part
                                          3. Select Duplicate from the context menu that appears
                                          4. Enter a new name for the part (or leave the default name as is)
                                          5. Hit Enter, or click anywhere in the Parts dialog

                                          To rename a newly created part:

                                          1. Select a newly created part in the Parts dialog
                                          2. Click the "three dots" menu icon for the selected part
                                          3. Select Rename from the context menu that appears
                                          4. Type your new part name
                                          5. Hit Enter to confirm the new name

                                          Note you can also double click on a newly created part in the Parts dialog to rename it.

                                          To delete a newly created part:

                                          1. Select a newly created part in the Parts dialog
                                          2. Click the "three dots" menu icon for the selected part
                                          3. Select Delete from the context menu that appears

                                          When a part is deleted, its tab in the Score tab (if already opened) will be closed. Any customizations made to that part will also be lost. The part will also no longer appear in the Parts dialog.

                                          Exporting and printing parts

                                          To export parts:

                                          1. Click File → Export... (alternatively, select the Publish tab and click Export...)
                                          2. Check the box next to the part(s) you want to export, or click Select all to choose all parts at once
                                          3. Select whether to export all parts combined in one file, or leave the default export setting as each part to a separate file
                                          4. Click Export...
                                          5. Select your destination file and name your score in your operating system's Export dialog
                                          6. Click Save

                                          Parts will be exported in the PDF format by default. To change the export format, select your preferred format from the dropdown menu in Export settings. You can export your parts in a range of image and audio formats, as well as the braille format for compatible printers. For more information, see File Export.

                                          To print parts:

                                          1. Ensure the part you wish to print is selected in the Score tab
                                          2. Click File → Print
                                          3. Use your operating system's print dialog to print the selected part

                                          Note that parts can currently only be printed one at a time.

                                          Default keyboard shortcuts

                                            On macOS, make the following substitutions:

                                            • Replace Ctrl with Cmd (or ⌘)
                                            • Replace Alt with Option (or ⌥)
                                            • Replace Home with Fn+Left
                                            • Replace End with Fn+Right
                                            • Replace PgUp with Fn+Up
                                            • Replace PgDn with Fn+Down
                                            • Add Fn with function keys

                                            Navigation

                                            Page navigation

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Zoom in Ctrl+= Cmd+=
                                            Zoom out Ctrl+- Cmd+-
                                            Zoom to 100% Ctrl+0 Cmd+0
                                            Go to first element in score Ctrl+Home Cmd+Fn+Left
                                            Go to last element in score Ctrl+End Cmd+Fn+Right
                                            Jump to next screen PgUp Fn+Up
                                            Jump to previous screen PgDn Fn+Down
                                            Jump to top of first page Home Fn+Left
                                            Jump to bottom of last page End Fn+Right
                                            Jump to next page Ctrl+PgUp Cmd+Fn+Up
                                            Jump to previous page Ctrl+PgDn Cmd+Fn+Down
                                            Find / Go to Ctrl+F Cmd+F

                                            Score navigation

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Select next chord Right Right
                                            Select previous chord Left Left
                                            Go to next measure Ctrl+Right Cmd+Right
                                            Go to previous measure Ctrl+Left Cmd+Left
                                            Select next element in score Alt+Right Option+Right
                                            Select previous element in score Alt+Left Option+Left
                                            Select note/rest above Alt+Up Option+Up
                                            Select note/rest below Alt+Down Option+Down

                                            Note input

                                            General

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Note input: toggle note input mode N N
                                            Show/hide piano keyboard P P
                                            Use voice 1 Ctrl+Alt+1 Cmd+Option+1
                                            Use voice 2 Ctrl+Alt+2 Cmd+Option+2

                                            Duration

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Set duration 1 – 9 1 – 9
                                            Set duration: 32nd note 2 2
                                            Set duration: 16th note 3 3
                                            Set duration: 8th note 4 4
                                            Set duration: quarter note 5 5
                                            Set duration: half note 6 6
                                            Set duration: whole note 7 7
                                            Toggle duration dot . .
                                            Enter tuplet Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+2 – Cmd+9
                                            Enter tuplet: duplet Ctrl+2 Cmd+2
                                            Enter tuplet: triplet Ctrl+3 Cmd+3
                                            Enter tuplet: quadruplet Ctrl+4 Cmd+4
                                            Add tied note T T
                                            Halve selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+Q Shift+Q
                                            Double select duration (includes dotted values) Shift+W Shift+W

                                            Pitch

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Enter note A – G A – G
                                            Add note to chord Shift+A – Shift+G Shift+A – Shift+G
                                            Enter interval Alt+1 – Alt+9 Option+1 – Option+9
                                            Toggle accidental: flat - -
                                            Toggle accidental: natural = =
                                            Toggle accidental: sharp + +
                                            Enter rest 0 0
                                            Add grace note: acciaccatura / /

                                            Tablature

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Set duration (TAB) Shift+1 – Shift+9 Shift+1 – Shift+9
                                            Set duration: 32nd note (TAB) Shift+2 Shift+2
                                            Set duration: 16th note (TAB) Shift+3 Shift+3
                                            Set duration: 8th note (TAB) Shift+4 Shift+4
                                            Set duration: quarter note (TAB) Shift+5 Shift+5
                                            Set duration: half note (TAB) Shift+6 Shift+6
                                            Set duration: whole note (TAB) Shift+7 Shift+7
                                            Enter TAB: fret 0 – 9 0 – 9
                                            Enter TAB: fret A – K A – K
                                            Go to string above (TAB) Up Up
                                            Go to string below (TAB) Down Down
                                            Toggle ghost note Shift+X Shift+X

                                            Selecting

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Select all Ctrl+A Cmd+A
                                            Add to selection: previous note/rest Shift+Left Shift+Left
                                            Add to selection: next note/rest Shift+Right Shift+Right
                                            Add to selection: staff above Shift+Up Shift+Up
                                            Add to selection: staff below 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

                                            Editing

                                            General

                                            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
                                            Delete selected measures Ctrl+Del Cmd+Del
                                            Show/hide properties F8 Fn+F8
                                            Edit element F2 Fn+F2

                                            Duration

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Set duration 1 – 9 1 – 9
                                            Enter tuplet Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+2 – Cmd+9
                                            Add tied note T T

                                            Pitch

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Toggle accidental: flat - -
                                            Toggle accidental: natural = =
                                            Toggle accidental: sharp + +
                                            Move pitch/selection up Up Up
                                            Move pitch/selection down Down Down
                                            Move pitch up an octave Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
                                            Move pitch down an octave Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down
                                            Change enharmonic spelling (concert and written pitch) J J
                                            Move note to higher string (TAB) Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
                                            Move note to lower string (TAB) Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down

                                            Notation

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Flip direction X X
                                            Use voice 1 Ctrl+Alt+1 Cmd+Option+1
                                            Use voice 2 Ctrl+Alt+2 Cmd+Option+2

                                            Manual adjustment

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Move text left Left Left
                                            Move text right Right Right
                                            Move text left quickly Ctrl+Left Cmd+Left
                                            Move text right quickly Ctrl+Right Cmd+Right
                                            Move selection up Up Up
                                            Move selection down Down Down
                                            Move selection up quickly Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
                                            Move selection down quickly Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down

                                            Text

                                            General

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Add text: staff text Ctrl+T Cmd+T
                                            Add text: expression text Ctrl+E Cmd+E
                                            Add text: system text Ctrl+Shift+T Cmd+Shift+T
                                            Add text: tempo marking Alt+Shift+T Option+Shift+T
                                            Add text: rehearsal mark Ctrl+M Cmd+M

                                            Formatting

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Format text: bold face Ctrl+B Cmd+B
                                            Format text: italic Ctrl+I Cmd+I
                                            Format text: underline Ctrl+U Cmd+U

                                            Lyrics

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Add text: lyrics Ctrl+L Cmd+L
                                            Go to next syllable Space Space
                                            Go to previous syllable Shift+Space Shift+Space
                                            Lyrics: enter hyphen - -
                                            Lyrics: enter melisma _ _
                                            Add lyric verse Return Return
                                            Go to next lyric verse Down Down
                                            Go to previous lyric verse Up Up

                                            Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Add text: chord symbol Ctrl+K Cmd+K
                                            Next text element Space Space
                                            Previous text element Shift+Space Shift+Space
                                            Advance cursor: next beat ; ;
                                            Advance cursor: previous beat Shift+; Shift+;
                                            Advance cursor: duration Ctrl+1 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+1 – Cmd+9

                                            Other score elements

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Show/hide palettes F9 Fn+F9
                                            Search palettes Ctrl+F9 Cmd+Fn+F9
                                            Add slur S S
                                            Add articulation: accent Shift+V Shift+V
                                            Add articulation: marcato Shift+O Shift+O
                                            Add articulation: staccato Shift+S Shift+S
                                            Add articulation: tenuto Shift+N Shift+N
                                            Add hairpin: crescendo < <
                                            Add hairpin: decrescendo > >

                                            Score setup and formatting

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Add/remove instruments I I
                                            Open instruments dialog F7 Fn+F7
                                            Toggle visibility of elements V V
                                            Decrease layout stretch { {
                                            Increase layout stretch } }
                                            Add/remove system break Return Return
                                            Add/remove page break Ctrl+Return Cmd+Return
                                            Reset shapes and positions Ctrl+R Cmd+R

                                            File Operations

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            New Ctrl+N Cmd+N
                                            Open Ctrl+O Cmd+O
                                            Close Ctrl+W Cmd+W
                                            Save Ctrl+S Cmd+S
                                            Print Ctrl+P Cmd+P
                                            Quit Ctrl+Q Cmd+Q

                                            User interface

                                            Playback

                                            Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                            Play Space Space
                                            Show/hide mixer F10 Fn+F10

                                            Notation: Instruments, staves, and systems

                                              Working with instruments

                                                Overview

                                                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.

                                                Adding and ordering instruments

                                                Accessing the Instruments panel

                                                Open the Instruments panel by clicking on the Instruments tab on the left side of the screen:

                                                Opening the Instruments panel image

                                                Adding instruments

                                                Click Add. This will open the Instruments dialog (see Choose instruments for more information).

                                                Deleting instruments

                                                Select any instrument and click the trash can icon to delete it from your score.

                                                Changing the order of instruments

                                                Select any instrument and use the ↑ or ↓ buttons to change its position in the score. Alternatively, you can drag the instrument up/down using the mouse.

                                                Adding, reordering, and removing instruments using the instruments panel (animated image)

                                                Instrument settings

                                                Hiding/showing instruments

                                                The visibility of entire instrument staves can be toggled by clicking the eye icon next to an instrument label.

                                                Hiding and showing instruments (animated image)

                                                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.

                                                Renaming instruments

                                                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.

                                                exposing instrument settings image

                                                Replacing instruments

                                                To replace an instrument in the Instruments panel:

                                                1. Click the cog icon
                                                2. In the popup that appears, click Replace instrument
                                                3. Select your desired replacement instrument in the dialog that appears
                                                4. Click OK

                                                Adding and configuring staves

                                                The Instruments panel can also be used to add staves to an existing instrument and configure some of their basic properties.

                                                To add a staff to an existing instrument

                                                1. If there are no staves visible under the instrument label, click the triangular "show more" icon next to the label
                                                2. Click Add staff
                                                3. Click the cog icon of the newly-added staff, and adjust "Staff type", if required.

                                                Added staves share the same instrument but their notation can be edited independently. Amongst other things, they can be used to create staff/tablature for stringed-instrument players (e.g. guitar, banjo, ukulele etc.).

                                                To add a linked staff to an existing instrument

                                                Certain notational objects on one staff can be made to automatically appear on other staves if they are linked together. Linked staves can be used to create staff/tablature for stringed-instrument players (guitar, banjo, ukulele etc.).

                                                To create a linked staff:

                                                1. If there are no staves visible under the instrument label, click the triangular "show more" icon next to the label
                                                2. Click the cog icon next to the staff label (E.g. "Treble clef")
                                                3. Click Create a linked staff
                                                4. Click the cog icon of the newly-added staff, and adjust "Staff type", if required.

                                                create a linked staff (animated image)

                                                Configuring a staff

                                                Each stave contains some independently configurable properties. By clicking on the cog icon alongside a staff label (E.g. "Treble clef"), you can:

                                                • Change its staff type (including the clef and number of staff lines)
                                                • Reduce the size of the staff (Small staff)
                                                • Hide any measures that do not contain notation

                                                add and configure staves in instruments panel (animated image)

                                                Learn more about staff customization in Staff/part properties.

                                                Showing staves only where needed

                                                  By default, a score will show all measures of all staves on all pages throughout the score, whether they contain notes or not. However, you may wish to have certain staves appear only on systems where they are needed. You may even wish to have a staff appear or disappear mid-system. MuseScore provides a number of controls for this purpose.

                                                  Hiding empty staves

                                                  Ensemble scores often typically omit the staves for instruments that are not playing on any given system.

                                                  Hiding empty staves

                                                  Hiding all empty staves

                                                  To automatically hide staves on systems where they are empty:

                                                  1. Ensure that nothing in your score is selected (press Esc if necessary).
                                                  2. Go to the Properties panel.
                                                  3. Click the icon next to Empty staves.

                                                  Empty staves setting in Properties panel

                                                  Alternatively, you can enable the Hide empty staves within systems option in Format→Style→Score.

                                                  Hide empty staves style settings

                                                  MuseScore will normally continue to show all staves on the first system, in accordance with common convention. If you would like to force MuseScore to hide empty staves on the first system as well, disable the Don't hide empty staves in first system option in the dialog. You can also control whether or not brackets are shown if, for example, only a single instrument from a section is playing, via the Show brackets when spanning a single staff option.

                                                  Excluding specific staves from being hidden

                                                  You can specify that certain staves should not be hidden when empty:

                                                  1. Right-click a staff.
                                                  2. Click Staff/Part properties.
                                                  3. In the resulting dialog, set Hide when empty to Never.

                                                  For instruments that use two or more staves (like piano, organ, and harp), you may wish to specify that individual empty staves should be shown unless all staves for the instrument are empty. To do this, set the Hide when empty option to Instrument for each of the staves.

                                                  Temporary staves

                                                  In scores where some empty staves are not hidden in general, there may nonetheless be special staves that you wish to only show where needed. For example, this might be a solo part in an ensemble score, or a bass staff in a lead sheet. To set an individual staff to hide when empty without forcing all staves to be hidden when empty:

                                                  1. Right-click a staff.
                                                  2. Click Staff/Part properties.
                                                  3. In the resulting dialog, set Hide when empty to Always.

                                                  Cutaway staves

                                                  Film scores and other contemporary scores often use a style of notation where individual measures are hidden when empty. These are sometimes called cutaway scores.

                                                  Cutaway staff

                                                  To accomplish this in MuseScore:

                                                  1. Right-click a staff.
                                                  2. Select Staff/Part properties.
                                                  3. In the resulting dialog, set Hide when empty to Always.
                                                  4. Enable the Cutaway option.

                                                  If you wish all staves to be displayed in this manner, you can use the Properties panel or the Hide empty staves style setting to hide the staves. However, you will need to set the Cutaway option for each staff individually. You can speed up this process by using the arrow buttons in the Staff/Part Properties dialog:

                                                  1. Set the Cutaway option for the top staff.
                                                  2. Press the Apply button.
                                                  3. Press the ↓ button to move to the next staff.
                                                  4. Repeat steps 1-3 until you have gone through all staves.

                                                  Ossia

                                                  An ossia is a special type of cutaway staff in which a given musical passage is notated using a small staff above the normal staff, such as to show an alternate interpretation.

                                                  Ossia

                                                  These can be created in MuseScore using a combination of features:

                                                  1. Add a staff as described in Adding and configuring staves.
                                                  2. Select and delete or otherwise adjust any automatically added bracket.
                                                  3. Enter the desired notation.
                                                  4. Right-click the staff.
                                                  5. Select Staff/Part properties.
                                                  6. In the resulting dialog, set Hide when empty to Always.
                                                  7. Enable the Cutaway and Small options.
                                                  8. Press OK.

                                                  If you wish to hear the ossia playback instead of the normal staff, select the corresponding measures on the normal staff and uncheck the Play setting on the Properties panel. Do the same for the ossia staff if you would rather hear the normal staff playback.

                                                  Depending on the look you desire, you might also want to hide the initial or final barline for the passage. To do this, select the barline and press V or uncheck the Visible option in the Properties panel.

                                                  You may also wish to decrease the distance between the ossia and the normal staff. To do this, use a Staff spacer fixed down from the Layout palette.

                                                  Other invisible measures

                                                  MuseScore also allows you to make individual measures invisible on any given staff, whether empty or not.

                                                  To set a measure to be invisible on a given staff:

                                                  1. Right-click the measure.
                                                  2. Select Measure properties.
                                                  3. Disable the Visible checkbox for the staff or staves in which you wish the measure to be set invisible.

                                                  Note: you cannot make a measure invisible on all staves—it must remain visible on at least one.

                                                  Implode and explode

                                                    Implode

                                                    The Implode command allows you to either (i) combine the notation of several voices in the same staff into one voice; or, (ii) to combine notation from several staves into separate voices in one staff.

                                                    Combine notes from multiple voices in a single staff into one voice

                                                    1. Select a range of measures in a single staff.
                                                    2. From the menu bar, select Tools→Implode.

                                                    All selected notes in the staff are now displayed in voice 1.

                                                    Combine notes from multiple staves into multiple voices on a single staff

                                                    1. Ensure that there is only one voice in each staff to be imploded;
                                                    2. Select a range of measures in the top staff and extend this selection downwards to include up to 4 staffs.
                                                    3. From the menu bar, select Tools→Implode.

                                                    The notation initially in the upper staff will now be in voice 1, that from the staff below in voice 2, and so on.

                                                    Explode

                                                    Explode allows you to either (i) copy a passage of single notes into one or more staves below, or (ii) transform the chords of a selected passage into their constituent notes on one or more staves below.

                                                    Copy passage of single notes to multiple staves

                                                    1. Ensure that the passage is in voice 1 (there should be no notes or rests in other voices).
                                                    2. Select the desired range of measures, and extend the selection downwards through as many staves as you want to copy to.
                                                    3. From the menu bar, select Tools→Explode.

                                                    The passage is copied to each of the selected staves.

                                                    Separate passage of chords into constituent notes

                                                    In this case the chords in a selected passage of music are separated into their constituent notes as follows:

                                                    • If the passage is all in voice 1, the top note of the chord is retained on the top staff, while the lower notes are moved to subsequent staves.
                                                    • If the passage contains multiple voices, voice 1 notes are retained on the top staff, while other voices are moved to subsequent staves.
                                                    • All exploded notes end up in voice 1.
                                                    1. Ensure that there are enough staves underneath the source staff to receive the exploded notes. Create extra staves if necessary using the Instruments panel.
                                                    2. Choose one of two options:
                                                      • Select a range of measures in the source staff: this allows all notes to be exploded if there are enough staves available.
                                                      • Select a range of measures that includes both the source staff and also extends downwards to include one or more destination staves: This limits the number of exploded notes/voices to the number of selected staves.
                                                    3. From the menu bar, select Tools→Explode.

                                                    Notes: (1) If the selection is all in voice 1, MuseScore will discard the lowest note(s) of any chord that contains more notes than the number of staves in the selection. (2) If the selection is all in voice 1, and If a given chord has fewer notes than the number of destination staves, then notes will be duplicated as needed so that every staff receives a note. (3) Any existing music in the destination staves is overwritten. (4) If you select a partial measure, the explode command will automatically expand it to a full measure.

                                                    Mid-score instrument changes

                                                      Adding an instrument change

                                                      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:

                                                      1. Click on a note or rest to select the start point for the change
                                                      2. Click on the Change instr. palette item in the Text Palette
                                                      3. Choose which instrument you wish to change to in the Select instrument dialog that appears
                                                      4. Click OK

                                                      The instruction to change to the new instrument will appear above the selected insertion point in the score.

                                                      Create mid-score instrument change (animated image)

                                                      Working with instrument changes

                                                      Removing an instrument change

                                                      To remove an instrument change, click once on a Change instrument text element to select it, and press either Del or Backspace.

                                                      Re-labelling an instrument change

                                                      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.

                                                      Instrument changes in the mixer

                                                      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.

                                                      Mixer showing instrument change channel strip

                                                      Changing staff type

                                                      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.

                                                      Staff type change

                                                        You can change the appearance of a staff mid-score by adding a "Staff type change" element to a measure, and adjusting its properties in the Properties panel. This can be used when changing between pitched and unpitched staves or for various experimental notation effects.

                                                        Staff type change example

                                                        Adding a staff type change

                                                        1. Select a measure in the score and, in the Layout palette
                                                        2. Click the "Staff type change" symbol Staff type change symbol to add it to your score

                                                        Alternatively, you can drag the symbol from the palette to a measure in your score.

                                                        Setting staff properties

                                                        When you alter a "Staff type change" property in the Inspector, the new value takes precedence over the value shown in the global Staff/Part properties dialog. Only those property values in Staff/Part properties that cannot be changed for the "Staff type change" will be valid throughout the score.

                                                        The properties that can be altered for the "Staff type change" in the Properties panel are:

                                                        Cue size
                                                        Use the Small staff size that is defined for the score

                                                        Offset
                                                        Displace the staff vertically

                                                        Scale
                                                        Change the size of the staff using a custom percentage

                                                        Number of lines
                                                        Change the number of lines making up the staff

                                                        Line distance
                                                        Change the distance between two staff lines

                                                        Step offset
                                                        Offset the notes on the staff relative

                                                        Invisible staff lines
                                                        Toggle visibility of the staff lines

                                                        Staff line color
                                                        Set the color of the staff lines

                                                        Notehead scheme
                                                        Specify alternate noteheads such as pitch names or shape note

                                                        Stemless
                                                        Toggle display of note stems

                                                        Show barlines
                                                        Toggle display of barlines

                                                        Show ledger lines
                                                        Toggle display of ledger lines

                                                        Generate clefs
                                                        Toggle display of clefs

                                                        Generate time signatures
                                                        Toggle display of time signatures

                                                        Generate key signatures
                                                        Toggle display of key signatures

                                                        upload
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                                                        staff-type-change.png 444 bytes

                                                        Staff/Part properties

                                                          Overview

                                                          The Staff / Part Properties dialog allows you to make changes to the display of a particular staff; and to adjust the name, tuning, transposition, and instrument of the corresponding instrument part.

                                                          To open the dialog:

                                                          • Right-click onto either an empty area in a staff, or the instrument name, and select Staff / Part Properties….

                                                          An instrument part often consists of only one staff (e.g. violin, trumpet, flute) but there are notable exceptions. For example, a piano requires two staves—treble and bass; a guitar may need both an 8vb treble staff and a tablature staff, and so on.

                                                          Staff properties

                                                          The top section of the dialog allows you to adjust many aspects of the appearance of an individual staff. The following options are common to all types of staves:

                                                          • Lines: The number of lines making up the staff.
                                                          • Line Distance: The distance between two staff lines—measured in spaces (sp.).
                                                            Note: It is not recommended to change this value from the default. If you need to make the staff larger or smaller, use the Page Settings dialog instead.
                                                          • Extra distance above staff: Increases or decreases the distance between the selected staff and the one above in all systems.
                                                            Note: (1) This setting does not apply to the top staff of a system, which is controlled by the minimum/maximum system distance (see Formatting). (2) To adjust the spacing above just one staff line in a particular system, see Fitting systems on a page: Spacers.
                                                          • Scale: Changes the size of the selected staff and all associated elements as a percentage (to adjust the overall score size, use "Scaling" (Format→Page Settings…).
                                                          • Hide when empty: Together with the “Hide empty staves” setting in Format→Style…→Score, this determines if the staff will be hidden when it is empty:
                                                            • Auto (default): The staff will be hidden if it is empty and “Hide empty staves” is set.
                                                            • Always: The staff will be hidden when empty, even if “Hide empty staves” is not set.
                                                            • Never: The staff will never be hidden when empty.
                                                            • Instrument: For instruments containing multiple staves, the staff is hidden only if all staves for that instrument are empty.
                                                          • Show clef: Whether the staff clef will be shown.
                                                          • Show time signature: Whether the staff time signature(s) will be shown or not.
                                                          • Show barlines: Whether the staff barlines will be shown.
                                                          • Hide system barline: Show/hide barline at left-hand edge of the staff.
                                                          • Merge matching rests: Check if you want matching rests in different voices to be merged rather than separate.
                                                          • Do not hide if system is empty: Never hide this staff, even if the entire system is empty. This overrules any “Hide empty staves” setting in Format→Style…→Score.
                                                          • Small staff: Create a reduced-size staff. You can set the default from the menu in Format→Style…→Sizes.
                                                          • Invisible staff lines: Make staff lines invisible.
                                                          • Staff line color: Use a color picker to change the color of the staff lines.
                                                          • Cutaway: Used to create a cutaway staff in which only measures containing notes are visible (e.g. Ossia (Wikipedia); or cutaway scores). This can be used independently of “Hide when empty” or “Hide empty staves”.
                                                          • Advanced style properties: (see below)

                                                          Advanced style properties

                                                          Clicking on Advanced Style Properties… opens a dialog giving access to advanced display options for the staff. These options will vary depending on the staff type chosen.

                                                          Template (all staves)

                                                          At the bottom of the Advanced Style Properties dialog there are a number of buttons which allow you to make changes to the staff display by selecting a different template.

                                                          Note: The options available here depend on the type of staff—whether standard, plucked-string staff/tab, or percussion.

                                                          To change the template:

                                                          1. Make a selection from the drop-down list labeled “Template”;
                                                          2. Press < Reset to Template;
                                                          3. Press OK to accept the changes and exit the dialog (or Cancel to cancel the operation).

                                                          Standard and Percussion staff options only

                                                          • Lines / Line distance:
                                                          • Show clef / time signature / barlines / key signature / ledger lines: Set to give the desired display on the staff.
                                                          • Stemless: If checked, staff notes will have no stem, hook or beam.
                                                          • Notehead scheme: See Notehead scheme.

                                                          Tablature options only

                                                          • Lines: This number usually matches the number of strings in the String Data dialog (exceptions being the Baroque Lute, Theorbo etc. which have more strings than lines).
                                                            Line distance:
                                                          • Show clef / time signature / barlines: Set to give the desired display on the staff.
                                                          • Upside down: If not checked, the top tablature line will refer to the highest string, and the bottom tablature line to the lowest string (this is the most common option). If checked, the top tablature line refers to the lowest string, and the bottom tablature line to the highest line (e.g. Italian-style lute tablatures).
                                                          • Preview: Displays a short section of a specimen score as it would look with the current properties applied.

                                                          Fret Marks tab

                                                          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:

                                                          • Font: The font used to draw fret marks. A selection of eight fonts are provided supporting all the necessary symbols in 8 different styles—both modern and historic..
                                                          • Size: Font size of fret marks in typographic points. Built-in fonts usually look good at a size of 9-10pt.
                                                          • Vertical offset: MuseScore tries to place symbols in a sensible way and you do not usually need to alter this value (set to 0) for built-in fonts. If the font has symbols not aligned on the base line (or in some other way MuseScore does not expect), this property allows you to move fret-marks up (negative offsets) or down (positive offsets) for better vertical positioning. Values are in sp.
                                                          • Marks are: Select from using Numbers (“1”, “2”…) or Letters (“a”, “b”…) as fret marks. When letters are used, the letter “j” is skipped and “k” is used for the 9th fret.
                                                          • Marks are drawn: Choice of placing fretmarks On lines or Above lines.
                                                          • Lines are: Choice of Continuous (lines pass through fret marks) or Broken (a small space appears in the line where the fretmark is displayed).
                                                          • Show back-tied fret marks: If unchecked, only the first note in a series of tied notes is displayed. If ticked, all notes in the tied series are displayed.
                                                          • Show fingering in tablature: Check to allow the display of fingering symbols applied from a palette.

                                                          Note Values tab

                                                          This group of properties defines the appearance of the symbols indicating note values.

                                                          • Font: The font used to draw the value symbols. Currently 5 fonts are provided supporting all the necessary symbols in 5 different styles (modern, Italian tablature, French tablature, French baroque (headless), French baroque). Used only with the Note symbols option.
                                                          • Size: Font size, in typographic points. Built-in fonts usually look good at a size of 15pt. Used only with the Note symbols option.
                                                          • Vertical offset: Applies only when Note symbols is selected (see below). Use negative offset values to raise the note value symbols, positive values to lower them.
                                                          • Shown as:
                                                            • None: No note value will be drawn (as in the examples above)
                                                            • Note symbols: Symbols in the shape of notes will be drawn above the staff. When this option is selected, symbols are drawn only when the note value changes, without being repeated (by default) for a sequence of notes all of the same value.
                                                            • Stems and beams: Note stems and beams (or hooks) will be drawn. Values are indicated for each note, using the same typographic mechanics as for a regular staff; all commands of the standard Beam Palette can be applied to these beams too.
                                                          • Repeat: If several notes in sequence have the same duration, you can specify if and where to repeat the same note symbol. i.e. Never / At new system / At new measure /Always.
                                                            Note: This option is only available if “Shown as: Note symbols” is selected (see above).
                                                          • Stem style:
                                                            • Beside staff: Stems are drawn as fixed height lines above/below the staff.
                                                            • Through staff: Stems run through the staff to reach the fret marks.
                                                              Note: This option is only available when “Shown as: Stems and Beams” is selected (see above).
                                                          • Stem position:
                                                            • Above: Stems and beams are drawn above the staff.
                                                            • Below: Stems and beams are drawn below the staff.
                                                              Note: This option is only available when “Shown as: Stems and Beams” and “Stem style: Beside staff” is selected (see above).
                                                          • Half notes: None / As short stems / As slashed stems.
                                                            Note: This option is only available when “Shown as: Stems and Beams and “Stem style: Beside staff” is selected (see above).
                                                          • Show rests; Whether note symbols should be used to indicate also the rests; when used for rests, note symbols are drawn at a slightly lower position. Used only with the Note symbols option.

                                                          Part properties

                                                          Instrument

                                                          The name of the instrument is shown here. To change the instrument,

                                                          • Click on Replace instrument and make a choice from the "Select Instrument" dialog.

                                                          Names

                                                          • Part name: The name of the part. This is also displayed in the Mixer and the Instruments dialog (I). Any edits you make to the Part name affect only that particular instrument and no other.
                                                            Note: The Part name is defined by the value of the trackName element in the instruments.xml file. If trackName has not been defined, the value of longName (i.e. “Long instrument name”—see below) is used instead.
                                                          • Long instrument name: Name displayed to the left of the staff in the first system of the score or section. The long instrument name may also be edited directly as a text object.
                                                          • Short instrument name: Name displayed to the left of the staff in subsequent systems of the score. The short instrument name may also be edited directly as a text object. Editing affects all occurrences in the score.

                                                          Usable pitch range

                                                          • Amateur: Notes outside the amateur range are colored olive green / dark yellow in the score.
                                                          • Professional: Notes outside the professional range are colored red in the score.

                                                          Note: To disable out-of-range coloration of notes, from the menu, select Edit→Preferences… (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences…), click on the “Note Input” tab, and uncheck “Color notes outside of usable pitch range.”

                                                          Transposition

                                                          Set the octave, and up/down interval to ensure that transposing instruments are notated correctly. This is automatically done by the program for most instruments.

                                                          For transposing instruments an additional option is shown: "Prefer sharps or flats for transposed key signatures". There are three options:

                                                          • Default: Let MuseScore decide
                                                          • Flats: Prefer flats
                                                          • Sharps: Prefer sharps

                                                          Strings and frets

                                                          Staves of fretted, plucked-string instruments have a few extra options in addition to those listed above,

                                                          • Number of strings: Displays the number of instrument strings.
                                                          • Edit String Data…: This button opens a dialog box which allows you to set the number and tuning of strings. See Change tuning.

                                                          Brackets

                                                            Various types of brackets and a curly brace are provided in the "Brackets" palette.

                                                            Brackets/braces are automatically applied when a score is created in the New Score dialog. You can easily change them if the default is not what you want (see below)

                                                            Adding brackets

                                                            To add a bracket or brace to all systems:

                                                            1. Click on the first measure of the staff where you want the bracket/brace to start, hold Shift and click on the measure where you want the bracket/brace to end.
                                                            2. Click the desired bracket icon in the "Brackets" palette.

                                                            Alternatively:

                                                            1. Select the start measure, and click the bracket into place from the "Brackets" palette.
                                                            2. Select the bracket, click on the adjustment handle and drag it down to the desired position. It will snap into place.

                                                            Nested brackets can also be applied using these methods, applying the innermost first and ending with the outermost. The order can be edited subsequently using the "Column" property (see below)

                                                            Editing brackets

                                                            If you select a bracket/brace, you can edit its properties in the Properties panel (sidebar).

                                                            • Column: Moves the bracket inwards/outwards.
                                                            • Span: Extends or retracts the end of the bracket/brace.

                                                            Changing bracket type

                                                            • Select the bracket/brace in the score to be changed, then click on a new bracket/brace from the "Brackets" palette.

                                                            Changing bracket span

                                                            Use one of the following methods:

                                                            • Select the bracket, click on the adjustment handle, and drag it to the desired position.
                                                            • Select the bracket, click on the adjustment handle, and press Shift+↑/↓ to move it from staff to staff.
                                                            • Alter "Span" in the Properties panel.

                                                            Deleting brackets

                                                            • To delete a bracket/brace, select it and press Del.

                                                            Customizing bracket appearance

                                                            Brackets/Braces also have a few global properties which can be adjusted from the Style menu:

                                                            • Adjust thickness and distance from the staff in Format→Style→System.
                                                            • Adjust distance above/below in Format→Style→Page→Enable vertical justification of staves.

                                                            Notation: Rhythm, meter, and measures

                                                              Time signatures

                                                                Overview

                                                                Time signatures are applied to the score from the "Time Signatures" palette.

                                                                Time signatures palette

                                                                Setting the initial time signature for your score

                                                                This is done from page 2 of the New Score dialog.

                                                                Adding a time signature change to your score

                                                                Use any of the following methods:

                                                                • Select an existing time signature, measure, note or rest in the score, and click a time signature in a palette.
                                                                • Drag and drop a time signature from a palette onto a space in a measure, or onto an existing time signature.

                                                                Deleting a time signature

                                                                • To delete a time signature in the score, select it and press Del.

                                                                Controlling the visibility of time signatures

                                                                To hide/show time signatures on a particular staff:

                                                                1. Right-click on the staff and choose "Staff/Part properties";
                                                                2. Uncheck/Check "Show time signature".

                                                                To disable/enable all courtesy time signatures (at the end of systems):

                                                                1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Page.
                                                                2. Uncheck/Check "Create courtesy time signatures".

                                                                To hide or show an individual courtesy time signature:

                                                                1. Select the parent time signature;
                                                                2. In the Time signature section of the Properties panel, uncheck/check "Show courtesy time signature.

                                                                Creating a custom time signature

                                                                1. In the Time Signatures palette, click on More, then, in the supplementary palette, click on the “Create Time Signature” button;
                                                                2. In Value enter the Numerator, Denominator, and Text (the latter is optional, when you need the display to be different from the actual time signature);
                                                                3. Adjust the default note beaming in the Beam Groups section (see Beam groups (below). To restore the default beaming pattern, press Reset;
                                                                4. Press Add to transfer the newly-created time signature to the Time Signatures palette.

                                                                You can also do the same thing from the Master Palette (Shift+F9).

                                                                Adding a local time signature for a single staff

                                                                In certain cases a score may show staves with different time signatures running at the same time. For example, in the following (J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variation no. 26):

                                                                Example: Goldberg variation

                                                                The global time signature is 3/4, but the time signature of the upper staff has been set independently to 18/16.

                                                                To set a local time signature for just one staff:

                                                                • Hold down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) and drag and drop a time signature from a palette onto an empty measure.

                                                                Resizing a time signature

                                                                1. Select a time signature
                                                                2. In the Time signature section of the Properties panel, adjust the horizontal and vertical Scale values.

                                                                Time signature properties

                                                                To open the Time signature properties dialog use one of the following:

                                                                • Right-click on a time signature and from the context menu select "Time signature properties".
                                                                • Select a time signature, then click on Time signature properties in the "Time signature" section of the Properties panel.

                                                                Appearance

                                                                This part of the dialog allows you to adjust the nominal appearance of the signature without affecting its underlying rhythmic value.

                                                                • Text: Insert the nominal numerator and denominator that you wish to appear on the score.

                                                                Alternatively, you can make a selection from a range of time signature symbols below.

                                                                Beam Groups

                                                                This section allows you to adjust the default beaming patterns of notes occurring in the section controlled by the time signature.

                                                                • Click on a note to break the beam in front of it. Click again to reform the beam.
                                                                • Alternatively you can drag and drop a "beam selector" icon to the note after the beam you want to make or break.
                                                                • Click Reset to restore the default beaming pattern.

                                                                Check the "Also change shorter notes" box if you want changes to apply to beam groups below as well.

                                                                Time signature style

                                                                There are a few global style properties for time signatures (see Format→Style).

                                                                • Create courtesy time signatures: Found in the Page section. Check or uncheck to turn on or off.
                                                                • Clef to time signature / Key signature to time signature / Barline to time signature / Time signature to barline / Time signature to first note: Found in the Measure section. Allows you to set spacing for various aspects of time signature layout.

                                                                Stems and flags

                                                                  Stem direction

                                                                  Default stem direction

                                                                  MuseScore aligns the stems of voice 1 notes according to the conventions of music theory. By contrast, voice 2 and voice 4 stems point downwards by default, while voice 3 stems point upwards. Voice 1 stems automatically flip upwards in the presence of voice 2 or 4 notes.

                                                                  Flipping stem direction

                                                                  1. Select either the notehead, stem or attached beam (if any)
                                                                  2. Use any of the following methods:
                                                                    • Press X
                                                                    • Click on the "Flip direction" icon in the Note input toolbar
                                                                    • Select a stem direction from the Stem tab in the Properties panel

                                                                  This action will flip any attached beam as well.

                                                                  Changing stem length

                                                                  1. Select the stem
                                                                  2. Use one of the following methods:
                                                                    • Press ↑/↓ to extend or shorten the stem
                                                                    • Change Length in the Properties panel

                                                                  Creating stemless notes

                                                                  To hide the stems of individual notes:

                                                                  1. Select one or more notehead/s
                                                                  2. Go to the Properties panel
                                                                  3. Select the Stem tab
                                                                  4. Select the checkbox next to Stemless

                                                                  To hide all stems in an instrument part:

                                                                  1. Right-click on the staff and select Staff/Part properties
                                                                  2. Click on Advanced style properties
                                                                  3. Select the checkbox next to Stemless

                                                                  Stem and flag properties

                                                                  Properties specific to stems and flags can be edited from the Stem tab in the Note section of the Properties panel:

                                                                  • Stemless removes the stem (and associated beams) from the selected note(s)
                                                                  • Stem direction:
                                                                    • Auto determines the direction of the stem according to the voice of the selected note(s)
                                                                    • Up and Down override the default stem direction
                                                                  • Flag style sets the appearance of flags for the entire score to either traditional (default) or straight
                                                                  • Thickness determines the stem's width
                                                                  • Length determines the stem's length
                                                                  • Stem offset can be used to move the stem in a horizontal and/or vertical direction

                                                                  Stem and flag style

                                                                  Global settings for Stem thickness and Flag style may also be set in Format→Style→Notes.

                                                                  See also

                                                                  Beams

                                                                  Beams

                                                                    Controlling which notes are beamed

                                                                    Setting the default beaming for a time signature

                                                                    By default, MuseScore beams notes according to settings in the Time signature properties dialog. To change this automatic pattern of note-beaming, see Beam groups.

                                                                    Changing the beaming for selected notes

                                                                    You can override the default beaming of any individual note, using beam symbols in the Beam Properties palette, or in the Beam tab of the Properties toolbar. Mouse over the icons to reveal their tooltips.

                                                                    Beam properties palette

                                                                    To change one or more note beams use one of the following methods:

                                                                    • Select one or more notes and/or rests in the score and click the desired symbol in the Beam Properties palette.
                                                                    • Select one or more notes and/or rests in the score and click on a symbol under "Beam types" (Beam tab of the Properties panel).
                                                                    • Drag and drop a beam symbol from the Beam Properties palette onto a note or rest in the score.

                                                                    The following table describes the effect of each beam symbol:

                                                                    Icon Name Description
                                                                    Auto Beam Apply default beaming as determined by the current time signature (see above).
                                                                    No beam Break beams before and after the selected note.
                                                                    Break beam left If the note is beamed to a previous note, break the beam.
                                                                    Break inner beams (eighth) Start a second level beam at this note.
                                                                    Break inner beams (sixteenth) Start a third level beam at this note.
                                                                    Join beams Join beams on both sides of the note.
                                                                    Add feathered beam: decelerate Start feathered beam to indicate gradually slower tempo.
                                                                    Add feathered beam: accelerate Start feathered beam to indicate gradually faster tempo.

                                                                    Note: The beam between two notes/rests is determined by both of the note/rests. For example: Two consecutive notes with a status of start beam here will not have a beam between them. If the two consecutive notes are set up to connect to each other they will beam, if one of them is not set up for this, the two notes will not beam.

                                                                    Controlling the appearance of beams

                                                                    Changing the angle of a selected beam

                                                                    1. Click on the note whose beam you wish to adjust;
                                                                    2. Click on the left/right adjustment handle and adjust the height using one of the following methods:
                                                                      • Drag the handle.
                                                                      • Move the handle using ↑/↓.
                                                                      • In the Beam section of the Properties panel, adjust the "Beam height" properties.
                                                                    3. Use the center adjustment handle to set the overall height of the beam.

                                                                    Creating a feathered beam

                                                                    To create feathered beams use one of the following methods:

                                                                    • Select one or more notes and/or rests in the score and click the desired symbol in the Beam Properties palette.
                                                                    • Select one or more notes and/or rests in the score and click on a symbol under "Beam types" (Beam tab of the Properties panel).
                                                                    • Drag and drop a beam symbol from the Beam Properties palette onto a note or rest in the score.

                                                                    See the table above, for a description of the beam symbol effects.

                                                                    Beam properties

                                                                    Properties specific to beams can be edited from the Beam tab of the Note section in the Properties panel:

                                                                    Beam types: Alter the beaming pattern at selected notes.
                                                                    Feather beams: Ditto.
                                                                    Force horizontal: Make beams of selected notes horizontal.
                                                                    Beam height: Adjust height and angle of beams.

                                                                    Editing of these properties is covered in the sections above.

                                                                    Beam style

                                                                    A few global properties of beams can be set from Format→Style→Beams:

                                                                    Beam distance: The vertical distance from one beam to the next.
                                                                    Beam thickness:
                                                                    Broken beam minimum length:
                                                                    Flatten all beams: Check to make all note beams horizontal.

                                                                    Regroup rhythms

                                                                      Overview

                                                                      Standard music notation normally follows a set of conventions designed to facilitate the reading of rhythm. The basic idea is to group notes in ways that clarify which notes belong to which beat. Rules include:

                                                                      • sixteenth notes should be beamed in a way that clarifies each beat
                                                                      • eighth notes should be beamed in a way that clarifies each group of two beats
                                                                      • longer notes that start off the beat should be broken up with ties to clarify each beat or group of two beats

                                                                      A full discussion of this topic is beyond the scope of this Handbook, but for more information, see this handout.

                                                                      Here is an example of a rhythm written incorrectly and then correctly:

                                                                      Example of rhythm written incorrectly and correctly

                                                                      MuseScore can correct many of these cases automatically.

                                                                      Regrouping rhythms

                                                                      To regroup rhythms according to the common conventions of standard music notation:

                                                                      1. Select the passage you wish to regroup.
                                                                      2. From the main menu, select Tools→Regroup rhythms.

                                                                      The rhythm itself is not changed—only the notation of it.

                                                                      See also

                                                                      • Notation Rules: Rhythm

                                                                      Tuplets

                                                                        Creating tuplets

                                                                        A tuplet is any group of notes that divide the beat in a way other than what is normally permitted by the time signature. Triplets consisting of three eighth notes in one beat are the most familiar type of tuplet.

                                                                        Triplet

                                                                        Simple tuplets

                                                                        A simple tuplet such as the triplet shown above can be entered in note input mode or in normal mode.

                                                                        In note input mode

                                                                        1. Navigate to the note/rest (or blank measure) where you want the tuplet to start.
                                                                        2. Select a final duration for the whole tuplet group (e.g. for an eighth note triplet, this will be a quarter note—keyboard shortcut 5).
                                                                        3. Use one of the following commands:
                                                                          • Press the keyboard shortcut for the required tuplet: i.e. Ctrl+3 for a triplet; Ctrl+4 for quadruplet … and so on, up to Ctrl+9 for a nonuplet. (Mac: Cmd+3 … Cmd+9);
                                                                          • From the menu, choose Add→Tuplets…, then select the required tuplet.
                                                                          • From the note input toolbar, click on the Tuplet icon and select from the dropdown.

                                                                        The note or rest is automatically divided for you and an appropriate annotation is applied.

                                                                        1. Enter the desired series of notes/rests.

                                                                        In normal mode

                                                                        1. Select a note or rest that specifies the full duration of the desired tuplet group. You may need to create this in the score beforehand. Thus, if you want an eighth note triplet you need to select a quarter note/rest.
                                                                        2. Use one of the following commands:
                                                                          • Press the keyboard shortcut for the required tuplet: i.e. Ctrl+3 for a triplet; Ctrl+4for quadruplet … and so on, up to Ctrl+9 for a nonuplet. (Mac: Cmd+3 … Cmd+9).
                                                                          • From the menu, choose Add→Tuplets…, then select the required tuplet.
                                                                          • From the note input toolbar, click on the Tuplet icon, and select from the dropdown.

                                                                        The note or rest is automatically divided for you and an appropriate annotation is applied.

                                                                        1. Enter the desired series of notes/rests.

                                                                        Consecutive tuplets

                                                                        If you need to input a series of tuplets, and don't want to continually repeat the tuplet command, you can select the notes of the first tuplet and press R (Repeat) as many times as needed; then move subsequent notes into position using keyboard arrows, retyping or re-pitch mode.

                                                                        Custom tuplets

                                                                        More complex tuplets can be created as follows:

                                                                        1. In note input mode, select a note duration equaling the total duration of the tuplet; or, if in normal mode, select a note or rest of the desired overall duration.
                                                                        2. Open the Create Tuplet dialog from either the menu (Add→Tuplets…), or by clicking on the tuplet icon (note input toolbar).
                                                                          Create tuplet dialog
                                                                        3. In the Ratio field, specify the desired number ratio of the tuplet.
                                                                        4. Set Number and Bracket to get the required tuplet display.
                                                                        5. Press OK to close the dialog.
                                                                        6. Enter the desired series of notes and rests.

                                                                        Nested tuplets

                                                                        Tuplets can be nested within other tuplets.

                                                                        Nested tuplets

                                                                        To create a nested tuplet:

                                                                        1. Create the outer tuplet as described above.
                                                                        2. While entering the individual notes, create inner tuplets in the way (select the total notated duration for the inner tuplet, then use one of the tuplet commands to divide it appropriately).

                                                                        Changing the display of tuplets

                                                                        You can choose to display or hide a tuplet number or bracket, change its orientation, or adjust line thickness. See Tuplet properties (below) for details.

                                                                        Tuplet properties

                                                                        The display of selected tuplets can be changed in the Tuplet section of the Properties panel.

                                                                        Direction: Whether the tuplet indication appears above or below the staff. Available settings are "Auto", "above" (↑) or "below" (↓).
                                                                        Number type: Affects the numerical display. Choice of "Number", "Ratio" or "None".
                                                                        Bracket type: Sets bracket display. Settings are "Auto", "bracket", or "no bracket".
                                                                        Line thickness: The thickness of the tuplet bracket, if displayed.

                                                                        Tuplet style

                                                                        You can set the global properties of tuplets in the score from Format→Style→Tuplets. These settings provide fine control over the default display of tuplets.

                                                                        Tuplet style settings

                                                                        The settings include:

                                                                        • Properties
                                                                          • Direction
                                                                          • Number type
                                                                          • Bracket type
                                                                        • Brackets
                                                                          • Bracket thickness
                                                                          • Bracket hook height
                                                                        • Vertical distance from notes
                                                                          • Maximum slope
                                                                          • Vertical distance from stem
                                                                          • Vertical distance from notehead
                                                                          • Avoid staves
                                                                        • Horizontal distance from notes
                                                                          • Distance before stem of first note
                                                                          • Distance before head of first note
                                                                          • Distance after stem of last note
                                                                          • Distance after head of last note

                                                                        Barlines

                                                                          A full range of common barlines is contained in the Barlines palette.

                                                                          Barlines palette

                                                                          Adding double and other special barlines

                                                                          Changing barline type for all staves

                                                                          1. Select one or more barlines in a staff ;
                                                                          2. Click on the desired barline in the palette.

                                                                          Alternatively, you can drag a barline from the palette onto a barline in the score.

                                                                          Changes are applied automatically to all barlines at the same point in the score.

                                                                          Changing barline type for a single staff

                                                                          1. Select one or more barlines in the score;
                                                                          2. Hold Ctrl then click on the desired barline in the palette.

                                                                          Alternatively, you can hold Ctrl and drag a barline from the palette onto a barline in the score.

                                                                          Only barlines in the one staff are affected.

                                                                          Adding mid-measure barlines

                                                                          1. Select one or more notes.
                                                                          2. Click on a barline in the palette.

                                                                          This will add a "barline" in front of each selected note. The barline is for visual purposes and does not factor into any measure operations.

                                                                          If you wish to divide a measure, inserting a real barline in the process, see Splitting a measure.

                                                                          Changing barline length

                                                                          Here we are concerned with the vertical extension of barlines in order to link staves together, or their reduction to create partial barlines.

                                                                          Extending all barlines in a staff

                                                                          1. Select a barline on the "start" staff;
                                                                          2. Use either of the following:
                                                                            • Drag the end handle downwards until it meets the destination staff. This method is the best for extending barlines through multiple staves.
                                                                            • Select the edit handle and press ↓.
                                                                            • Check the "Span to next staff" in the Barlines section of the Properties panel; then click Set as staff default
                                                                          3. Repeat if required for subsequent staves.

                                                                          The barline snaps into place, and all other barlines in that staff follow.

                                                                          Extend barlines, animated GIF

                                                                          Extending selected barlines in a staff

                                                                          1. Select one or more barlines (and their counterparts in the staves below if there are more than two staffs to join).
                                                                          2. Check the "Span to next staff" in the Barlines section of the Properties panel.

                                                                          Creating partial barlines

                                                                          Partial barlines can be easily created by adjusting "Span from" and "Span to" in the Barlines section of the Properties panel.

                                                                          Creating barlines between staves only (Mensurstrich)

                                                                          See Working with Mensurstrich.

                                                                          Barline properties

                                                                          You can edit properties specific to barlines in the Barlines section of the Properties panel:

                                                                          Style: Used to change selected barlines to one in the dropdown list.
                                                                          Span to next staff: Check this to make selected barlines extend to the staff beneath.
                                                                          Span from/to: used to set the vertical start and end points of one or more selected barlines.
                                                                          Set as staff default: Applies the changes made in Span to next staff and Span from/to to all barlines in the staff.
                                                                          Span presets: Applies the selected preset to one or more selected barlines in the score.

                                                                          Barline style

                                                                          Selected properties for all barlines in the score can be changed in Format→Style→Barlines:

                                                                          Barline style settings

                                                                          See also

                                                                          Repeat signs

                                                                          Measure numbering

                                                                            Showing and hiding measure numbers

                                                                            Showing measure numbers automatically

                                                                            By default, MuseScore shows measure numbers at the start of each system except the first one in a section. Numbering starts at the first complete measure in a section.

                                                                            if you wish to change measure numbering:

                                                                            1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Measure numbers.
                                                                            2. Edit the following properties as required:
                                                                              • Measure numbers: This is ON by default. Uncheck to turn off measure numbering.
                                                                              • Show first: Check to show measure number on the first system of a section.
                                                                              • All staves: Check to show measure numbers on every staff.
                                                                              • Every system / Interval: If "Every system" is selected, measure numbers are shown at the start of each system. If "Interval" is selected, you can choose a measure interval at which to display measures.
                                                                            3. Make changes to positioning using the controls on the right.
                                                                            4. Edit the display of multimeasure numbers in the section below:
                                                                              • Show measure number range at multimeasure rests. If checked, you can also customize the appearance and position of the numbering. Unchecked (the default setting), only the count of multimeasure rests is displayed.

                                                                            Showing measure numbers manually

                                                                            To always show the number of a particular measure, regardless of style settings, open Measure properties and select "Always show" from the Measure number mode dropdown.

                                                                            Hiding measure numbers

                                                                            To hide all measure numbers, uncheck "Measure numbers" in Format→Style→Measure numbers.

                                                                            To hide the number of a particular measure, regardless of style settings, open Measure properties and select "Always hide" from the Measure number mode dropdown.

                                                                            Changing the measure number sequence

                                                                            Excluding a measure from the count

                                                                            In Measure properties, check "Exclude from measure count" (in the Other pane).

                                                                            Altering the numbering of a measure

                                                                            In Measure properties, edit "Add to measure number". Both positive and negative numbers are accepted.

                                                                            Resetting measure numbering for a new section

                                                                            By default, numbering of measures always restarts at the beginning of a new section. To prevent this, and make numbering continuous, select the break and in the Properties panel uncheck "Reset measure numbers for new section"

                                                                            Changing the position of measure numbers

                                                                            To adjust the position of all measure numbers, edit the X and Y offsets of "Position above" and "Position below" in Format→Style→Measure numbers.

                                                                            Measure number properties

                                                                            Note that any changes made to a measure number in the Properties panel may be lost if the layout changes.

                                                                            Measure number style

                                                                            Various properties for all measure numbers in the score can be adjusted in Format→Style→Measure numbers. Most are dealt with in the sections above.

                                                                            Measure number style settings

                                                                            See also

                                                                            Other measure-related pages:

                                                                            • Measure rests and multimeasure rests
                                                                            • Pickup and non-metered measures
                                                                            • Measure properties
                                                                            • Adding and removing measures
                                                                            • Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                                                                            Measure rests and multimeasure rests

                                                                              Measure rest

                                                                              A measure rest looks like a whole rest, but is centered within a measure and indicates that the entire measure (or a voice within it) is silent. It is commonly used in all meters (except 4/2 and 8/4).

                                                                              Measure rest

                                                                              Multimeasure rest

                                                                              A multimeasure rest is used to indicate a run of empty measures, the number of measures being shown by a figure above/below the staff.

                                                                              Multimeasure rests

                                                                              Enabling and disabling multimeasure rests

                                                                              Multimeasure rests can be turned on/off with the shortcut M, or by checking "Multimeasure Rests" in Format→Style…→Rests.

                                                                              By default, if multimeasure rests are enabled, any consecutive runs of two or more empty measures are automatically converted to multimeasure rests.

                                                                              To change the minimum number of empty measures needed to trigger multimeasure rests:

                                                                              1. From the menu, choose Format→Style…→Rests.
                                                                              2. Check "Multimeasure rests" (if the option is not already enabled).
                                                                              3. Edit "Minimum number of empty measures".

                                                                              Multimeasure rests can be turned on/off independently in the score and instrument parts.

                                                                              Breaking multimeasure rests

                                                                              Multimeasure rests are automatically broken at important points, such as double barlines, rehearsal marks, key signature or time signature changes, section breaks etc.

                                                                              However, you can opt to break a multimeasure rest manually as follows.

                                                                              1. Disable multimeasure rests;
                                                                              2. Right-click on the measure at which you want the multimeasure rest to break, and select Measure properties.
                                                                              3. In the dialog, check "Break multimeasure rest".
                                                                              4. Click OK.
                                                                              5. Re-enable multimeasure rests.

                                                                              Multimeasure rest properties

                                                                              You can edit properties specific to multimeasure rests in the Multimeasure rest section of the Properties panel:

                                                                              Show number: This box is checked by default. Uncheck it to hide the multimeasure number.
                                                                              Number position: Adjust the vertical position of the multimeasure number, above or below the rest.

                                                                              Multimeasure rest style

                                                                              Some global properties of multimeasure rests can be set from Format→Style…→Measure numbers:

                                                                              Multimeasure rest numbers style settings

                                                                              Others from Format→Style…→Rests:

                                                                              Multimeasure rest style settings

                                                                              See also

                                                                              Other measure-related pages:

                                                                              • Measure numbering
                                                                              • Pickup and non-metered measures
                                                                              • Measure properties
                                                                              • Adding and removing measures
                                                                              • Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                                                                              Pickup and non-metered measures

                                                                                Creating a pickup measure

                                                                                A pickup measure, also known as an upbeat or anacrusis, is a partial, or incomplete, measure at the beginning of a score or section.

                                                                                Note: By convention, measure numbering starts at the first complete measure.

                                                                                Specifying the pickup duration during score creation

                                                                                1. Click on Measures in the "Additional score information" page (page 2) of the New Score dialog;
                                                                                2. Check "Create pickup measure";
                                                                                3. Choose an underlying time signature using the spin controls below.

                                                                                Converting a measure into a pickup

                                                                                1. Right-click on the measure and choose Measure properties;
                                                                                2. In the Measure duration section, next to "Actual", choose an underlying "time signature";
                                                                                3. Click OK; or click Apply and then ← or → if you want to configure an adjacent partial measure.

                                                                                It is accepted musical practice to omit the same duration as the pickup from the final measure of the piece or of the same repeat section. The same method of shortening the measure applies here.

                                                                                Creating non-metered measures

                                                                                A non-metered measure is one which is less or greater in duration than the indicated time signature.

                                                                                A measures of less duration than the indicated signature may be created in exactly the same way as a pickup measure (see above).

                                                                                Other ways of creating non-metered measures are described below:

                                                                                Inserting notes and rests

                                                                                Extra notes/rests can be inserted in a measure with the help of either a keyboard shortcut, or by using a special mode of entry called Insert mode:

                                                                                Using a keyboard shortcut

                                                                                1. Select the note or rest in the score before which you want to insert notes/rests;
                                                                                2. Enter note-input mode;
                                                                                3. Select a duration;
                                                                                4. Press Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift) while adding the note/rest from the keyboard or mouse.

                                                                                Using Insert mode

                                                                                1. Make sure you are in note input mode, and that you have the element selected where you want to start inserting notes/rests;
                                                                                2. Click on the arrow next to the Note input icon, and select Insert (or if Insert is the current default, just press N);
                                                                                3. Enter a note or rest as you would in step-time mode. Each note is inserted before the current cursor position;
                                                                                4. Move the cursor forward and backward if required (using the arrow keys), to change the insertion point.

                                                                                If, at any time, the total duration of the notes and rests within the measure does not match the time signature, a small + or - sign will be shown above the measure.

                                                                                Joining measures

                                                                                This command joins selected measures into one measure.

                                                                                Method A. To join two measures only:

                                                                                1. Select the barline between the two measures;
                                                                                2. Press Ctrl+Del; or select Tools→Remove selected range.

                                                                                Method B. To join any number of measures:

                                                                                1. Select the measures you want to join;
                                                                                2. From the menu bar, select Tools→Measures→Remove selected range.

                                                                                Notes: (1) If you select measures on only one staff in a score with multiple staves, the same measures will be joined in each staff of the system. (2) Beaming may be automatically modified.

                                                                                Splitting a measure

                                                                                This command inserts a barline before a selected note, splitting the measure into two.

                                                                                Use one of the following methods:

                                                                                • Select a note; then hold Ctrl and click a barline in a palette.
                                                                                • Hold Ctrl and drag a barline (from a palette) to a note.
                                                                                • Select a note; then, from the menu bar, select Tools→Measures→Split Measure Before Selected Note/Rest.

                                                                                See also

                                                                                • Working with non-metered music.

                                                                                Other measure-related pages:

                                                                                • Measure numbering
                                                                                • Measure and multimeasure rests
                                                                                • Measure properties
                                                                                • Adding and removing measures
                                                                                • Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                                                                                Measure properties

                                                                                  Opening and using the dialog

                                                                                  The Measure properties dialog allows you to adjust various properties of an individual measure—such as visibility, duration, numbering and width ("Stretch").

                                                                                  • To open Measure properties, right-click on a measure and select "Measure properties".

                                                                                    Measure properties

                                                                                  If you only want to adjust one measure, click OK to make the changes permanent. However, if you also want to adjust adjacent measures there is no need to close the dialog; simply click Apply, then use the arrows on the bottom left of the window to move the dialog to the new measure. The new measure number appears both at the top of the dialog and in the status bar.

                                                                                  Staves

                                                                                  Visible : Uncheck/check the boxes to hide/show the selected measure.
                                                                                  Stemless: Check/uncheck the box to hide/show stems.

                                                                                  Measure duration

                                                                                  Nominal: This is the time signature set in the score.
                                                                                  Actual: Adjust these figures to increase or decrease the duration of a measure.

                                                                                  Other

                                                                                  Exclude from measure count: Check to make the count skip the selected measure.
                                                                                  Break multimeasure rest: See Measure rests and multimeasure rests.
                                                                                  Measure number mode: Allows you to display/hide measure number for the selected measure irrespective of style settings.
                                                                                  Add to measure number: Changes numbering from this measure onwards in the score.
                                                                                  Stretch: This property is normally adjusted first with a shortcut (see Stretch); use "Measure properties" for fine adjustment.
                                                                                  Play count: This only appears if the measure is before an end repeat barline. It indicates the number of times the repeat section is played.

                                                                                  See also

                                                                                  Other measure-related pages:

                                                                                  • Measure numbering
                                                                                  • Measure and multimeasure rests
                                                                                  • Pickup and non-metered measures
                                                                                  • Adding and removing measures
                                                                                  • Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                                                                                  Notation: Pitch

                                                                                    Clefs

                                                                                      Clefs are applied to the score from the "Clefs" palette.

                                                                                      Setting the initial clef for a staff

                                                                                      MuseScore automatically applies the most appropriate clef(s) for the instrument when creating a new score. You can easily change this from the score window if needed.

                                                                                      Adding or changing a clef

                                                                                      Add/Change a start clef

                                                                                      To change a clef at the start of a system, use one of the following:

                                                                                      • Select the first measure in the system and click a clef symbol in the palette.
                                                                                      • Drag a clef from the palette onto the first system measure.
                                                                                      • Select the clef and click a clef in the palette.
                                                                                      • Drag a new clef from the palette onto the clef.

                                                                                      Add/Change a mid-measure clef

                                                                                      To add/change a mid-measure clef before a note, use one of the following:

                                                                                      • Click on the note, then click a clef in the palette.
                                                                                      • Drag a clef from a palette onto the note

                                                                                      To add/change a mid-measure clef in front of a barline, use one of the following:

                                                                                      • Select the following measure and click a palette clef.
                                                                                      • Drag a clef from a palette onto the following measure.

                                                                                      Notes: (1) “Mid-staff” clefs are always smaller than the main system clef. (2) Notes after a clef change are automatically repositioned so that they continue to sound at the original pitch.

                                                                                      Delete

                                                                                      To delete a clef, just select it and press Del. Note that clefs at the beginning of systems cannot be deleted.

                                                                                      Controlling the visibility of clefs

                                                                                      Standard clefs

                                                                                      To hide/show clefs at the beginning of all systems except the first:

                                                                                      1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Page;
                                                                                      2. Uncheck/check Create clef for all systems.

                                                                                      Mid-measure clefs are unaffected.

                                                                                      To hide/show all clefs on a selected staff:

                                                                                      1. Right-click on a measure;
                                                                                      2. Choose "Staff/Part properties";
                                                                                      3. In the dialog, uncheck "Show clef".

                                                                                      This affects clefs at the start of a system and mid-measure.

                                                                                      Courtesy clefs

                                                                                      To hide/show courtesy clefs:

                                                                                      1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Page;
                                                                                      2. Uncheck/Check the Create courtesy clefs.

                                                                                      If courtesy clefs are enabled, you can still hide an individual courtesy clef as follows:

                                                                                      1. Select the relevant standard clef;
                                                                                      2. In the Properties panel, uncheck/check Show courtesy clef on previous system.

                                                                                      Clefs and transposition

                                                                                      Using octave clefs

                                                                                      [To be added]

                                                                                      Using different clefs for transposed and concert pitch

                                                                                      [To be added]

                                                                                      Clef properties

                                                                                      See Courtesy clefs (above).

                                                                                      Clef style

                                                                                      Tablature users can select the type of TAB clef displayed:

                                                                                      1. From the menu, select Format→Style→Clefs
                                                                                      2. Set the default TAB clef to "Standard" or "Serif" as required.

                                                                                      Other style properties are available in Format→Style→Page, namely:

                                                                                      Create clef for all systems
                                                                                      Create courtesy clefs

                                                                                      For details, see Controlling the visibility of clefs (above).

                                                                                      Key signatures

                                                                                        Overview

                                                                                        Key signatures are applied to the score from the "Key signatures" palette.

                                                                                        Setting the initial key signature for your score

                                                                                        The initial key signature is set from page 2 of the New Score dialog.

                                                                                        Adding a key signature change to your score

                                                                                        Use one of the following methods:

                                                                                        • Select a measure and click a key signature in the palette.
                                                                                        • Drag a key signature from the palette onto an empty part of a measure.

                                                                                        Note: It is also possible, though uncommon, to add a key-signature mid measure by selecting a note then clicking a palette key signature, or dragging the key signature to a note.

                                                                                        Adding a local key signature for a single staff

                                                                                        If you wish to add a key signature to only one staff, leaving others unchanged, use one of the following:

                                                                                        • Press and hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd)), then click on a measure.
                                                                                        • Press and hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd)), then drag a key signature from a palette onto a measure

                                                                                        Selecting a key signature for a single staff

                                                                                        If you wish to select a key signature for a single staff only, press and hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd)), then click on the key signature.

                                                                                        Replacing an existing key signature

                                                                                        Use any of the following methods:

                                                                                        • Select the key signature to be replaced, and click a new key signature in a palette.
                                                                                        • Drag a key signature from the palette onto the key signature to be replaced (or onto the measure containing the key signature).

                                                                                        To replace the key signature on a single staff only, press and hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd)) before carrying out the above operations.

                                                                                        Deleting a key signature

                                                                                        • To delete a key signature in the score, select it and press Del.
                                                                                        • To delete a key signature from single staff only, hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) while selecting it, then press Del.

                                                                                        Controlling the visibility of key signatures

                                                                                        To show key signatures only at beginning of a score, and at a key change:

                                                                                        1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Page;
                                                                                        2. Uncheck/Check "Create key signature for all systems".

                                                                                        To hide/show all courtesy key signatures (at the end of systems):

                                                                                        1. From the menu bar, elect Format→Style→Page;
                                                                                        2. Uncheck/Check "Create courtesy key signatures".

                                                                                        To hide/show a particular courtesy key signature:

                                                                                        1. Select the parent key signature;
                                                                                        2. In the Properties panel, uncheck/check "Show courtesy key signature on previous system".

                                                                                        Key signatures and transposing instruments

                                                                                        Care needs to be taken when working in written pitch and applying a key signature directly to a transposing instrument. For example, a Bb clarinet is written a tone higher than it sounds; so, to get the clarinet to display in G major, you need to apply a key signature of F major from the palette. And so on.

                                                                                        Key signatures and concert pitch, animated GIF

                                                                                        Open/Atonal key signature

                                                                                        Some instruments (e.g. French horn) are conventionally written with no key signature. To achieve this, you need to add an open/atonal local key signature to the staff (this is already done in scores created from templates).

                                                                                        An open/atonal key signature looks similar to a 'C major/A minor' key signature. However, unlike standard key signatures, an open key signature always remains the same, regardless of key changes to the rest of the score.

                                                                                        Creating a custom key signature

                                                                                        To create a custom signature:

                                                                                        1. In the "Key signatures" palette, click More, then Create key signature
                                                                                          Create key signatures dialog
                                                                                        2. Drag accidentals onto the staff image as required. Note: Accidentals are horizontally aligned by default. If you want to an accidental in a custom position, hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) while dragging it.

                                                                                          Key signature editor, animated GIF

                                                                                        3. To remove an accidental select it and press Del. Note: The Clear button deletes all added accidentals.

                                                                                        4. To add the completed signature to the main palette, click Add.

                                                                                        Note: Custom key signatures are adapted to transposing instruments automatically. If You want transposing instrument to use custom key signature exactly the same, as it is in palette, You need to transpose it back. Select measure where key signature is placed and use Tools→Transpose.

                                                                                        Custom key signature, animated GIF

                                                                                        Key signature properties

                                                                                        You can edit properties specific to key signatures in the Key signature section of the Properties panel:

                                                                                        Show courtesy key signature on previous system: See Controlling the visibility of key signatures (above).
                                                                                        Mode: You can select a mode for the key signature if required—major, minor, dorian etc. The default is "unknown".

                                                                                        Key signature style

                                                                                        Various style properties affect key signature display.

                                                                                        Format→Style→Page

                                                                                        Create key signature for all systems
                                                                                        Create courtesy signatures

                                                                                        The use of these properties is discussed in Controlling the visibility of key signatures (above).

                                                                                        Format→Style→Accidentals

                                                                                        Naturals style settings for Key signatures

                                                                                        Here you can change the way accidentals are displayed in key signature changes in the score.

                                                                                        Format→Style→Measure

                                                                                        Clef to key signature
                                                                                        Key signature to time signature
                                                                                        Barline to key signature
                                                                                        Key signature to barline
                                                                                        Key signature to first note

                                                                                        These properties control the various distances before and after key signatures in the score.

                                                                                        See also

                                                                                        • Transposition

                                                                                        Transposition

                                                                                          Overview

                                                                                          Transposition is the act of raising or lowering the pitch of a selection of notes by the same interval.

                                                                                          In MuseScore, you can transpose your music using keyboard shortcuts, or via the Transpose dialog.

                                                                                          Transposing with keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                          To transpose with keyboard shortcuts, first select a range of notes (See Selecting elements). Then use one of the following options, depending on how you need to transpose your music:

                                                                                          Transpose chromatically

                                                                                          Press ↑ or ↓ to move the selection up/down in semitone steps

                                                                                          Transpose diatonically

                                                                                          Press Alt+Shift+↑/↓ to move the selection up/down in scale degrees (Mac: ⌥+Shift+↑/↓).

                                                                                          Transpose by an octave

                                                                                          Press Ctrl+↑/↓ to move the selection up/down in octave steps (Mac: ⌘+↑/↓).

                                                                                          Using the transpose dialog

                                                                                          The Transpose dialog gives you more control over transposition, with options to transpose to selected keys or by specific intervals.

                                                                                          First select a range of notes you wish to transpose. (See Selecting elements). If no selection is made, the whole score is automatically selected for transposition.

                                                                                          Then open the dialog by selecting Tools → Transpose...

                                                                                          Transpose dialog

                                                                                          Transpose Chromatically

                                                                                          When this is selected, you can choose to transpose to a specific key, or by specified interval.

                                                                                          To transpose chromatically to a specific key:

                                                                                          1. Select To key
                                                                                          2. Select whether to transpose to the Closest key (relative to the current key signature of the selection), or Up or Down to the destination key signature
                                                                                          3. Choose your destination key signature from the drop down menu
                                                                                          4. Leave Transpose key signatures selected to transpose any existing key signatures in your selection (deselecting this will leave any existing key signatures unchanged)
                                                                                          5. Leave Transpose chord symbols selected to transpose any existing chord symbols in your selection (deselecting this will leave any existing chord symbols unchanged)
                                                                                          6. Click OK

                                                                                          To transpose chromatically by interval

                                                                                          To transpose selected notes up or down in semitone increments:

                                                                                          1. Select By interval
                                                                                          2. Select whether to transpose your selection Up or Down by the specified interval
                                                                                          3. Select the transposition interval from the drop down menu
                                                                                          4. Select options for Transpose key signatures and Transpose chord symbols as required (see above)
                                                                                          5. Click OK

                                                                                          Transpose Diatonically

                                                                                          Select this to transpose the selection by a specified interval without changing the existing key signature(s). Note: the intervallic relationships between pitches in your selection will change as a result!

                                                                                          1. Select Transpose Diatonically
                                                                                          2. Select whether to transpose your selection Up or Down by the specified interval
                                                                                          3. Leave Keep degree alterations selected to retain any accidentals in the selection (Note: accidentals will be modified relative to the existing key signature. Note also: Deselecting this will remove any existing accidentals upon transposition)
                                                                                          4. Leave Transpose chord symbols selected to transpose any existing chord symbols in your selection (see above)
                                                                                          5. Click OK

                                                                                          Working with transposing instruments

                                                                                          Transposed and concert pitch

                                                                                          Transposing instruments (such as the clarinet, French horn, trumpet etc.) are notated at a different pitch (and key signature) to how they sound. The notated pitch is called the written pitch, while the actual pitch is called concert or sounding pitch.

                                                                                          By default the program is displayed with all the staves at written pitch. However, if you wish to view the score at concert pitch just check the "Concert pitch" box (to the left of the tuning fork icon) in the status bar.

                                                                                          Concert pitch button

                                                                                          Setting the interval of transposition

                                                                                          When you set up a score in the New Score, or Add or remove instruments dialogs, transposed key signatures are automatically applied to any transposing instruments. However if for any reason you need to set up the staff transposition manually, this is how to do it.

                                                                                          1. Right-click on the instrument staff and select Staff/Part properties;
                                                                                          2. Next to "Transpose" in the lower part of the dialog, select the interval that the instrument sounds above/below concert pitch. (Music for the Bb clarinet, for example, is written a tone above its sounding pitch and the transpose setting is therefore a major second down.)
                                                                                            Transposition part properties
                                                                                          3. Click OK.

                                                                                          The correct transposed key signature will now appear on the staff.

                                                                                          Controlling enharmonic spelling

                                                                                          The enharmonic spelling of the transposed key signature, whether in sharps or flats, is set in Staff/Part properties (see Setting the interval of transposition ).

                                                                                          To change the enharmonic spelling of pitches in the score, see Change spelling.

                                                                                          Octave lines

                                                                                            Overview

                                                                                            Octave (Ottava) lines are used to indicate that a section of music is to be played one or more octaves above or below written pitch; the line may be dotted or solid:

                                                                                            8--------┐or 8va--------┐: Play one octave above written pitch.
                                                                                            8--------┘or 8va--------┘: Play one octave below written pitch.

                                                                                            8va alta/bassa lines are particularly common in piano scores, though they are sometimes used in other instrumental music. 15ma alta (2 octaves above) and 15ma bassa (2 octaves below) are also occasionally used.

                                                                                            MuseScore automatically adjusts playback of the score under the ottava to the correct pitch.

                                                                                            Ottava lines may be found in the Lines palette.

                                                                                            Adding an octave line to your score

                                                                                            See Adding a line to your score.

                                                                                            To adjust the range and vertical position of the line, see Adjusting elements directly.

                                                                                            Octave line properties

                                                                                            Properties specific to the selected ottava(s) can be adjusted in the Ottava section of the Properties panel, namely:

                                                                                            Style tab

                                                                                            Type: Specifies whether the Ottava line is 8va, 8vb etc.
                                                                                            Show number only: Hides any text (such as “va”).
                                                                                            Show line: Makes the line visible / invisible. Text is unaffected.
                                                                                            Allow diagonal: Allow line to slope if required.

                                                                                            For other properties in this tab, see Line properties.

                                                                                            Text tab

                                                                                            This has a similar user interface to general lines (see Line properties), but uses special code to specify the ottava text.

                                                                                            Octave line style

                                                                                            Default properties for ottavas can be adjusted in Format→Style→Ottava.

                                                                                            Ottava style

                                                                                            Noteheads

                                                                                              You can choose from an extensive range of alternative noteheads including diamond, crosshead, and many others.

                                                                                              Notehead shapes

                                                                                              A number of alternative notehead systems are also available allowing you, for example, to write music with pitch names in noteheads, solfege, or shape-note music. e.g.

                                                                                              Seven-shape system (Aikin)

                                                                                              Changing notehead direction

                                                                                              To flip a notehead horizontally (left to right of stem or vice-versa), use one of the following:

                                                                                              • Press Shift+X.
                                                                                              • Set Note direction in Properties: Note.
                                                                                                Note direction

                                                                                              This also works for a selection of notes.

                                                                                              (Note: Contrast this command with X which flips the stem and beam vertically (top to bottom or vice versa)

                                                                                              Changing notehead shape

                                                                                              1. Select one or more noteheads;
                                                                                              2. Use one of the following:
                                                                                                • Select a notehead from Notehead type in Properties: Note.
                                                                                                • Click on a notehead in the Noteheads palette.

                                                                                              Alternatively, you can drag a notehead symbol from a palette onto a notehead in the score.

                                                                                              Sharing noteheads between voices

                                                                                              To force two offset noteheads in different voices to share a single notehead, use one of the following methods:

                                                                                              • Make the smaller-value notehead invisible. This works for the majority of cases.
                                                                                              • Select the smaller value notehead and in the Note section of the Properties toolbar change "Head type (visual only)" to that of the higher value note.

                                                                                              Note: MuseScore uses the following rules for sharing noteheads:

                                                                                              • Notes with stems in the same direction do not share noteheads.
                                                                                              • Dotted notes do not share noteheads with undotted notes.
                                                                                              • Black notes do not share noteheads with white notes.
                                                                                              • Whole notes never share noteheads.

                                                                                              Remove duplicate fretmarks in tablature

                                                                                              If you are using paired standard and tablature staves you will come across situations where a shared notehead in the standard staff generates two fretmarks in tablature. In this case simply hide one of the fretmarks by making it invisible.

                                                                                              Alternative notehead systems

                                                                                              If you wish to notate music in a shape-note style, solfege, or show pitch names in noteheads, for example, you should first score it in conventional notation. Then select all the noteheads and choose an option from Notehead system in Properties: Note.

                                                                                              Adding pitch and velocity information to notes

                                                                                              To edit the playback velocity of a note:

                                                                                              • In the Playback: General section of the Properties panel, edit "Velocity". This adds or subtracts the displayed value to/from the absolute velocity of the note indicated in the score.

                                                                                              To modify the playback pitch of a note (without altering notation):

                                                                                              • In the Playback: General section of the Properties panel, edit "Tuning (cents)". This adds/subtracts the displayed value to/from the note pitch shown in the score.

                                                                                              Notehead properties

                                                                                              After selecting a notehead, the following properties can be edited in the Note section of the Properties panel:

                                                                                              Notehead parentheses: Add or remove parentheses.
                                                                                              Notehead type: See Changing notehead shape (above.)
                                                                                              Hide notehead: Makes notehead invisible (see also, Properties: visibility).
                                                                                              Small notehead:
                                                                                              Duration dot position: This provides an alternative vertical offset for the duration dot.
                                                                                              Notehead system: See Alternative notehead systems (above).
                                                                                              Notehead type (visual only): See Change offset noteheads to a shared notehead (above).
                                                                                              Note direction: See Changing notehead direction (above).
                                                                                              Notehead offset: This changes the offset of the notehead only (to change the offset of the complete note, use "Offset" in Properties: Appearance instead).

                                                                                              Ambitus

                                                                                                Adding an ambitus to your score

                                                                                                Changing the range of an ambitus

                                                                                                Ambitus properties

                                                                                                Respell pitches

                                                                                                  Manually changing the enharmonic spelling of notes

                                                                                                  To change the enharmonic spelling of a note, or notes, in both written and concert pitch views:

                                                                                                  1. Select a note, or group of notes;
                                                                                                  2. Press J;
                                                                                                  3. Continue pressing J to cycle through the enharmonic equivalents.

                                                                                                  To change the enharmonic spelling in the written pitch view, without affecting the concert pitch view, or vice versa:

                                                                                                  1. Select a note, or group of notes;
                                                                                                  2. Press Ctrl+J (Mac: Cmd+J);
                                                                                                  3. Continue pressing the same combination of keys to cycle through the enharmonic equivalents.

                                                                                                  Note: If the pitches of selected notes are not all the same, the effect may be unpredictable.

                                                                                                  Automatically respelling all notes in a selection

                                                                                                  Respell pitches

                                                                                                  • From the menu, select Tools→Respell Pitches.

                                                                                                  Notation: Expressive markings

                                                                                                    Articulations

                                                                                                      Articulations can be found in the Articulations palette.

                                                                                                      Articulations palette

                                                                                                      These include all kinds of accents, staccato and vibrato markings.

                                                                                                      Adding articulations to your score

                                                                                                      Articulations can be added to your score in any of three ways:

                                                                                                      Toolbar

                                                                                                      Certain articulations (accent, marcato, staccato, and tenuto) can be added from the note input toolbar (above the document pane).

                                                                                                      1. Select one or more notes;
                                                                                                      2. Click on the desired icon in the articulations toolbar area.
                                                                                                        Articulations toolbar

                                                                                                      Articulations palette

                                                                                                      To add any articulation:

                                                                                                      1. Select one or more notes;
                                                                                                      2. Click on the desired articulation in the Articulations palette;

                                                                                                      Alternatively, drag and drop an articulation symbol from the palette to a notehead.

                                                                                                      Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                      To add an articulation with a keyboard shortcut (i.e. accent, marcato, staccato, or tenuto):

                                                                                                      1. Select one or more notes;
                                                                                                      2. Apply the relevant shortcut from the list below:
                                                                                                        • Accent: Shift+V
                                                                                                        • Marcato: Shift+O
                                                                                                        • Staccato: Shift+S
                                                                                                        • Tenuto: Shift+N

                                                                                                      Articulations playback

                                                                                                      Certain articulations affect note playback—such as staccato, staccatissimo, louré (tenuto + staccato), and accents. This is handled automatically by the program.

                                                                                                      Articulation properties

                                                                                                      For a selected articulation any editable properties will be shown in the Properties panel.

                                                                                                      • Placement: This alters the position of the symbol above or below the note.

                                                                                                      Articulation style

                                                                                                      Certain default properties for articulations can be edited in Format→Style→Dynamics.

                                                                                                      Articulations style settings

                                                                                                      Dynamics

                                                                                                        Dynamics are symbols indicating the relative loudness or softness of a note or phrase of music. They can be found in the Dynamics palette.

                                                                                                        Dynamics palette

                                                                                                        There are two types of dynamics: standard ones, such as p and ff etc., which apply to the score from the point where the dynamic appears; and single-note dynamics, such as sfz, which apply only to the note to which the dynamic is attached

                                                                                                        Dynamics can be edited just like other text objects. They also have a playback effect on the score.

                                                                                                        Adding dynamics to your score

                                                                                                        Dynamics palette

                                                                                                        To apply a dynamic to the score, use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                        • Select one or more notes and click a dynamic symbol in a palette.
                                                                                                        • Drag a dynamic symbol from a palette onto a note.

                                                                                                        Custom dynamics

                                                                                                        If the dynamic you want is not available in the palette, you can customize an existing one in the score. Since a dynamic is a form of text, you can edit it as such.

                                                                                                        1. Enter edit mode.
                                                                                                        2. Edit the text just as you would in a word processor.

                                                                                                        Dynamic indications such as p, mf, f etc., are actually special characters and need to be entered from the special characters box. Alternatively you can use shortcuts from the following table:

                                                                                                        Dynamic Windows & Linux Shortcut Mac Shortcut
                                                                                                        Piano p Ctrl+Shift+P Cmd+Shift+P
                                                                                                        Forte f Ctrl+Shift+F Cmd+Shift+F
                                                                                                        Mezzo m Ctrl+Shift+M Cmd+Shift+M
                                                                                                        Rinforzando r Ctrl+Shift+R Cmd+Shift+R
                                                                                                        Sforzando s Ctrl+Shift+S Cmd+Shift+S
                                                                                                        Niente n Ctrl+Shift+N Cmd+Shift+N
                                                                                                        Z z Ctrl+Shift+Z Cmd+Shift+Z

                                                                                                        Changing playback of dynamics

                                                                                                        [To be added]

                                                                                                        Dynamics properties

                                                                                                        [To be added]

                                                                                                        Dynamics style

                                                                                                        The default positioning of all dynamics in the score can be adjusted from Format→Style→Dynamics.

                                                                                                        Dynamics style settings

                                                                                                        Hairpins

                                                                                                          Types of hairpin

                                                                                                          Hairpins are symbols used to indicate gradual changes of volume in the score. There are two kinds: crescendo (getting louder) and decrescendo (getting quieter).

                                                                                                          Hairpins

                                                                                                          There are also crescendo and diminuendo lines which do the same thing:

                                                                                                          Crescendo and diminuendo lines

                                                                                                          All can be found in the Lines or Dynamics palettes.

                                                                                                          Adding a hairpin to your score

                                                                                                          Lines palette

                                                                                                          To enter a hairpin from a palette use one of the following options:

                                                                                                          • Select a range of notes or measures, then click on a hairpin in the palette.
                                                                                                          • Drag and drop a hairpin onto a notehead. The hairpin will extend to the end of the measure.

                                                                                                          Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                          To enter a hairpin using a keyboard shortcut:

                                                                                                          1. Select a range of notes or measures;
                                                                                                          2. Use one of the following options:
                                                                                                            • For a crescendo hairpin press < ("less than" sign).
                                                                                                            • For a diminuendo hairpin press > ("greater than" sign).

                                                                                                          Changing appearance of hairpins

                                                                                                          Range

                                                                                                          To extend or contract the range of a hairpin, see Changing range of a line.

                                                                                                          Height

                                                                                                          To change the height, select the height adjustment handle (shaded in the image below) …

                                                                                                          Hairpin height adjustement

                                                                                                          … then use keyboard arrows, offsets (Properties panel), or dragging, to move the handle into the desired position. (See Basics: Adjusting elements directly.)

                                                                                                          Alternatively you can adjust the "Height" in the Hairpin: Style section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                          Set at angle

                                                                                                          To allow the hairpin to slope at a diagonal, check the "Allow diagonal" box in Hairpin: Style in the Properties panel. Then move the start/end adjustment handles to get the desired slope.

                                                                                                          Other adjustments

                                                                                                          See Hairpin properties.

                                                                                                          Changing playback of hairpins

                                                                                                          [To be added]

                                                                                                          Hairpin properties

                                                                                                          You can edit properties specific to hairpins in the Hairpins section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                          Style tab

                                                                                                          Niente circle: Places a small circle at the point of the hairpin.
                                                                                                          Allow diagonal: Allows the hairpin to be set at an angle; see Changing appearance of hairpins (above).
                                                                                                          Line style: Choose solid, dashed or dotted lines.
                                                                                                          Thickness / Height:
                                                                                                          Height (new system): Specify the height of subsequent hairpins if the first one spans a system.
                                                                                                          Position: Above or Below.

                                                                                                          Text tab

                                                                                                          Properties here allow you to specify beginning, end, and continuation texts and their vertical offsets.

                                                                                                          Hairpin style

                                                                                                          Default properties for all hairpins in the score can be adjusted from Format→Style→Hairpins:

                                                                                                          Hairpin style settings

                                                                                                          Slurs

                                                                                                            A slur is a curved line between notes of different pitches indicating legato phrasing; exact interpretation depends on the instrument.

                                                                                                            Slurs should not be confused with (note) ties which connect notes of the same pitch and extend the duration of the first note to encompass the connected notes.

                                                                                                            Adding a slur to your score

                                                                                                            After selecting a note, a slur can be created using any of the following:

                                                                                                            • A keyboard shortcut, S. This option is both convenient and fast.
                                                                                                            • The menu option, Add→Line→Slur
                                                                                                            • A slur from the lines palette.

                                                                                                            The exact method of applications depends on whether you are in note input or normal modes of operation. The keyboard shortcut method will be used as an example.

                                                                                                            Adding slurs in normal mode

                                                                                                            Method 1

                                                                                                            1. Select the note where you want the slur to start:
                                                                                                              Adding slur, step 1
                                                                                                            2. Press S to add a slur extending to the next note:
                                                                                                              Adding slur, step 2
                                                                                                            3. To extend the slur to the next note, hold Shift and press → (right arrow). Repeat as required:
                                                                                                              Adding slur, step 3, extending it to next note
                                                                                                            4. To flip the slur direction, press X:
                                                                                                              Adding slur, step 4, flipping direction
                                                                                                            5. Press Esc to exit edit mode:
                                                                                                              Adding slur, step 5, exiting edit mode

                                                                                                            Method 2

                                                                                                            1. Select the note where you want the slur to start;
                                                                                                            2. Choose one of the following options:
                                                                                                              • To add a single slur: Hold down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) and select the last note that you want the slur to cover.
                                                                                                              • To add slurs to all voices: Hold down Shift and select the last note that you want the slurs to cover.
                                                                                                            3. Press S.

                                                                                                            Adding slurs in note input mode

                                                                                                            1. Enter the first note in the slurred section;
                                                                                                            2. Press S to begin the slurred section;
                                                                                                            3. Type in the remaining notes in the slurred section;
                                                                                                            4. Press S again to end the slurred section.

                                                                                                            Multi-voice and cross-staff slurs

                                                                                                            Using method 2 (above) you can create a slur between notes in the same or different voices. Cross staff slurs can be created in exactly the same way. e.g.

                                                                                                            Cross-staff slur

                                                                                                            You can also adjust the start/end handles of an existing slur to move the start or end to a note of a different voice:

                                                                                                            1. Click on the start/end handle of the slur.;
                                                                                                            2. Press Shift+↑/↓ to move the start/end between voices, and from staff to staff.

                                                                                                            Changing appearance of slurs

                                                                                                            To adjust the shape of a slur or its range, see Adjusting elements directly.

                                                                                                            Slur properties

                                                                                                            The following properties specific to slurs can be adjusted in the Properties panel.

                                                                                                            Style: Solid, dashed or dotted line.
                                                                                                            Position: Above or below.

                                                                                                            Slur style

                                                                                                            Some default properties for all slurs in the score can be adjusted in Format→Style→Slurs/Ties:

                                                                                                            Slur style dialog

                                                                                                            Breaths and pauses

                                                                                                              Breaths and pause symbols may be found in the Breaths & pauses palette.

                                                                                                              Breathes and pauses

                                                                                                              These symbols also have an adjustable playback effect.

                                                                                                              Types of pauses

                                                                                                              Fermata

                                                                                                              A fermata, or pause appears above/below a note, and extends its written duration, indicating a pause in the music.

                                                                                                              Fermata

                                                                                                              It may also be written above a rest, or a barline, indicating the end of a piece or section of music.

                                                                                                              Fermata over rest

                                                                                                              Breath mark

                                                                                                              A breath mark is placed just above the staff, and tells a wind instrument performer or singer to take a breath here, or other instruments to pause slightly. It may occur between two notes or at the end of a measure.

                                                                                                              Caesura

                                                                                                              The caesura also indicates a pause, slightly longer than a breath mark but less so than a fermata. It may occur between two notes or at the end of a measure.

                                                                                                              Adding a pause to your score

                                                                                                              To add a fermata:

                                                                                                              1. Select a note, rest or barline;
                                                                                                              2. Click on a fermata symbol in the Breaths & pauses palette

                                                                                                              Alternatively drag a fermata symbol onto a note.

                                                                                                              To add a breath mark or caesura:

                                                                                                              1. Select a note;
                                                                                                              2. Click on a breath mark/pause symbol in the Breaths & pauses palette.

                                                                                                              Alternatively drag a breath mark/caesura symbol onto a note.

                                                                                                              MuseScore automatically places the breath mark/caesura in the correct position, just above the staff and after the selected note.

                                                                                                              Changing pause playback

                                                                                                              Pause symbols have a playback effect in the score. To adjust the pause length, click on Playback in the Properties panel and adjust "Time stretch".

                                                                                                              Pause properties

                                                                                                              The position of selected pauses can be altered by clicking on Appearance in the Properties panel and adjusting the offsets. Alternatively you can drag a symbol, or enter Edit mode and use the keyboard arrows to move it.

                                                                                                              In addition you can position a fermata above or below the staff by selecting the desired option in "Placement on staff" in the Fermata section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                              Pause style

                                                                                                              You can specify default positional properties for all fermatas in Format→Style→Fermatas.

                                                                                                              Fermata style settings

                                                                                                              Ornaments

                                                                                                                Ornaments and ornament lines can be found in the Ornaments palette.

                                                                                                                Ornaments palette

                                                                                                                These include turns, trills, mordents and so on.

                                                                                                                Adding an ornament to your score

                                                                                                                Add an ordinary ornament

                                                                                                                To add an ordinary ornament to the score:

                                                                                                                1. Select one or more notes;
                                                                                                                2. Click on the desired ornament in the Ornaments palette;

                                                                                                                For a trill only, it is possible to use a custom shortcut instead at step 2.

                                                                                                                Add an ornament line

                                                                                                                The procedure for applying ornament lines is just like any other line, i.e.

                                                                                                                1. Select a start note;
                                                                                                                2. Press Shift and click on an end note;
                                                                                                                3. Click on an ornament line in the (Ornaments) palette

                                                                                                                If you subsequenly need to adjust the ornament's length, see Changing the range of a line.

                                                                                                                Adding accidentals to ornaments

                                                                                                                To apply an accidental to an existing ornament, such as a trill:

                                                                                                                1. Select the note to which the ornament is attached.
                                                                                                                2. Open the Master Palette (Shift+F2, or View→Master Palette).
                                                                                                                3. In the "Symbols" section, search using the terms "figured bass", and the name of the accidental.
                                                                                                                4. Click on the desired (small) accidental to apply it to the note. Close the Master palette.
                                                                                                                5. Drag the accidental into position (or reposition using keyboard arrows or the offsets in the Properties panel).

                                                                                                                Note, that accidentals added in this way do not affect playback.

                                                                                                                Ornament properties

                                                                                                                The following properties of selected ornaments can be edited from the Ornament section of the Properties panel:

                                                                                                                Performance: Choice of Standard or Baroque style of playback.
                                                                                                                Placement: Choose from Above staff, Below staff, Chord automatic, Above chord, Below chord.

                                                                                                                Ornament style

                                                                                                                Certain default properties for ornaments can be edited in Format→Style→Articulations, Ornaments.

                                                                                                                Ornaments style

                                                                                                                Arpeggios and glissandi

                                                                                                                  Arpeggios, glissandi (slides) and strum arrows can be applied from the Arpeggios & Glissandi palette:

                                                                                                                  Arpeggios and Glissandi palette

                                                                                                                  Many have an adjustable playback effect (see below).

                                                                                                                  Arpeggios

                                                                                                                  Adding an arpeggio/strum to your score

                                                                                                                  To add an arpeggio/strum to a score:

                                                                                                                  1. Click on any note in a chord (multiple selection is possible)';
                                                                                                                  2. Click on an arpeggio/strum symbol in the palette.

                                                                                                                  Alternatively you can drag an arpeggio/strum symbol from a palette onto a notehead.

                                                                                                                  Adjusting the height of an arpeggio/strum

                                                                                                                  Click on an arpeggio and two adjustment handles will appear at the top and bottom of the symbol. You can move either up or down by dragging, or by selecting a handle and using the up/down keyboard arrows.

                                                                                                                  Creating multi-voice or cross-staff arpeggios

                                                                                                                  Multi-voice arpeggios

                                                                                                                  By default arpeggio symbols only span notes of the same voice. If you have a chord consisting of more than one voice, just extend the arpeggio as shown above.

                                                                                                                  Cross-staff arpeggios

                                                                                                                  To create an arpeggio that crosses two staves:

                                                                                                                  1. First add an arpeggio to the chord component in the top staff;
                                                                                                                  2. Click on the bottom edit handle of the arpeggio and press Shift+↓.

                                                                                                                  The arpeggio should now extend to cover the chord in both staves.

                                                                                                                  Changing playback of arpeggios

                                                                                                                  To change the speed of a selected arpeggio, press Playback in the Properties panel, and adjust "Spread delay".

                                                                                                                  If you want to turn off playback altogether, untick the "Play" box in the General section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                  Arpeggio style

                                                                                                                  Default properties for all arpeggios in the score can be adjusted from the style menu at Format→Style→Arpeggios:

                                                                                                                  Arpeggio style settings

                                                                                                                  Glissandi

                                                                                                                  Note: Guitar slides are covered in Guitar techniques.

                                                                                                                  Adding a glissando to your score

                                                                                                                  1. Select one or more start notes;
                                                                                                                  2. Click on the desired glissando icon in the palette. A glissando is created extending to the next note in the same voice:
                                                                                                                    Glissando

                                                                                                                  Alternatively you can drag a glissando symbol from the palette onto a notehead.

                                                                                                                  Glissandi can cross staves if needs be:

                                                                                                                  Cross staff glissando

                                                                                                                  Editing range of a glissando

                                                                                                                  If required, you can change the start or end position of a glissando as follows:

                                                                                                                  1. Select the edit handle whose position you want to change;
                                                                                                                  2. Press Shift+↑/↓/←/→, to move the handle in the specified direction, one note at a time.

                                                                                                                  This method can also be used to move the edit handle between voices and across staves.

                                                                                                                  Changing appearance of glissandi

                                                                                                                  The line type of a selected glissando—whether straight or wavy—and any text associated with it, can be changed in the Glissando section of the Properties panel. You can also turn off text by unchecking the "Show text" box.

                                                                                                                  Changing playback of glissandi

                                                                                                                  To change the playback effect, click on Playback and select an option from the dropdown list: chromatic, white keys, black keys, diatonic, portamento.

                                                                                                                  You can also choose to turn off the playback effect by unchecking "Play" in the General section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                  Glissando properties

                                                                                                                  The following properties are available in the Glissando section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                  Glissando line: Choose from "Straight" or "wavy".
                                                                                                                  Show text: Uncheck/Check this box to turn off/on glissando playback.
                                                                                                                  Text: Specify any text to appear with the glissando.

                                                                                                                  The default style of all glissando text is determined by the settings of "Glissando" in Format→Style→Text styles.

                                                                                                                  Bends

                                                                                                                  Note: For guitar bends, see Guitar techniques.

                                                                                                                  The Arpeggios & glissandi palette also contains bend symbols for brass instruments such as the trumpet:

                                                                                                                  Brass bends

                                                                                                                  These have a playback effect on the score.

                                                                                                                  Types of bends

                                                                                                                  Fall:
                                                                                                                  Doit:
                                                                                                                  Plop:
                                                                                                                  Scoop:

                                                                                                                  if you are not sure what's what, mousing over the palette icon will display the name of the symbol in a tooltip.

                                                                                                                  Adding a bend to your score

                                                                                                                  1. Select a notehead;
                                                                                                                  2. Click on the desired bend symbol in the palette.

                                                                                                                  Alternatively, drag a bend symbol onto a notehead in the score;

                                                                                                                  Changing appearance of bends

                                                                                                                  To change the shape of the bend, click on it and four adjustment handles become visible. Drag the handles, or click on them and press the keyboard arrows, until you get the shape you want.

                                                                                                                  Grace notes

                                                                                                                    Grace notes can be applied to the score from the Grace notes palette.

                                                                                                                    Grace notes palette

                                                                                                                    For bagpipe players there is a comprehensive range of grace notes in the Bagpipe embellishments palette.

                                                                                                                    Types of grace notes

                                                                                                                    Grace notes are small (cue-size) notes which ornament a previous or following note. They take their value from this parent note but do not themselves count towards the measure duration.

                                                                                                                    There are several kinds:

                                                                                                                    Acciaccatura(): Acciaccatura Usually written with an oblique stroke through the note flag, or through the beam, if there is a beamed series.

                                                                                                                    Appoggiatura: Appoggiatura A stressed note which takes half the value from the parent note.

                                                                                                                    Grace note after (trill endings)

                                                                                                                    Bagpipe embellishments:

                                                                                                                    Adding a grace note to your score

                                                                                                                    Note: For standard staves and tablature, the instructions for adding grace notes work in both note input and normal modes.

                                                                                                                    Add grace note with keyboard shortcut

                                                                                                                    1. Ensure that the "parent" note is selected (multiple selection is possible in normal mode).
                                                                                                                    2. To apply an acciaccatura, press / (slash). For other grace notes use a custom shortcut (see Preferences: Shortcuts).

                                                                                                                    Add grace note from palette

                                                                                                                    1. Ensure that the "parent" note is selected (multiple selection is possible in normal mode).
                                                                                                                    2. Click on the desired symbol in the Grace notes palette.

                                                                                                                    Alternatively, you can drag and drop a grace note from the palette onto a note in the score.

                                                                                                                    Multiple grace notes

                                                                                                                    Sequential grace notes

                                                                                                                    You can add a run of grace notes by pressing the relevant keyboard shortcut or palette icon as many times as required (or repeating the drag-from-palette operation)

                                                                                                                    Grace note chords

                                                                                                                    To apply a chord of grace notes:

                                                                                                                    1. Add a single grace note (as described above).
                                                                                                                    2. For standard staves use one of the following methods:
                                                                                                                      • Press Shift and a note letter, A to G. This will add the corresponding note above.
                                                                                                                      • Press Alt+1–9; or from the menu bar, select Add→Intervals and choose an interval from the list. This will add a note at the indicated interval above the selected note.
                                                                                                                      • You can add intervals below in the same way, but using a custom shortcut (see Preferences: Shortcuts).
                                                                                                                    3. For tablature, select the grace note in normal mode, then add further chord notes using the method of adding intervals in step 2.

                                                                                                                    Editing grace notes

                                                                                                                    Change duration

                                                                                                                    To edit the visual duration, click on the grace note in normal mode, and select a duration from the note input toolbar or by using a keyboard shortcut (see Selecting duration).

                                                                                                                    Change pitch

                                                                                                                    Standard staves. To change the pitch of grace notes, use one of the methods described in Editing notes and rests.

                                                                                                                    Tablature. To change the pitch of grace notes, use one of the methods described in Changing the pitch in normal mode (tablature).

                                                                                                                    Changing playback of grace notes

                                                                                                                    {to be added?]

                                                                                                                    Grace note style

                                                                                                                    You can adjust the default size for all grace notes in Format→Styles→Sizes.

                                                                                                                    Tremolo and rolls

                                                                                                                      Types of tremolo and rolls

                                                                                                                      A Tremolo is the rapid repetition of one note or chord, or a rapid alternation between two notes or chords. The placement of tremolos is handled automatically by the program.

                                                                                                                      Single note tremolo

                                                                                                                      For stemmed notes, the rhythmic value of the tremolo is indicated by the number of diagonal strokes through the stem. One stroke indicates that the original note is divided into eighth notes. e.g.

                                                                                                                      tremolo_1.png

                                                                                                                      Two strokes divides the note into sixteenth notes, and three strokes into thirty-second notes. On whole notes the tremolo symbol is placed above the note.

                                                                                                                      Tremolo between notes

                                                                                                                      In traditional two-note or two-chord tremolos, incomplete beams are drawn between the notes to indicate the rhythmic value of the tremolo (to change the style see below). One beam indicates eight notes, two beams sixteenth notes, and three beams thirty-second notes. e.g.

                                                                                                                      tremolo_two_note.png

                                                                                                                      Buzz roll

                                                                                                                      A buzz roll symbol is also available from the Tremolos palette. However, it is notational only and currently has no playback properties.

                                                                                                                      Adding a tremolo to a single note

                                                                                                                      1. Click on a notehead in the score.
                                                                                                                      2. Click on the desired tremolo symbol in the Tremolos palette.

                                                                                                                      Adding a tremolo between notes/chords

                                                                                                                      1. Enter the notes of the tremolo.
                                                                                                                      2. Select a note in the first chord.
                                                                                                                      3. Click on the desired tremolo symbol in the Tremolos palette.

                                                                                                                      Tremolo beams appear between the notes/chords and the appearance of the noteheads is adjusted accordingly.

                                                                                                                      Changing appearance of tremolos

                                                                                                                      Three styles of tremolos between notes/chords are supported in MuseScore; the default is traditional. To change the style:

                                                                                                                      1. Click on the (between notes) tremolo symbol.
                                                                                                                      2. In the Tremolos section of the Properties panel, click on the desired style icon under “Style (between notes)”.

                                                                                                                      Other lines

                                                                                                                        Overview

                                                                                                                        Note: The following page applies mostly to special-purpose lines such as guitar barre lines, fingering/string number lines, ornamentation lines, vibrato lines, palm mute lines etc.

                                                                                                                        Information on more general-purpose lines can be found at:

                                                                                                                        • Voltas
                                                                                                                        • Hairpins
                                                                                                                        • Slurs
                                                                                                                        • Pedal lines
                                                                                                                        • Octave lines

                                                                                                                        Lines often have text associated with them, and may feature a playback effect appropriate to the line type.

                                                                                                                        Adding a line to your score

                                                                                                                        Lines are applied to the score from a palette like any other element. By default, most can be found in the Lines palette; other specialist lines in the Guitar palette.

                                                                                                                        To apply a line to a selected range:

                                                                                                                        1. Select a range of notes;
                                                                                                                        2. Click on a line in a palette;

                                                                                                                        Alternatively you can drag a line from a palette to the start note, then use the end adjustment handle to extend it (see Changing range of a line).

                                                                                                                        To apply a line to a single note:

                                                                                                                        • Select a note and click on the desired palette line.
                                                                                                                        • Drag a palette line to the desired start note.

                                                                                                                        Adjusting a line

                                                                                                                        To adjust the range of a line, see Changing range of a line.

                                                                                                                        Types of lines

                                                                                                                        Guitar-related lines

                                                                                                                        • Barre lines: Used to indicate fret positions. For further details, see Adding a barre line to your score.
                                                                                                                        • Fingering/String number: Apply the fingering first, then a plain line (LInes palette), and adjust the length as required.
                                                                                                                        • Vibrato : Apply from the Guitar palette. You can change the shape of the line in the Vibrato section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                        The following also have playback effects:

                                                                                                                        • Palm mute: Apply from the Guitar palette. This changes the sound to that of a clean muted electric guitar.
                                                                                                                        • Let ring: Apply from the Guitar palette. Acts like the sustain pedal on a keyboard.

                                                                                                                        Tempo lines

                                                                                                                        See Tempo markings.

                                                                                                                        Staff and System Text lines

                                                                                                                        A staff text line, like staff text, is affixed to one staff in a system, and is indicative only for that staff. It appears only in the part featuring that staff.

                                                                                                                        A system text line, like system text, is affixed to one staff but is indicative for all the staffs in the system. It appears in all instrument parts.

                                                                                                                        Trill lines

                                                                                                                        A variety of trill lines are available from the Lines palette.

                                                                                                                        Standard lines

                                                                                                                        Plain lines are applied from the Lines palette. They can be purposed to anything you like; their use in fingering/string number lines is discussed briefly above.

                                                                                                                        Line properties

                                                                                                                        The Properties panel allows you to view and edit General, Appearance, and Playback settings.

                                                                                                                        The name of the section below varies depending on the type of line. But it will have two tabs marked Style and Text:

                                                                                                                        Style tab

                                                                                                                        Clicking on the Style tab allows you to set the properties of the line itself:

                                                                                                                        Line type: A choice of straight, hooked, angle-hooked, or double-hooked.
                                                                                                                        Thickness / Hook height:
                                                                                                                        Style: Choice of solid, dashed or dotted line.
                                                                                                                        Dash / Gap: Adjust the appearance if "Dashed" is selected.

                                                                                                                        Text tab

                                                                                                                        Clicking on the Text tab allows you to apply and position any text associated with the line:

                                                                                                                        Beginning text: Enter the text, if any, to appear at the beginning of the line.
                                                                                                                        Vertical offset: Allows you to move the text vertically in relation to the line (in sp.).
                                                                                                                        Text when continuing to a new system: If the line spans a system, this is the text that will appear before the line in the next system.
                                                                                                                        Vertical offset: As above.

                                                                                                                        Line style

                                                                                                                        A few properties of all lines in the score can be set in Format→Style→Text Line; and in Format→Style→System Text Line:

                                                                                                                        Text line style dialog

                                                                                                                        Other symbols

                                                                                                                          The Symbols palette

                                                                                                                          The Symbols palette is a large repository of musical symbols additional to those found in the main palettes area. It is actually a section within the Master palette.

                                                                                                                          View

                                                                                                                          To view the Symbols palette, select View→Master Palette, or use the shortcut Shift+F9. Then click on “Symbols” in the list of headings. This reveals all the symbols. You can also click on a subcategory to focus on a specific set of symbols.

                                                                                                                          Symbols palette

                                                                                                                          Search

                                                                                                                          You can search for a symbol by entering a term in the Search box at the top of the Symbols section. Specify the musical font you want in the dropdown at the bottom right.

                                                                                                                          Adding symbols to your score

                                                                                                                          Symbols added from the Symbols palette scale in line with the score (see Staff size), but their font-size is fixed.

                                                                                                                          If you need a symbol with an adjustable font-size, you should consider adding it instead from the Special characters palette as staff text.

                                                                                                                          Add a symbol

                                                                                                                          Use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                          • Select one or more score elements (notes, rests, barlines) then click on the desired symbol in the Symbols palette.
                                                                                                                          • Drag the desired symbol from the Symbols palette onto a score element (note, rest, barline).

                                                                                                                          Add to other symbols

                                                                                                                          After adding a symbol, you can, if required, add an additional symbol to the existing one. Use one of the following:

                                                                                                                          • Select a symbol (previously added to the score from the Symbols palette), then click on the desired symbol in the Symbols palette.
                                                                                                                          • Drag the desired symbol onto the existing symbol in the score.

                                                                                                                          Reposition symbols

                                                                                                                          To reposition, you can drag the symbol, or edit the offsets in the Apprearance section of the Properties panel. You can also move the symbol using the keyboard arrows—after selecting it and entering edit mode by pressing Alt+Shift+E or F2.

                                                                                                                          If two symbols have been joined together (see Add to other symbols, above), moving the first-added symbol moves both. However you can still move the second symbol in relation to the first.

                                                                                                                          Notation: Repeats

                                                                                                                            Repeat signs

                                                                                                                              A repeat sign looks like a double barline with a dot above and below the center line of the staff (see image below). It is used to enclose repeated sections of the score.

                                                                                                                              Adding repeat signs to your score

                                                                                                                              Simple repeats

                                                                                                                              Place a start repeat barline at the beginning of the repeated section and an end repeat barline at the end.

                                                                                                                              Simple repeat section

                                                                                                                              If the start of the repeat section coincides with the beginning of the piece there is no need for a start repeat barline.

                                                                                                                              Multiple ending repeats

                                                                                                                              See Voltas, for repeat sections with multiple endings.

                                                                                                                              Changing playback of repeat signs

                                                                                                                              To change the number of times the repeat section is played, adjust the Play count of the final measure in the Measure properties dialog.

                                                                                                                              Changing appearance of repeat signs

                                                                                                                              In the Properties panel, you can specify repeat barlines with winged tips in "Barlines: repeat style".

                                                                                                                              Repeat properties

                                                                                                                              See Changing appearance of repeat signs (above).

                                                                                                                              Repeat style

                                                                                                                              You can specify repeat barlines with winged tips, and change the distance from the barline to dots for all repeat barlines in Format→Style→Barlines.

                                                                                                                              Voltas

                                                                                                                                Volta brackets are lines above the staff used to mark different endings for a repeat section. Score playback automatically follows the repeat indications. For example:

                                                                                                                                1st and 2nd ending

                                                                                                                                Here the repeat section is played once through with the ending marked "1", then a second time with the ending marked "2".

                                                                                                                                Adding voltas to your score

                                                                                                                                1. Make sure that any repeat barlines are in the correct position;
                                                                                                                                2. To apply the volta bracket use one of the following:
                                                                                                                                  • Select a measure and click on the desired line in the Lines palette
                                                                                                                                  • Drag a line from a palette onto a measure
                                                                                                                                3. If required, edit the beginning and continuing text in the "Text" tab of the "Volta" section of the Properties panel.
                                                                                                                                4. If required, specify the playback sequence by editing the "Repeats list" In the "Style" of the "Volta" section of the Properties panel. Enter a series of numbers, separated by commas;
                                                                                                                                5. If required, ensure that the correct Play count is indicated in Measure properties.

                                                                                                                                Changing appearance of voltas

                                                                                                                                After selection, the general appearance of a volta line can be adjusted in the "Volta: Line type" section of the Properties panel. Line type, thickness, hook type, and line style (solid/dashed/dotted) can be specified.

                                                                                                                                The beginning and continuing text (and their vertical offsets) can be edited in the "Text" tab of the "Volta" section. This is an indication only and does not affect playback of the volta.

                                                                                                                                To change the range of a volta see Changing range of a line.

                                                                                                                                Changing playback of voltas

                                                                                                                                The actual playback is affected by the entry in the "Repeat list" (Volta: Style). This consists of a series of numbers each followed by a comma (the last comma is omitted). This can be freely edited, but remember to ensure that Play count is also amended accordingly.

                                                                                                                                Volta properties

                                                                                                                                Properties specific to voltas can be edited in the Voltas section of the Properties panel. These are covered in the sections above.

                                                                                                                                Voltas style

                                                                                                                                Properties for all voltas in the score can be edited from Format→Style→Volta.

                                                                                                                                Volta style settings

                                                                                                                                The "Volta" text style can be edited from Format→Style→Text Styles.

                                                                                                                                Jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                  Jumps and markers are used to create repeated sections in a score.

                                                                                                                                  Types of jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                  Jumps include:

                                                                                                                                  • D.C. (Da Capo): Jump back to the start of the score.
                                                                                                                                  • D.S. (Dal segno): Jump back to the segno (see below).
                                                                                                                                  • To Coda; Jump to the coda.

                                                                                                                                  Markers include:

                                                                                                                                  • Segno: Segno.
                                                                                                                                  • Fine: The end of the piece.
                                                                                                                                  • Coda: Coda The final section of the score.

                                                                                                                                  Adding a jump or marker to your score

                                                                                                                                  Use one of the following methods

                                                                                                                                  • Select a measure, then click the desired repeat symbol in the Repeats and jumps palette.
                                                                                                                                  • Drag and drop a repeat symbol from the palette onto the desired measure.

                                                                                                                                  Changing appearance of jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                  Jumps and markers are text objects and can be edited as such in the "Text" section of the Properties panel. You can also edit and style the wording as required.

                                                                                                                                  Changing playback of jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                  If you select a jump or marker its playback properties can be viewed in the "Jump" or "Marker" section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                  Repeat sign properties

                                                                                                                                  In the case of jumps, you can see the titles of the markers that playback subsequently jumps to. These default settings should work for most users, but you can change the destination markers if desired, as long as the named objects exist in the score.

                                                                                                                                  You can also specify whether repeats are taken or not in the section jumped to, by checking/unchecking "Play repeats"

                                                                                                                                  For markers, you can view and edit the title of the marker only.

                                                                                                                                  Jump and marker properties

                                                                                                                                  Properties specific to jumps and markers can be edited in the Jump and Marker sections of the Properties panel. See Changing playback of jumps and markers (above).

                                                                                                                                  See also, Text properties.

                                                                                                                                  Jump and marker style

                                                                                                                                  You can change the default text properties of all repeat signs of a particular text style (either "Repeat text left" or "Repeat text right") in Format→Style→Text Styles.

                                                                                                                                  Measure and multi-measure repeats

                                                                                                                                    A measure repeat symbol indicates that the previous measure is to be repeated. Two- and four-measure repeat symbols indicate the repetition of the previous two or four measures.

                                                                                                                                    Adding a measure or multi-measure repeat to your score

                                                                                                                                    To apply a measure repeat symbol, select a measure in the score and click on the measure repeat icon in the Repeats & Jumps palette. Or drag the symbol on to a measure.

                                                                                                                                    Measure repeat

                                                                                                                                    To apply a two- or four-measure repeat symbol, select the first measure of the proposed repeat section and click on the applicable measure repeat icon in the Repeats & Jumps palette. Or drag the icon on to the first measure of the proposed repeat section.

                                                                                                                                    Two-measure repeat

                                                                                                                                    In the case of multiple-measure repeats a "Group measures" symbol appears above and between measures. This keeps the measures together on the same system, where possible, in case of any automatic layout changes in the score. This symbol can be deleted if desired.

                                                                                                                                    Measure repeat properties

                                                                                                                                    Number position in the Measure repeat section of the Properties panel, allows you to edit the vertical offset of the number above the measure.

                                                                                                                                    Measure repeat style

                                                                                                                                    Properties of all multimeasure rests in the score can be set from Format→Style…→Measure repeats:

                                                                                                                                    Measure repeats style settings

                                                                                                                                    Repeat playback

                                                                                                                                      Turning repeat playback on and off

                                                                                                                                      By default, repeats are always played. If you want to turn off repeat playback, click the "Toggle loop playback" button in the middle of the Play toolbar at the top of the program window.

                                                                                                                                      Play toolbar

                                                                                                                                      Unrolling repeats

                                                                                                                                      To create a copy of the score (in a new tab), with the repeat sections notated in full (instead of using repeat barlines), select Tools→Unroll repeats (or use a custom shortcut).

                                                                                                                                      Idiomatic notation: Keyboard

                                                                                                                                        Pedal

                                                                                                                                          Types of pedal markings

                                                                                                                                          Adding pedal markings to your score

                                                                                                                                          Creating pedal changes

                                                                                                                                          Pedal properties

                                                                                                                                          Pedal style

                                                                                                                                          Cross-staff notation

                                                                                                                                            Creating cross-staff notation

                                                                                                                                            1. First of all, enter the notation on one staff only.
                                                                                                                                            2. Select a note in the voice that you wish to move up or down to the other staff. e.g.

                                                                                                                                              Cross-staff notation, before

                                                                                                                                            3. Press Ctrl+Shift+↓/↑ (Mac: Cmd+Shift+↓/↑), to move the voice up or down to the other staff. Alternatively, you can click on the cross-staff icon in the note input toolbar and choose the same options from the context menu.

                                                                                                                                              Cross-staff notation, before

                                                                                                                                              Note: This operation works on a voice basis, rather than on individual notes. It follows that if you want to ensure that notes remain on the same staff during the operation, they should be in a different voice to the one selected above.

                                                                                                                                            Changing appearance of cross-staff notation

                                                                                                                                            To adjust the beam angle and height, click on the beam, then click on an adjustment handle and use the keyboard arrows, or drag the handle with a mouse. e.g.

                                                                                                                                            Cross-staff notation, beam adjusted

                                                                                                                                            Alternatively you can make more precise adjustments from the beam section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                            Accordion notation

                                                                                                                                              • these symbols are literally just symbol from the Symbols, but there is a dedicated palette for them
                                                                                                                                              • we could consider eliminating this page
                                                                                                                                              • we could also consider adding one for harp

                                                                                                                                              Adding accordion symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                              Idiomatic notation: Guitar

                                                                                                                                                Fretboard diagrams

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard (or Chord) diagrams usually appear above the staff on lead sheets and piano scores:

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram examples

                                                                                                                                                  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.

                                                                                                                                                  Adding a fretboard diagram to your score

                                                                                                                                                  Use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                                                  • Select one or more notes, then click a fretboard diagram in the palette.
                                                                                                                                                  • Drag and drop a fretboard diagram from a palette on to a note.

                                                                                                                                                  Chord symbols linked to fretboard diagrams

                                                                                                                                                  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 (set in Format→Style…→Chord Symbols→Positioning). This value interacts with the chord symbol Minimum distance (to view, press Appearance in the Properties panel). 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.

                                                                                                                                                  Creating a custom fretboard diagram

                                                                                                                                                  1. Select an existing fretboard diagram in the score; or add one from the Fretboard diagrams palette.
                                                                                                                                                  2. Ensure that the Properties panel is open (toggle F8).
                                                                                                                                                  3. Press Clear to remove existing marks (optional).
                                                                                                                                                  4. Edit the properties in the Settings tab as required.
                                                                                                                                                  5. In the General tab, apply the following instructions to the fretboard image, as required:
                                                                                                                                                    • Remove all dots: Click the Clear button above the diagram.
                                                                                                                                                    • Add a finger dot: Click on a fret. The shape of the dot is determined by the Marker type setting. If Multiple dots is checked you can add more than one dot per string.
                                                                                                                                                    • Delete dot: Click on an existing dot.
                                                                                                                                                    • Add barre / partial barre: If "Barre" is unchecked, press Shift and click on the string fret where you want the barre to begin. If Barre is checked simply click on the fret. e.g.
                                                                                                                                                      Partial barre
                                                                                                                                                    • Add partial barre ending before first string: Create a standard barre first (see previous instruction). Then shorten it by Shift clicking (if Barre is disabled); or clicking (if Barre is enabled) the fret where you want the barre to end. e.g.
                                                                                                                                                      Partial barre ending before first string
                                                                                                                                                    • Delete a barre: With Barre disabled, Shift click on the "top" of the barre. With Barre enabled, just click on the "top".
                                                                                                                                                    • Create multiple barres: Repeat the above steps at different fret positions.
                                                                                                                                                    • Open / Mute strings: Click just above the diagram to toggle a string between:
                                                                                                                                                      • No symbol
                                                                                                                                                      • Open (o)
                                                                                                                                                      • Mute/Unplayed (X)

                                                                                                                                                  Note: See also Fretboard diagram properties (below).

                                                                                                                                                  Finger markers

                                                                                                                                                  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.

                                                                                                                                                  Alternative 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.

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram, multiple dots 1

                                                                                                                                                  Optional-note notation style. Another use of multiple dots per string allows other symbols to show optional notes, rather than delayed notes:

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram, multiple dots 2

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram appearance

                                                                                                                                                  • Select a chord diagram and click on Appearance in the Properties sidebar.

                                                                                                                                                  Edit the following properties as desired:

                                                                                                                                                  • Leading: The leading space.
                                                                                                                                                  • Measure width:
                                                                                                                                                  • Min distance: Minimum distance from the staff.
                                                                                                                                                  • Offset: Move the diagram horizontally or vertically.
                                                                                                                                                  • Snap to grid:
                                                                                                                                                  • Arrange: Backward or forward.
                                                                                                                                                  • Color: Click on this button to change the color of a selected chord diagram.

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram properties

                                                                                                                                                  Frretboad diagram properties

                                                                                                                                                  When a fretboard diagram is selected, its properties are viewable in the Properties tab of the sidebar as follows:

                                                                                                                                                  General (tab)

                                                                                                                                                  • Barre: Check if you want to add or delete finger barres with one click on the fretboard image below. If unchecked, barres are added by Shift clicking instead.
                                                                                                                                                  • Multiple dots: If unchecked you can only add one finger dot per string. If checked you can add multiple dots per string.
                                                                                                                                                  • Marker type: When you click on the fretboard image the shape of the dot added is determined by this property. This allows you to add a variety of shapes if desired.
                                                                                                                                                  • Clear: Clears everything leaving an empty fretboard.

                                                                                                                                                  Settings (tab)

                                                                                                                                                  • Scale: Allows you to make the fingerboard larger or smaller.
                                                                                                                                                  • Strings: The number of strings to be displayed.
                                                                                                                                                  • Visible frets: Specifies the number of displayed frets: these are added, or removed, from the bottom of the diagram.
                                                                                                                                                  • Fret number: Specifies the fret number to be displayed at the top left/right of the diagram.
                                                                                                                                                  • Placement on staff: Positions the diagram above or below the staff.
                                                                                                                                                  • Show nut: Check the box to embolden the nut. Applies to first position diagrams only.

                                                                                                                                                  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.

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram style

                                                                                                                                                  Global fretboard diagram properties can be set in Format→Style…→Fretboard Diagrams:

                                                                                                                                                  Fretboard diagram style settings

                                                                                                                                                  See also

                                                                                                                                                  • Customizing palette contents

                                                                                                                                                  Guitar techniques

                                                                                                                                                    Adding a bend symbol to your score

                                                                                                                                                    Bends are created with the Bend Tool located in the Guitar palette.

                                                                                                                                                    Apply a bend

                                                                                                                                                    To apply one or more bends to the score, use one of the following options:

                                                                                                                                                    • Select one or more notes and click the bend symbol in the palette.
                                                                                                                                                    • Drag the bend symbol from the palette on to a note.

                                                                                                                                                    A default bend is created in the score. You can modify this bend or choose from a range of alternatives using “Bend type” in the Bends section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                    Edit bend

                                                                                                                                                    Bend shape and length can be edited in the graphical display in the Bends section of the Properties panel:

                                                                                                                                                    Bend graphical display

                                                                                                                                                    Each red line segment between blue nodes represents one step in the bend, and each step extends horizontally for 1 sp. in the score. The slope of any line shows whether it is an up-bend, a down-bend or a hold. So the above graph describes an up bend, then a hold—total length 2sp.

                                                                                                                                                    The vertical axis of the graph represents the amount by which the pitch is bent up or down: one unit (the side of a small square) equals a quarter-tone, 2 units a semitone, 4 units a whole-tone, and so on.

                                                                                                                                                    You can modify a bend by adding or deleting nodes in the graph:

                                                                                                                                                    • To add a node, click on an empty line intersection.
                                                                                                                                                    • To delete a node, simply click on it.

                                                                                                                                                    Adjust bend height

                                                                                                                                                    The height of the bend is automatically adjusted so that any text appears just above the staff. This height can be adjusted, if necessary, with a workaround:

                                                                                                                                                    1. Create another note vertically above the note (shortening the height) or below the note (extending the height) at which you want the bend to start.
                                                                                                                                                    2. Apply the bend to the new note.
                                                                                                                                                    3. To adjust the height of the bend move this created note vertically so that the bend symbol gets the desired height.
                                                                                                                                                    4. Drag the bend symbol to the correct position (to the original note).
                                                                                                                                                    5. Mark the created note invisible and silent (using the Inspector).

                                                                                                                                                    Reposition bend

                                                                                                                                                    Bends can be freely repositioned using the methods shown in Changing position of elements.

                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tremolo bar symbol to your score

                                                                                                                                                    Tremolo bar symbols are available from the Guitar palette (look for the oversized "V") and are applied and adjusted in a similar way to bend symbols (above)—with a similar graphical interface in the "Tremolo" bar section of Properties.

                                                                                                                                                    You can choose from a range of presets in "Tremolo bar type", or create your own custom one.

                                                                                                                                                    Adding a slide to your score

                                                                                                                                                    Slides can be found in the Arpeggios and glissandi palette. They are of two types:

                                                                                                                                                    • Glissando-type slides: these run from one note or chord to the next.
                                                                                                                                                    • In / Out slides: played before or after a note; these can be slide-up or slide down.
                                                                                                                                                      Slides

                                                                                                                                                    By default, slides have a playback effect on the score. You can turn this off by unchecking "Play" in the General section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                    Add a slide

                                                                                                                                                    Use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                                                    • Select one or more notes as start points, then click the desired slide icon in the palette.
                                                                                                                                                    • Drag the desired slide from the palette onto a note.

                                                                                                                                                    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.

                                                                                                                                                    Edit properties

                                                                                                                                                    For in-between slides, the following properties can be adjusted in the Glissando section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                    • Type: Choose between Straight or Wavy.
                                                                                                                                                    • Show text: Tick this box to display text. Note: If there isn't enough room between notes, the text is not displayed.
                                                                                                                                                    • Text: The wording displayed above the slide (if any).

                                                                                                                                                    Adjust start and end points of a slide

                                                                                                                                                    In-between slides:

                                                                                                                                                    To move an end handle vertically or horizontally, from one note to the next:

                                                                                                                                                    1. Select the slide.
                                                                                                                                                    2. Click on the start or end handle:
                                                                                                                                                      • Use Shift+↑↓ to move the handle up or down, from note to note.
                                                                                                                                                      • Use Shift+←→ moves the handle horizontally, from note to note.

                                                                                                                                                    Slides in/out:

                                                                                                                                                    To adjust the position of the end handle:

                                                                                                                                                    1. Select the slide.
                                                                                                                                                    2. Click on the adjustment handle.
                                                                                                                                                    3. Drag the handle, or use the keyboard arrows.

                                                                                                                                                    Adding a barre line to your score

                                                                                                                                                    A Barre lines is a text-line drawn above a guitar staff to indicate that the passage requires a full or half barre. Symbols such as the following are commonly found in guitar music:

                                                                                                                                                    Full bar (2nd fret):
                                                                                                                                                    Full barre

                                                                                                                                                    Half barre (2nd fret):
                                                                                                                                                    Half barre

                                                                                                                                                    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:

                                                                                                                                                    1. Click on the start note for the barre, then shift click on the end note to establish the range.
                                                                                                                                                    2. Click on the "Capo Line" symbol in the Guitar palette.
                                                                                                                                                    3. Customize the line and text as required.

                                                                                                                                                    To adjust the length of a line, see Changing range of a line.

                                                                                                                                                    Adding hammer-on and pull-off symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                                    Hammer-ons and pull-offs are notated by slurs. If you need text annotations as well, create them using staff text; they can be saved to a palette for future use (see Adding elements from your score).

                                                                                                                                                    Notating harmonics

                                                                                                                                                    Standard staff

                                                                                                                                                    A natural harmonic can be notated in one of three ways:

                                                                                                                                                    • At the pitch of the open string on which it is produced. For example, harmonics on the third string appear as:
                                                                                                                                                      Natural harmonics on 3rd string
                                                                                                                                                    • At the pitch of the string fret at which it is produced. The same harmonics now appear as:
                                                                                                                                                      Natural harmonics at string fret
                                                                                                                                                    • At concert pitch. The same harmonics now appear as:
                                                                                                                                                      Natural harmonics at concert pitch

                                                                                                                                                    An annotation, such as "Nat. Har.", "N.H.", "Har.", is usually attached, as well as string and fret numbers; the notehead may be standard or diamond-shaped, and rendered clear rather than black; fret numbers may be Arabic or Roman, and so on.

                                                                                                                                                    Fixing Playback: If harmonics do not play back at the correct pitch, mute them and create a hidden voice containing the harmonics at concert pitch.

                                                                                                                                                    See also, How to Read Harmonic Notation on the Classical Guitar (douglasniedt.com).

                                                                                                                                                    Tablature

                                                                                                                                                    A natural harmonic in tablature may be rendered simply as a fretmark, or may be followed by a dot, or enclosed in a diamond, or a pair of angled brackets. e.g.

                                                                                                                                                    Harmonics in tablature

                                                                                                                                                    To create a pair of angled brackets:

                                                                                                                                                    1. Select a harmonic and add staff text.
                                                                                                                                                    2. Enter a "single left-pointing angle quotation mark" (U2039), then a space, then a "single right-pointing angle quotation mark" (U203A).
                                                                                                                                                    3. Move the text so it sits over the fretmark;
                                                                                                                                                    4. Adjust the font size of the staff text and the space inside it to just enclose the harmonic.
                                                                                                                                                    5. Save it to a palette for future use.

                                                                                                                                                    Staff/Tablature pairs

                                                                                                                                                    You should ensure that the staff/tab pairs are not linked, since you need to be able to edit each staff independently of the other.

                                                                                                                                                    Notating guitar fingering

                                                                                                                                                    The types of guitar fingering and how to apply them are explained in Fingering.

                                                                                                                                                    Creating a tablature staff

                                                                                                                                                      Overview

                                                                                                                                                      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.

                                                                                                                                                      Normal staff and tablature combination

                                                                                                                                                      Types of tablature staves

                                                                                                                                                      A variety of tablature templates for common instruments are supplied. If this isn't quite what you're looking for, you can easily change the template (see Changing tablature staff type), and/or customize the staff (see Tablature: customization).

                                                                                                                                                      Adding a tablature staff to your score

                                                                                                                                                      There are three possibilities:

                                                                                                                                                      • Create tablature as part of a new score.
                                                                                                                                                      • Add tablature to an existing score.
                                                                                                                                                      • Change an existing staff from standard to tablature.

                                                                                                                                                      Add tablature using the New Score dialog

                                                                                                                                                      To create tablature as part of a new score:

                                                                                                                                                      1. Open the New Score dialog.
                                                                                                                                                      2. Select the required tablature from either the Choose Instruments or Create from template tabs.
                                                                                                                                                      3. Complete the rest of the New Score dialog.

                                                                                                                                                      Add tablature using the "Add or remove Instruments" dialog

                                                                                                                                                      To create a tablature staff in an existing score:

                                                                                                                                                      1. In the Instruments panel, click on the Add button; or press the shortcut key, I. This brings up the Add or remove instruments dialog.
                                                                                                                                                      2. Click on the Strings – Plucked family and choose the desired tablature from the Instruments column.
                                                                                                                                                      3. Press OK.

                                                                                                                                                      Change an existing staff from standard to tablature

                                                                                                                                                      1. Make sure that the standard staff contains a plucked string instrument;
                                                                                                                                                      2. Use one of the methods described under Changing tablature staff type.

                                                                                                                                                      Creating paired standard and tablature staves

                                                                                                                                                      Music for the guitar (and other plucked-string instruments) is often notated using paired standard and tablature staves. In MuseScore, the staves can be either linked or unlinked.

                                                                                                                                                      • Linked: Any change you make to the notation in one staff automatically updates the other.

                                                                                                                                                      • Unlinked: Each staff is edited independently. To update the other staff, copy and paste the relevant music notation.

                                                                                                                                                      Note : In both cases, the staff/tablature pair shares the same instrument.

                                                                                                                                                      Create paired standard/tab staves using the New Score Wizard

                                                                                                                                                      There are two ways to do this when creating a new score (A or B):

                                                                                                                                                      A. For linked staves only:

                                                                                                                                                      1. Open the New Score Wizard.
                                                                                                                                                      2. In the "Create from template" tab, click on the "Solo" category and choose the "Guitar + Tablature" .
                                                                                                                                                      3. Complete the rest of the New Score wizard.
                                                                                                                                                      4. Press OK twice.
                                                                                                                                                      5. Change the instrument type, if required, in Staff / Part properties.
                                                                                                                                                      6. Change the tablature type, if required (see Changing tablature staff type).

                                                                                                                                                      B. For linked or unlinked staves:

                                                                                                                                                      1. Open the New Score Wizard.
                                                                                                                                                      2. In the "Choose instruments" tab, click on the "Strings – Plucked" family, and select a staff option from the "Instruments" column.
                                                                                                                                                      3. Complete the rest of the wizard.
                                                                                                                                                      4. Add the desired staff using the Instruments panel.

                                                                                                                                                      Create paired standard/tab staves using the Instruments dialog

                                                                                                                                                      Use this method when you want to add to an existing score:

                                                                                                                                                      1. Open the Add or remove instruments dialog: press I; or, alternatively, the Add button in the Instruments sidebar
                                                                                                                                                      2. Click on the Strings – Plucked family and choose the desired staff from the Instruments column.
                                                                                                                                                      3. Press OK.
                                                                                                                                                      4. Add the desired tablature from the Instruments panel.

                                                                                                                                                      Note: If you already have one staff of a standard/tab pair in your score, you can simply add the missing staff from the Instruments panel. See Adding and configuring staves.

                                                                                                                                                      Entering and editing tablature notation

                                                                                                                                                        Computer keyboard entry

                                                                                                                                                        1. In normal mode, select a measure, or note/rest.
                                                                                                                                                        2. Switch to note input mode: the cursor appears as a small “blue rectangle” on the currently "active" string.
                                                                                                                                                        3. Select the duration (see below) of the note or rest to be entered.
                                                                                                                                                        4. Press the up/down arrow keys to move the cursor between strings. Use the left/right arrow keys to navigate through the score.
                                                                                                                                                        5. Press a number from 0 to 9 to enter a fret mark from 0 to 9. To enter numbers with several digits press each digit in sequence (Note: You cannot enter a number higher than the “Number of frets” value set in the Edit String Data dialog).
                                                                                                                                                        6. Press ; (semicolon) to enter a rest of the selected duration.
                                                                                                                                                        7. To enter grace notes, see Grace notes.
                                                                                                                                                        8. You can enter notes in different voices if required—just as you would in a standard staff.

                                                                                                                                                        Note for period instrument tablature: A to K (skipping I) can also be used to enter numbers 0 to 9. In French tablature the corresponding letters appear instead; for L, M, N, you need to type respectively 10, 11, 12.

                                                                                                                                                        See also, Editing notes and rests" (below).

                                                                                                                                                        Mouse entry

                                                                                                                                                        1. Enter note input mode and select the note or rest duration (see below).
                                                                                                                                                        2. Click on a string to create a fret mark there. Notes are initially created on fret 0 (or a for French tablatures); to change the default (or any) fretmark, just type in the desired number from the keyboard.
                                                                                                                                                        3. You can also increase/decrease the fret mark using Alt+Shift+↑; or, Alt+Shift+↓.
                                                                                                                                                        4. You can enter notes in different voices if required—just as you would in a standard staff.

                                                                                                                                                        See also, Editing notes and rests" (below).

                                                                                                                                                        Selecting note duration

                                                                                                                                                        Whether you are using a keyboard or mouse, you can set note duration using one of the following:

                                                                                                                                                        • Press Shift+1 up to Shift+9: to set duration from a 128th note to a longa (availability of these shortcuts may depend on the platform and/or keyboard layout);
                                                                                                                                                        • Press NumPad 1 to 9: to set duration from a 128th note to a longa (if a numeric keypad exists and NumLock is on);
                                                                                                                                                        • Click on the desired note duration icon in the Note Input toolbar above the document window;
                                                                                                                                                        • Press Q to decrease the selected duration and W to increase it.

                                                                                                                                                        Note: This applies to note input mode only. If you want to change the duration of a selected note in normal mode see Changing duration in normal mode.

                                                                                                                                                        Period tablature notation

                                                                                                                                                        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:

                                                                                                                                                        1. In note input mode, move the cursor until it is in the space below the 6th line. Press ↓ to move the cursor to the next lowest course and so on. As you do so a "cue mark" appears at the left side of the cursor to show you which course is active:
                                                                                                                                                          • no cue = 7th course,
                                                                                                                                                          • / = 8th course,
                                                                                                                                                          • // = 9th course,
                                                                                                                                                          • /// = 10th course,
                                                                                                                                                          • 4 = 11th course
                                                                                                                                                          • 5 = 12th course
                                                                                                                                                          • 6 = 13th course
                                                                                                                                                          • 7 = 14th course
                                                                                                                                                          • 8 = 15th course
                                                                                                                                                            Conversely, pressing ↑ moves the cursor back to the next highest course.
                                                                                                                                                        2. If the course is fretted, enter the desired fretmark. If the course is unfretted/open, press "a" (or, in fact, any fretmark key) and the correct fretmark will be added automatically.

                                                                                                                                                        Editing tablature notation

                                                                                                                                                        Changing the pitch

                                                                                                                                                        In note input mode:

                                                                                                                                                        1. Position the cursor above the fret mark and retype the desired number.
                                                                                                                                                        2. Increment or decrement the fret mark using Alt+Shift+↑; or, Alt+Shift+↓ (The fret mark automatically changes strings, if necessary, to achieve the lowest possible fret position).

                                                                                                                                                        In normal mode:

                                                                                                                                                        1. Select one or more fret marks.
                                                                                                                                                        2. Use any of the following commands:
                                                                                                                                                          • To increment or decrement, without changing the string: Press ↑/↓.
                                                                                                                                                          • To increment or decrement, changing strings, when possible, to minimize the fret number: Press Alt+Shift+↑/↓.

                                                                                                                                                        Note: The fret mark cannot be higher than the “Number of frets” value set in the Edit String Data dialog.

                                                                                                                                                        Moving the fretmark to a different string

                                                                                                                                                        To move the fret mark to an adjacent string without changing the pitch:

                                                                                                                                                        In note input mode:

                                                                                                                                                        • Position the cursor over a fret mark, and press Ctrl+↑/↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑/↓).

                                                                                                                                                        In normal mode:

                                                                                                                                                        Use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                                                        • Select one or more fret marks, and press Ctrl+↑/↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑/↓).
                                                                                                                                                        • Drag a fret mark up or down to an adjacent string.

                                                                                                                                                        Note: This operation can only proceed if the relevant string is free and can produce that note.

                                                                                                                                                        Changing the duration

                                                                                                                                                        See Changing duration in normal mode.

                                                                                                                                                        Crosshead/Ghost notes

                                                                                                                                                        To change a fret mark to a crosshead/ghost note:

                                                                                                                                                        1. Select one or more fret marks (in normal mode).
                                                                                                                                                        2. Press Shift+X to toggles ghost noteheads on/off.

                                                                                                                                                        Customizing a tablature staff

                                                                                                                                                          Changing tuning

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right-click on the staff and select Staff/Part Properties…
                                                                                                                                                          2. Press the Edit String Data… button at the bottom of the dialog box. This opens the String Data dialog:
                                                                                                                                                            String data dialog
                                                                                                                                                          3. Under Strings tuning, click on a string pitch and select Edit String…; Alternatively, just double-click the string pitch.
                                                                                                                                                          4. Select a new pitch in the Note Selection box and click OK. Alternatively, just double-click the new pitch.
                                                                                                                                                          5. Click OK to close the “String Data” dialog box.
                                                                                                                                                          6. Click OK to close the Staff/Part Properties dialog.

                                                                                                                                                          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.

                                                                                                                                                          Adding or removing strings

                                                                                                                                                          Add a string

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right-click on the staff and select Staff/Part Properties…
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on Edit String Data…
                                                                                                                                                          3. Click on a string pitch and select New String…
                                                                                                                                                          4. Select the new pitch and press OK; alternatively, just double-click the new pitch.

                                                                                                                                                          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.

                                                                                                                                                          Delete a string

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right-click on the staff, select Staff/Part Properties…
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on Edit String Data…
                                                                                                                                                          3. Click on a string pitch and press Delete String.

                                                                                                                                                          Note: After deleting a tablature string you will also need to adjust the number of lines in Staff/Part properties→Advanced style properties.

                                                                                                                                                          Mark unfretted string “open”

                                                                                                                                                          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.

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right-click on the staff, and select Staff/Part Properties...
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on Edit String Data…
                                                                                                                                                          3. Check the required boxes in the Open column.

                                                                                                                                                          Change number of instrument frets

                                                                                                                                                          This property defines the maximum fret number which can be entered on a tablature staff.

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right-click on the staff, and select Staff/Part Properties…
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on Edit String Data…
                                                                                                                                                          3. Select or enter a new number using the “Number of frets” spinner.

                                                                                                                                                          Changing tablature staff type

                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore provides a range of common tablature types. If you want to change the tablature type, choose one of two options:

                                                                                                                                                          Change staff type from Instruments panel

                                                                                                                                                          1. Ensure that the Instruments panel is visible (toggle F7).
                                                                                                                                                            Instruments panel
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on the arrow next to the instrument name to reveal the staves.
                                                                                                                                                          3. Click on the edit cog next to the desired staff and choose an option from the "Staff type" dropdown.
                                                                                                                                                          4. To close, press Esc, or click outside the dialog.

                                                                                                                                                          Change staff type from Staff/Part properties

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right-click onto an empty area of the staff and select Staff/Part Properties….
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on Advanced Style properties, select the desired option from "Template", then press < Reset to Template. You can fine tune the display if necessary using the "Fret Marks" and "Note Values" tabs.
                                                                                                                                                          3. Click OK twice to exit.

                                                                                                                                                          Note: For customization options in detail, see Customizing appearance of tablature (below).

                                                                                                                                                          You will find the terms "simple", "common" and "full" in the tablature type names:

                                                                                                                                                          • Simple: Displays just fretmarks.
                                                                                                                                                          • Common: Displays fretmarks, rests, stems and beams.
                                                                                                                                                          • Full: Displays fretmarks; rests, stems and beams, half-note stems.

                                                                                                                                                          Customizing appearance of tablature

                                                                                                                                                          1. Right click on the staff and select Staff/Part Properties…
                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on Advanced Style Properties….

                                                                                                                                                          This gives you access to a full range of tablature customization options. See Staff properties: Tablature options.

                                                                                                                                                          Idiomatic notation: Percussion

                                                                                                                                                            Entering and editing percussion notation

                                                                                                                                                              Overview

                                                                                                                                                              In percussion notation, the lines and spaces of the music staff are allocated to different instruments—rather than different pitches—and a range of different notehead shapes is used.

                                                                                                                                                              The example below shows a simple drumkit beat on a five-line music staff. By convention, the bass drum rhythm is written on the lowest space of the staff, the snare drum on the third space, and the closed hihat, using crosshead notes, on the space above the staff.

                                                                                                                                                              Rock beat example

                                                                                                                                                              Drumkit scores are often written using two voices: voice 1 (with stems up) for instruments played by the hands, such as drums and cymbals; and voice 2 (with stems down) for instruments played by the feet, such as the bass drum and hi-hat pedal.

                                                                                                                                                              Types of percussion staves

                                                                                                                                                              Percussion music is usually written on a 5-line, 3-line, or 1-line staff—depending on the instrument. When a percussion instrument is created using the New Score dialog, MuseScore automatically chooses the most appropriate staff type. This can be changed later, if necessary, using the "Staff type" column in the Instruments panel.

                                                                                                                                                              Adding a percussion staff to your score

                                                                                                                                                              See Setting up your score and/or Instruments panel.

                                                                                                                                                              Entering notes and rests in percussion staves

                                                                                                                                                              There are several ways of entering music on a percussion staff:

                                                                                                                                                              • Using a Mouse (and the Drum Input Palette).
                                                                                                                                                              • Via keyboard shortcuts.
                                                                                                                                                              • Using an external MIDI keyboard.
                                                                                                                                                              • Using the virtual piano.

                                                                                                                                                              After each note or rest is entered, the cursor automatically advances so that it is in the correct position for subsequent entry.

                                                                                                                                                              Mouse entry using the Drum input palette

                                                                                                                                                              1. Select a start location in the percussion staff.
                                                                                                                                                              2. Enter note Input mode (shortcut N). The Drum input palette (DIP) appears at the bottom of the window:
                                                                                                                                                                Drum input palette
                                                                                                                                                                This displays a range of percussion instruments and how they will appear on the staff. If any instrument has a keyboard shortcut this is shown above the staff.
                                                                                                                                                                Click on an instrument in the DIP, and its name appears on the left-hand side of the palette. The color of the note shows the voice pre-allocated to that instrument: blue for voice 1, green for voice 2 etc.
                                                                                                                                                              3. Use one of the following methods:
                                                                                                                                                                • Click on an instrument in the DIP; select the desired note duration, then, click on the staff at the desired location.
                                                                                                                                                                • Select a note duration, then double-click the desired instrument in the DIP. The note is entered at the cursor position.
                                                                                                                                                                  Note: Any existing notes in that voice are overwritten.
                                                                                                                                                              4. To enter another instrument in the same voice at a location, press Shift, then double-click the instrument in the DIP.
                                                                                                                                                              5. To enter a rest of the selected duration, press 0 (zero).

                                                                                                                                                              Using keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                              This method is suitable for adding instruments which have a keyboard shortcut displayed in the Drum Input palette.

                                                                                                                                                              1. Select a note, rest or measure in the percussion staff as a start point.
                                                                                                                                                              2. Enter note Input mode (shortcut N). The Drum input palette (DIP) appears at the bottom of the window (as above).
                                                                                                                                                              3. Choose a note duration.
                                                                                                                                                              4. Type the keyboard shortcut for the desired instrument; this is shown above the staff in the DIP. The note is entered at the cursor position.
                                                                                                                                                                Note: Any existing notes in that voice are overwritten.
                                                                                                                                                              5. To enter another instrument in the same voice, hold Shift, while entering the shortcut.
                                                                                                                                                              6. To enter a rest of the selected duration, press 0 (zero).

                                                                                                                                                              Note: Shortcuts can be changed in the Edit drumset dialog.

                                                                                                                                                              Using a MIDI controller

                                                                                                                                                              To add notes to a percussion staff from a MIDI keyboard:

                                                                                                                                                              1. Ensure that the MIDI keyboard is connected to your computer before launching MuseScore. Check that it is functioning correctly.
                                                                                                                                                                Note: If you click on the percussion staff in normal mode, you can "preview" the sound of the percussion instruments from the MIDI keyboard.
                                                                                                                                                              2. Click on the note or rest where you want to start.
                                                                                                                                                              3. Enter note input mode.
                                                                                                                                                              4. Select the voice in which you wish to enter notes.
                                                                                                                                                              5. Select a note duration.
                                                                                                                                                              6. Press an instrument key to add a note to the score. To add another instrument in the same voice, keep the first key held down while pressing the second key.
                                                                                                                                                              7. To enter a rest of the selected duration, press 0 (zero).

                                                                                                                                                              Note: Refer to a GM2 drum map for details about which MIDI keyboard key corresponds to which percussion instrument.

                                                                                                                                                              Using the on-screen piano keyboard

                                                                                                                                                              To add notes to a percussion staff from the virtual Piano Keyboard:

                                                                                                                                                              1. Ensure that the Piano keyboard is displayed. Press P (or select it from the menu, View → Piano keyboard).
                                                                                                                                                                Note: If you click on the percussion staff without entering note input mode, you can demo the percussion instruments from the Piano keyboard.
                                                                                                                                                              2. Click on the note or rest where you want to start.
                                                                                                                                                              3. Enter note input mode.
                                                                                                                                                              4. Select the voice in which you wish to enter notes.
                                                                                                                                                              5. Select a note duration.
                                                                                                                                                              6. Click on a (virtual piano) key to add a note to the score. To add another note to an existing one, press Shift and hold it while pressing the new note.
                                                                                                                                                              7. To enter a rest of the selected duration, press 0 (zero).

                                                                                                                                                              Note: Refer to a GM2 drum map for details about which piano key corresponds to which percussion instrument.

                                                                                                                                                              Drumset customization

                                                                                                                                                                Introduction

                                                                                                                                                                You can customize the drumset using the Edit drumset dialog. This can be opened in note input mode from the Drum input palette by clicking on the Edit drumset button (bottom left of the program window). Alternatively, in normal mode, right-click on the percussion staff and select Edit drumset...

                                                                                                                                                                Edit drumset dialog

                                                                                                                                                                On the left is a list of available percussion instruments. You can put these in MIDI number order by clicking on the "No." heading; this automatically shows them in note order as well. Clicking again puts the list in reverse order.

                                                                                                                                                                The right of the dialog shows you how the selected instrument is displayed on the percussion staff: its name, position, notehead type and note-stem direction.

                                                                                                                                                                Any changes made here are automatically saved in the parent MuseScore file (after pressing OK). You can also save the drumset independently as a drumset file.

                                                                                                                                                                Customizing a drumset definition

                                                                                                                                                                Selecting a sound

                                                                                                                                                                • info on GM drum sounds
                                                                                                                                                                • how much of this is relevant for VST?

                                                                                                                                                                Defining the note

                                                                                                                                                                Name

                                                                                                                                                                Noteheads

                                                                                                                                                                Other properties

                                                                                                                                                                Saving and loading drumset definitions

                                                                                                                                                                Other percussion notation

                                                                                                                                                                  Diddles

                                                                                                                                                                  Diddles can be added by using an eighth-note Tremolo.
                                                                                                                                                                  Diddles

                                                                                                                                                                  Pedal lines

                                                                                                                                                                  To add a vibraphone pedal line, see Pedal.

                                                                                                                                                                  Rolls

                                                                                                                                                                  To add a drumroll to your score, see Tremolo.
                                                                                                                                                                  Rolls

                                                                                                                                                                  Sticking

                                                                                                                                                                  To enter sticking symbols (R, L):

                                                                                                                                                                  1. Select a start note;
                                                                                                                                                                  2. From the menu, select Add→Text→Sticking (alternatively, set up a keyboard shortcut to do the same
                                                                                                                                                                    thing). The cursor positions itself ready to accept your keyboard input;
                                                                                                                                                                  3. Input the letter just as you would normal text. To move forward or backwards to the next note, see Keyboard commands (chord symbols).
                                                                                                                                                                  4. To exit, press Esc, or click on a blank section of the score.

                                                                                                                                                                  Alternative notation

                                                                                                                                                                    Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                                                                                                                                                                      Adding a mensural time signature to your score

                                                                                                                                                                      To apply mensural signs to a score you need to add a conventional time signature first, then modify its display by substituting with the appropriate mensural symbol in the Time signature properties dialog. Note that these signs are for show only; it is not possible to modify the duration ratio between different note values, and the actual underlying time signature remains unchanged.

                                                                                                                                                                      Using mensural note symbols

                                                                                                                                                                      • add from symbols palette, hide

                                                                                                                                                                      Working with non-metered music

                                                                                                                                                                      Early music, such as renaissance choral music, may be written without barlines or a time signature. This can be achieved in MuseScore as follows:

                                                                                                                                                                      1. Set up the instruments or voices of the score in the usual way (See Setting up your score);
                                                                                                                                                                      2. Hide the time signature;
                                                                                                                                                                      3. in Format→Style→Score, check the box titled "Display note values across measure boundaries";
                                                                                                                                                                      4. Right-click on a measure in the top staff and select Staff/Part properties;
                                                                                                                                                                      5. Uncheck "Show barlines"; repeat this for each applicable staff (see note);
                                                                                                                                                                      6. Click OK.

                                                                                                                                                                      Note: In step 4 you can make the barlines invisible instead by selecting all and pressing V.

                                                                                                                                                                      Note that the score still behaves as if measures are present. Measure properties can be applied if required.

                                                                                                                                                                      Working with Mensurstrich

                                                                                                                                                                      Adding barlines between staves

                                                                                                                                                                      1. Right click on the bottom staff of the intended mensurstrich system, and select Staff/Part properties. Uncheck "Show barlines".
                                                                                                                                                                      2. Select the first (not the start!) barline for each of the remaining staves;
                                                                                                                                                                      3. Check the "Span to next staff" box in the Barline section of the Properties panel;
                                                                                                                                                                      4. Adjust "Span from" to set the position of the top of each barline;
                                                                                                                                                                      5. Press Set as staff default;

                                                                                                                                                                        Mensurstrich

                                                                                                                                                                      Displaying note values across measure boundaries

                                                                                                                                                                      1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Score;
                                                                                                                                                                      2. Check "Display note values across measure boundaries".

                                                                                                                                                                      See also

                                                                                                                                                                      Slash notation

                                                                                                                                                                        Filling a range with beat slashes

                                                                                                                                                                        • Techniques to customize duration

                                                                                                                                                                        Creating rhythmic slash notation

                                                                                                                                                                        Accompaniment rhythms on the staff

                                                                                                                                                                        Accent rhythms above or below the staff

                                                                                                                                                                        Custom staff types

                                                                                                                                                                          Customizing appearance of staff lines

                                                                                                                                                                          • Number
                                                                                                                                                                          • Color
                                                                                                                                                                          • Visibility
                                                                                                                                                                          • Line distance

                                                                                                                                                                          Customizing appearance of generated elements

                                                                                                                                                                          • Clef
                                                                                                                                                                          • Key signature
                                                                                                                                                                          • Time signature
                                                                                                                                                                          • Barlines

                                                                                                                                                                          Customizing appearance of notes

                                                                                                                                                                          • Ledger lines
                                                                                                                                                                          • Stems
                                                                                                                                                                          • Notehead scheme

                                                                                                                                                                          Changing staff type mid-score

                                                                                                                                                                          • Most of the above plus line & step offset

                                                                                                                                                                          Text

                                                                                                                                                                            Entering and editing text

                                                                                                                                                                              Overview

                                                                                                                                                                              Many score objects are text-based. For example, the title frame present at the beginning of pieces may contain several different types of text. There may be tempo marks above staves, dynamic indications, such as p or mf, expressions like Andante or Allegro, fingering numbers, lyrics, chord symbols and so on.

                                                                                                                                                                              A text object is always attached to something else. Some types of text ("Title", "Subtitle" etc.) are associated with frames; others (e.g. staff text) are attached to the staff; jumps and markers go with measures; others (e.g. fingering) with individual notes; "Header" and "Footer" text appears at the head and foot of the score respectively.

                                                                                                                                                                              See the table below, under "Types of text", for links to handbook pages for specific types of text.

                                                                                                                                                                              Adding text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                              A text object may get entered from a palette, the Add menu, or using a keyboard shortcut.

                                                                                                                                                                              Note: Adding text to a frame is dealt with elsewhere; see Text blocks.

                                                                                                                                                                              Add text from a palette

                                                                                                                                                                              To add a text element to your score from a palette, either select one or more notes/rests and click on the desired palette item; or drag the text from the palette onto a note/rest. e.g.

                                                                                                                                                                              Add tempo indicationAdd tempo indication

                                                                                                                                                                              Add text from a menu

                                                                                                                                                                              If the text object is associated with a staff you can add it by selecting a note, then choosing a text option from Add→Text.

                                                                                                                                                                              Add text using a shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                              Many text types can be entered using keyboard shortcuts. You can view a list of shortcuts next to the items in Add→Text.

                                                                                                                                                                              To create a text object, select a note, then enter the required shortcut.

                                                                                                                                                                              Editing text

                                                                                                                                                                              To enter text edit mode use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                                                                              • Double click on the text.
                                                                                                                                                                              • Select the text and press Return.
                                                                                                                                                                              • Select the text and press F2 or Alt+Shift+E.
                                                                                                                                                                              • Right-click on the text and select "Edit element."

                                                                                                                                                                              You can now add and edit text just as you would in a word processor.

                                                                                                                                                                              To leave text edit mode either press Escape or click on a part of the score outside the edit area.

                                                                                                                                                                              Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                              The following keyboard shortcuts are available in text edit mode:

                                                                                                                                                                              Function Windows & Linux Mac
                                                                                                                                                                              Bold (toggle) Ctrl+B Cmd+B
                                                                                                                                                                              Italic (toggle) Ctrl+I Cmd+I
                                                                                                                                                                              Underline (toggle) Ctrl+U Cmd+U
                                                                                                                                                                              Move cursor Home, End, ←, →, ↑, ↓ (Alt+) ←, →, ↑, ↓
                                                                                                                                                                              Remove character to the left of the cursor Backspace Delete
                                                                                                                                                                              Remove character to the right of the cursor Del → Delete or Fn+Del
                                                                                                                                                                              Start new line ↵ return
                                                                                                                                                                              Insert special characters (see below) F2 Fn+F2

                                                                                                                                                                              Special characters

                                                                                                                                                                              Characters not available from the standard keyboard may be accessed using the Special Characters window.

                                                                                                                                                                              Special characters window

                                                                                                                                                                              To open Special Characters In text edit mode, press Shift+F2; or click on Insert special characters in the Text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                              The dialog is divided into 3 tabs: Common symbols, musical symbols and unicode symbols. The musical and unicode tabs are further subdivided into alphabetically-arranged categories.

                                                                                                                                                                              Clicking an item in the Special Characters dialog immediately adds it to the text where the cursor is positioned. Multiple items can be applied without closing the dialog box, and the user can even continue to type normally, delete characters, enter numerical character codes etc., with it open.

                                                                                                                                                                              A few special characters can also be created using shortcuts—see below.

                                                                                                                                                                              Special character shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                              Character Windows & Linux Mac Note
                                                                                                                                                                              Sharp ♯ Ctrl+Shift+# Cmd+Shift+# May not work on some keyboard layouts
                                                                                                                                                                              Flat ♭ Ctrl+Shift+B Cmd+Shift+B
                                                                                                                                                                              Natural ♮ Ctrl+Shift+H Cmd+Shift+H
                                                                                                                                                                              Piano p Ctrl+Shift+P Cmd+Shift+P
                                                                                                                                                                              Forte f Ctrl+Shift+F Cmd+Shift+F
                                                                                                                                                                              Mezzo m Ctrl+Shift+M Cmd+Shift+M
                                                                                                                                                                              Rinforzando r Ctrl+Shift+R Cmd+Shift+R
                                                                                                                                                                              Sforzando s Ctrl+Shift+S Cmd+Shift+S
                                                                                                                                                                              Niente n Ctrl+Shift+N Cmd+Shift+N
                                                                                                                                                                              Z z Ctrl+Shift+Z Cmd+Shift+Z
                                                                                                                                                                              Elision ‿ Ctrl+Alt+- Cmd+Alt+-

                                                                                                                                                                              Types of text

                                                                                                                                                                              Text type Uses
                                                                                                                                                                              Staff text General purpose text attached to a single staff: appearing only in that instrument part.
                                                                                                                                                                              System text General purpose text attached to a single staff: appearing in all instrument parts.
                                                                                                                                                                              Chord symbols Display the chords associated with a melody: usually above the staff.
                                                                                                                                                                              Fingering Numbers or letters attached to notes showing which fingers to use.
                                                                                                                                                                              Lyrics Create lyrics attached to a melody.
                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal marks Facilitate rehearsals, divide score into sections, bookmark passages etc.
                                                                                                                                                                              Dynamics Indicate the loudness of a note or phrase.
                                                                                                                                                                              Figured bass Period notation for keyboarders.
                                                                                                                                                                              Frame text Title/composer/lyricist details at the start of a score; song sheet lyrics etc.
                                                                                                                                                                              Headers/Footers Page numbers, copyright info etc. at the top/bottom of a page.
                                                                                                                                                                              Instrument text Apply mid-staff instrument changes.
                                                                                                                                                                              Repeats and jumps (voltas) Da Capo, Dal segno, Fine etc.
                                                                                                                                                                              Roman Numeral Analysis (RNA) A chord analysis system.
                                                                                                                                                                              Sticking Letters (L and R) attached to (drum) notes showing which hand or foot to use.
                                                                                                                                                                              Swing text Change from straight to swing time, and vice versa.
                                                                                                                                                                              Tempo marks Apply metronome and/or expression marks.
                                                                                                                                                                              Text-lines Voltas, ottavas, pedal lines, guitar barre lines etc.

                                                                                                                                                                              Formatting text

                                                                                                                                                                                Overview—levels of formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                There are three levels of text formatting in MuseScore:

                                                                                                                                                                                1. Text style
                                                                                                                                                                                2. Text object
                                                                                                                                                                                3. Character

                                                                                                                                                                                Text style

                                                                                                                                                                                When you create a text object in the score it automatically assumes a style appropriate to its class. For example, a tempo mark will have the “Tempo” style; a fingering number, the "Fingering" style and so on.

                                                                                                                                                                                A style consists of a group of text properties (font-size, align, offset etc.) with specific values. You can view the full range of text styles in Format→Style→Text Styles.

                                                                                                                                                                                To check the style of a selected text object, click the More button in the Text section of the Properties panel. The style name will be visible under "Text style".

                                                                                                                                                                                Text style is the top level of formatting.

                                                                                                                                                                                Text object properties

                                                                                                                                                                                The text properties of a particular, selected text object can be viewed and edited in the Text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                This the second-level of formatting—the text object level.

                                                                                                                                                                                Character formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                Individual characters within a text object may themselves be formatted independently.

                                                                                                                                                                                This is the third level of formatting—the character level.

                                                                                                                                                                                Formatting hierarchy

                                                                                                                                                                                Character formatting overrides Text object formatting, which, in turn, overrides Style.

                                                                                                                                                                                Applying text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                Apply to a text object

                                                                                                                                                                                After clicking on a text object you can edit its text properties in the Text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                Text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                Click More to see:

                                                                                                                                                                                More text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                Apply to characters

                                                                                                                                                                                In order to edit the characters within a text object you need to enter text edit mode using one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                                                                                • Double-click on the text object.
                                                                                                                                                                                • Select the object and press F2 or Alt+Shift+E
                                                                                                                                                                                • Right-click on the element and select Edit element

                                                                                                                                                                                Then you can apply formatting to highlighted characters using the Text section of the Properties panel, and/or keyboard shortcuts (see Editing text).

                                                                                                                                                                                Note that certain properties in the Properties panel are not applicable to characters—such as "Alignment", "Frame", "Text style" and so on. If you attempt to apply them, they are added to the text object instead.

                                                                                                                                                                                Setting style defaults

                                                                                                                                                                                If you want to change the default style properties of a particular class of objects, you can do so in the Style menu: From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Text Styles.

                                                                                                                                                                                However, it is often better to do this from the Properties panel itself:

                                                                                                                                                                                1. Select a score object of the style in question;
                                                                                                                                                                                2. Edit a property;
                                                                                                                                                                                3. Click on the ellipsis (…) above the property and select "Save as default style for this score".
                                                                                                                                                                                4. Repeat for other properties as required.

                                                                                                                                                                                Selecting different text styles

                                                                                                                                                                                If you wish to change the text style associated with a text object:

                                                                                                                                                                                1. Click on the text object.
                                                                                                                                                                                2. Click the More in the Text section of the Properties panel.
                                                                                                                                                                                3. Select a new style from the dropdown list under "Text style".

                                                                                                                                                                                Position

                                                                                                                                                                                For text objects applied to the staff, the default position may be above or below the staff. This may be changed at the style or text object level with the Position property (Above/Below).

                                                                                                                                                                                Staff and system text

                                                                                                                                                                                  Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff text and System text is general purpose text attached to a staff. It can be used for a variety of purposes not covered by other more specific types of text, e.g.

                                                                                                                                                                                  • Musical expressions.
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Performance indications.
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Applying titles to movements.
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Capo playback for guitarists (staff text only).
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Applying swing and straight time (staff or system text).

                                                                                                                                                                                  and so on.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff text appears on only one staff in a system, applies only to that staff, and is present in its instrument part.

                                                                                                                                                                                  System text appears above the top staff of a system, applies to all staves, and is present in all the instrument parts.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff and system text can also be found incorporated into lines.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding staff text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Select a note
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Use one of the following methods:
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Press Ctrl+T.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • From the menu, select Add→Text→Staff text.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Click on the "Staff text" icon in the Text palette
                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Enter the desired text in the bounding box.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Alternatively, drag the "Staff text" icon onto a note in the score before entering the desired text.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding expression text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Select a note
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Use one of the following methods:
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Press Ctrl+E.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • From the menu, select Add→Text→Expression text.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Click on the "Staff text" icon in the Text palette
                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Enter the desired text in the bounding box.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Alternatively, drag the "Expression text" icon onto a note in the score before entering the desired text.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding system text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Select a note
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Use one of the following methods:
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Press Ctrl+Shift+T.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • From the menu, select Add→Text→System text.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Click on the "System text" icon in the Text palette
                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Enter the desired text in the bounding box.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Alternatively, drag the "System text" icon onto a note in the score before entering the desired text.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Repeating system text on other staves

                                                                                                                                                                                  System text automatically appears above the top staff of the system. If you need a similar indication on a lower staff, add it to that staff using staff text.

                                                                                                                                                                                  [Adding automatically via a template? – to be added]

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff and system text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff text properties, for swing and capo settings, can be accessed as follows:

                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Right-click on the text object
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Select Staff text properties
                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Choose one of the following tabs:
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Swing settings
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Capo settings

                                                                                                                                                                                  System text only has one property, swing, and this is applied using a similar context menu.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff and system text style

                                                                                                                                                                                  Some default properties for all staff text in the score can be set from Format→Style→Staff text.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Staff text style

                                                                                                                                                                                  And for system text lines, from Format→Style→System text line.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Tempo markings

                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                    A variety of tempo markings/marks may be found in the Tempo palette. These include

                                                                                                                                                                                    • Metronome marks: A metronome mark, half note = 80
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text indications: Andante, Allegro etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Metric modulations: A metric modulation, quarter note = dotted quarter note
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tempo change lines: rall., accel. etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Metronome marks, text, and metric modulations modify the tempo of score playback once from the point at which they are applied. Tempo change lines work with the existing tempo and vary it over a range of notes.

                                                                                                                                                                                    If required, you can override the written tempo temporarily using the Playback panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                    A tempo mark is a form of system text; it appears above the top stave but applies to all staves in the system.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tempo mark to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                    To add a metronome mark, tempo text or metric modulation to the score, use one of the following methods:

                                                                                                                                                                                    • Select one or more notes/rests and click on a tempo symbol in a palette.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Drag a tempo symbol from a palette onto a note/rest.
                                                                                                                                                                                    • From the menu bar, select Add→Text, and click on Tempo marking.

                                                                                                                                                                                    To add a tempo change line, use the same method as for lines.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Using metronome markings

                                                                                                                                                                                    A metronome mark consists of a musical note indicating the duration of the beat, an equals sign, then a number showing the beats per minute (bpm). So the following mark

                                                                                                                                                                                    Metronome mark, quarter note = 80

                                                                                                                                                                                    indicates a tempo of 80 quarter notes (crotchets) per minute, and so on.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Using text markings

                                                                                                                                                                                    The Tempo palette also contains text markings, such as Andante, Allegro etc. The background tempo can be read off in the Tempo section of the Properties palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of tempo markings

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo markings can be edited just like any other text object: see Entering and editing text.

                                                                                                                                                                                    To edit the appearance of Tempo change lines, see line properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of tempo markings

                                                                                                                                                                                    Metronome marks

                                                                                                                                                                                    You are free to change the tempo number as required.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo text

                                                                                                                                                                                    You can override the written tempo by unchecking "Follow written tempo" in the Tempo section of the Properties panel, and setting a new tempo in the "Override written tempo" box.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo change lines

                                                                                                                                                                                    You can set the Tempo "Change amount" and "Easing method" in the Playback: General section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo change properties

                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeating tempo markings on other staves

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo text always appears on the top staff of the system. If you need to see it on lower staves as well, use staff text and insert the beat note as a special character.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo properties

                                                                                                                                                                                    See above—Changing playback of tempo markings.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo style

                                                                                                                                                                                    Default positioning properties of tempo markings can be set in Format→Style→Tempo text.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo style

                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                      Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics are a form of text associated with melody lines on staves. e.g.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics example, Greensleeves

                                                                                                                                                                                      As you can see in the example above, lyrics are entered syllable by syllable, those within words being connected by hyphens. Underscore lines or hyphens (depending on the context) are used to indicate melismas, where a syllable extends over several notes (see below).

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics are organized into verses, with verse 1 at the top and subsequent verses in order below.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Adding lyrics to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                      In order to enter new lyrics, or to edit/format existing ones, you need to be in lyrics mode.

                                                                                                                                                                                      There are two ways to enter lyrics mode:

                                                                                                                                                                                      • Start from a selected note—see Entering syllables (below).
                                                                                                                                                                                      • Start from an existing lyric syllable—see Editing existing lyrics.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Entering syllables

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Select the desired start note, and enter lyrics mode by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+L (Mac & Linux: Cmd+L). This will create a bounding box ready for text input.
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Type the syllable;
                                                                                                                                                                                      3. To enter a connected syllable, press - (hyphen), then enter the new syllable.
                                                                                                                                                                                      4. To move forward to a new word (from any point in a syllable), press Space, Alternatively, and only if you are at the end of a word, press → (right arrow).
                                                                                                                                                                                      5. To enter a non-breaking space, type Ctrl+Space.
                                                                                                                                                                                      6. To enter a melisma, see below.
                                                                                                                                                                                      7. To move forward or backwards one character at a time, jumping between syllables, press →/← (right/left arrows).
                                                                                                                                                                                      8. To move backwards one syllable, press Shift+Space.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Entering a melisma

                                                                                                                                                                                      A melisma is a syllable that extends over more than one note.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics melisma

                                                                                                                                                                                      If the melisma is at the end of a word it should be notated by an underscore line:

                                                                                                                                                                                      • Starting from the end of the previous syllable, press _ (underscore) for as many notes as the melisma extends.

                                                                                                                                                                                      If a melisma occurs in the middle of a word it may be notated by hyphens instead:

                                                                                                                                                                                      • Starting from the end of the previous syllable press - (hyphen) for as many notes as the melisma extends.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Entering multiple verses

                                                                                                                                                                                      To enter subsequent verses, simply repeat the steps shown under Entering syllables. Lyrics entry automatically starts in the space beneath the last entered verse.

                                                                                                                                                                                      In lyrics mode you can move up and down between verses using the keyboard arrows, ↑ and ↓.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Entering lyrics onto rests

                                                                                                                                                                                      By default, the cursor skips over rests in lyrics mode. However, It is possible to enter a syllable on a rest by selecting the rest, (re-)entering lyrics mode and typing the syllable. Then you can continue entering lyrics as above.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Special characters within lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                      Characters not available from the computer keyboard may be entered in lyrics mode using the Special characters palette. A special case is highlighted below:

                                                                                                                                                                                      Elision slur

                                                                                                                                                                                      An Elision slur (lyric slur or synalepha) is a symbol used to join two syllables together under one note.

                                                                                                                                                                                      For example, to create the lyrics text below, starting with the syllable text "te":

                                                                                                                                                                                      Elision slur

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Type te;
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Open the Special Characters palette;
                                                                                                                                                                                      3. Click one of the elision slurs in the "Common Symbols" tab
                                                                                                                                                                                      4. Type A.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Escaping characters (that cannot be normally typed while entering Lyrics)

                                                                                                                                                                                      In most cases, lyrics can be edited just like normal text. However, special keyboard shortcuts are required to enter the following characters:

                                                                                                                                                                                      • Space character: Ctrl+Space (Mac & Linux: Alt+Space).

                                                                                                                                                                                      • - (hyphen): Ctrl+- (Mac & Linux: Alt+-).

                                                                                                                                                                                      • _ (underscore): Ctrl+Shift+_ (Mac & Linux: Alt+Shift_).

                                                                                                                                                                                      • Line feed: Ctrl+↵ (Mac & Linux: Alt+Return) or Enter (from the numeric keypad).

                                                                                                                                                                                      Editing existing lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                      To make additions or changes to existing lyrics, click on a syllable and use a text edit mode shortcut to enter lyrics mode.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Delete lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics are automatically deleted with their parent notes. You can also delete lyrics while leaving the notes intact, by selecting the lyrics and pressing Delete.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Entering lyrics above the staff

                                                                                                                                                                                      If you wish to position all lyrics above, instead of below, the staff:

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Lyrics;
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Set Placement to "Above".

                                                                                                                                                                                      You can of course do the same thing by selecting all lyrics in the score and changing Position to "Above" in the text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Changing verse number of lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                      Each verse attached to the staff is allocated a verse number—with the lowest positioned at the top and highest at the bottom. (You can of course prepend a number to the beginning of each verse, but this is a visual indication only.)

                                                                                                                                                                                      To change the verse number, select the verse and adjust "Set to verse" in the Lyrics section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Copying lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                      Copying lyrics within MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics are automatically copied with their parent notes, but you can also copy lyrics on their own without the notes.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Copy to the same verse

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Select a range or list of lyrics syllables;
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Apply cut/copy;
                                                                                                                                                                                      3. Select a destination note in the same verse
                                                                                                                                                                                      4. Paste the lyrics.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Note that the destination range should be clear of existing lyrics, otherwise the clipboard contents will be pasted on top of them.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Copy to a different verse

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Select a range or list of lyrics syllables;
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Apply Copy;
                                                                                                                                                                                      3. Assign the selected lyrics a new verse number (see above);
                                                                                                                                                                                      4. Click on the first note of the lyrics selection;
                                                                                                                                                                                      5. Paste. This will replace the missing lyrics.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Note: Lyrics always paste into the same verse they were copied from.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Copying lyrics to other programs

                                                                                                                                                                                      All lyrics attached to staves can be copied to the clipboard from the menu using Tools→Copy lyrics to clipboard.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics properties

                                                                                                                                                                                      See Changing verse number of lyrics.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics style

                                                                                                                                                                                      You can adjust global lyrics properties from Format→Style→Lyrics.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics style settings dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                      Placement / Position above / Position below: Sets the default positioning of lyrics in relation to the music staff.
                                                                                                                                                                                      Line height: The space between verse lines.
                                                                                                                                                                                      Min top/bottom margin: The distance above and below the lyrics block to the staves above and below.
                                                                                                                                                                                      Min. distance: The minimum distance allowed between syllables. Increase this if the lyrics are too squashed.
                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics hyphen: Here you will find a number pf properties which allow you to control how the hyphens between syllables are displayed.
                                                                                                                                                                                      Lyrics melisma: Ditto for melismas.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                        Types of fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                        Fingering symbols for various instruments are found in the Fingerings palette; some of these are duplicated in the Guitar palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Fingering palette

                                                                                                                                                                                        Mouse over the palette icons to reveal the names of the symbols.

                                                                                                                                                                                        The different types of fingerings are as follows:

                                                                                                                                                                                        • Fingering; In keyboard notation, used to indicate left and right hand fingering. Also used in guitar music for left hand fingering.
                                                                                                                                                                                        • LH guitar fingering: In guitar notation, 1–4, indicates the left-hand fingers. 0 (zero), an open string. T, the left hand thumb. Can also be used in keyboard music.
                                                                                                                                                                                        • RH guitar fingering: In guitar notation, used to indicate the right hand fingers, namely: p = thumb, i = index, m = middle, a = ring/annular, c = little.
                                                                                                                                                                                        • String number (circled): In guitar notation, used to indicate the strings (1–6, top to bottom). 0 (zero) is used for the open string.
                                                                                                                                                                                        • Other fingering: Lute fingerings may be found by clicking "More" in the Fingerings palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Adding fingering to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                        Note: If you want fingering to be displayed in tablature, right-click on the TAB, and select Staff/Part Properties…→Advanced Style Properties; then check the box labelled "Show fingering in tablature"

                                                                                                                                                                                        Adding fingering from a palette

                                                                                                                                                                                        To add fingering to a selection of notes:

                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Select one or more notes;
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Click on the desired fingering symbol in a palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Alternatively, you can drag and drop a fingering symbol from a palette onto a single note.

                                                                                                                                                                                        When fingering is added to a note, the focus immediately shifts to the symbol, so you can adjust it right away.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Open Fingering palette and add fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                        Adding fingering using a keyboard shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Select a start note;
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Choose one of the following options:
                                                                                                                                                                                          • (for any fingering) Add the desired fingering symbol from a palette (as shown above);
                                                                                                                                                                                          • (for Fingering only) Enter the custom keyboard shortcut for "Add Fingering," then type the desired number.
                                                                                                                                                                                            (Note: you can create this shortcut from the menu Edit→Preferences→Shortcuts
                                                                                                                                                                                        3. Choose one of the following options:
                                                                                                                                                                                          • To move the cursor to the next note: Press Space, or Alt+→;
                                                                                                                                                                                          • To move the cursor to the previous note: Shift+Space, or Alt+←;
                                                                                                                                                                                        4. Type the desired number; a fingering is added of the same type as the initial one .
                                                                                                                                                                                        5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as required;
                                                                                                                                                                                        6. Press Esc, or click on an empty space in the document window, to exit.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Add many fingerings to piano

                                                                                                                                                                                        Adding fingering using the menu

                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Select the start note;
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. From the menu bar, select Add→Text→Fingering;
                                                                                                                                                                                        3. Type the fingering number of the first note;
                                                                                                                                                                                        4. Press space to move to the next note; and so on.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Adjusting position

                                                                                                                                                                                        To edit fingering position, see Changing position of elements.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Some fingerings can be flipped to the other side of the staff using the X shortcut, or the Flip direction icon on the note input toolbar.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Changing the appearance of fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                        The text formatting of fingering elements can be adjusted in the Text section of the Properties panel. See Formatting text for details.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Fingering properties

                                                                                                                                                                                        General and text properties for fingering can be edited from the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                        For General properties see General settings.

                                                                                                                                                                                        For Text properties, see Formatting text.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Fingering style

                                                                                                                                                                                        Each of the different classes of fingering have their own text style. These can be viewed and edited from the menu: Format→Style→Text styles.

                                                                                                                                                                                        See also

                                                                                                                                                                                        • Drum sticking

                                                                                                                                                                                        Chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbols are an abbreviated way of representing musical chords. As well as the standard kind, MuseScore also supports the Nashville Number System (NNS), and Roman Numeral Analysis (RNA).

                                                                                                                                                                                          Adding chord symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                          Entering a chord symbol

                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Select a start note, note slash, or rest;
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Press Ctrl+K (Mac: Cmd+K). The cursor is now positioned above the staff ready for input.
                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Enter the chord symbol using the following characters:
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Root note: a, b, c, d, e, f, g. (the lower case will automatically change to upper-case when you exit the chord symbol)
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Sharp: # (hash).
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Flat: b (small letter "b").
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Double sharp: x (small letter "x") or ## (two hash symbols).
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Double flat: bb (small letter "b" twice).
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Natural: Ctrl+Shift+H.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Space: Ctrl+Space (Mac: Alt+Space);
                                                                                                                                                                                            • For other symbols, see Chord symbol syntax (below).
                                                                                                                                                                                          4. To move the cursor forward to the next chord/rest/beat, press Space. For other ways of moving the cursor, see navigation commands (below);
                                                                                                                                                                                          5. Exit chord symbol mode by pressing Esc.

                                                                                                                                                                                          When you exit a chord symbol, any characters entered will be automatically converted to the correct format. i.e.

                                                                                                                                                                                          • A root note typed in lower case will turn into upper case (for alternative options, see Automatic Capitalization).
                                                                                                                                                                                          • A "#", "b" or "natural" will turn into a proper sharp (♯), flat (♭) or natural (♮) and so on. Do not try to use actual flat, sharp and natural signs, as MuseScore will not understand these properly.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Navigation commands

                                                                                                                                                                                          The following is a summary of keyboard shortcuts used to move the cursor in chord symbol entry mode:

                                                                                                                                                                                          Action Command (Windows) Command (macOS)
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor to next note, rest, or beat Space Space
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor to next beat ; (semicolon) ;
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor to previous note, rest, or beat Shift+Space
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor to previous beat : (colon) :
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor to next measure Ctrl+→ Cmd+→
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor to previous measure Ctrl+← Cmd+←
                                                                                                                                                                                          Move cursor by duration number Ctrl+1-9 Cmd+1-9
                                                                                                                                                                                          Exit chord symbol entry Esc Esc

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbol syntax

                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore understands most of the abbreviations used in chord symbols:

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Major: M, Ma, Maj, ma, maj, Δ (type t or ˆ for the triangle)
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Minor: m, mi, min, -
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Diminished: dim, ° (entered with lowercase letter o, shows as ° if using the Jazz style, as o, the Greek omicron, otherwise)
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Half-diminished: ø (entered with 0, number zero, shows as ø if using the Jazz style, as 0 (zero) otherwise). Alternatively, you can, of course, choose abbreviations such as mi7b5 etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Augmented: aug, +
                                                                                                                                                                                          • The following abbreviations are also valid: extensions and alterations like b9 or #5, sus, alt, and no3; inversions and slash chords, such as C7/E; commas; parentheses, which can enclose part, or even all, of a chord symbol.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Editing a chord symbol

                                                                                                                                                                                          An existing chord symbol can be edited in a similar way to ordinary text: See Text editing for details.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Entering Roman numeral analysis

                                                                                                                                                                                          The Roman Numeral Analysis (RNA) system is a type of musical analysis where chords are represented by upper- and lower-case Roman numerals (I, ii, III, iv etc.), superscripts, subscripts and other modifying symbols. It is used to notate and analyze the harmony of a composition independent of its key (see External links for further details).

                                                                                                                                                                                          Note: MuseScore uses a specialist font, Campania, to provide the correct formatting for RNA. This is free and open source.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Enter RNA

                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Select a start note;
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. From the menu, select Add→Text→Roman Numeral Analysis. Alternatively, set up a keyboard shortcut to do the same thing in Preferences;
                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Input the RNA symbols for the chord just like normal text, as follows;
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Major chord: Upper case roman numerals
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Minor chord: Lower case roman numerals
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Diminished chord: o (lower case)
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Half-diminished chord: 0 (zero)
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Augmented chord: +
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Chord inversions: Enter up to 3 single-digit numbers, top note first
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Accidentals: enter # for a sharp, b for a flat or h for natural. These turn into a proper (and superscripted) ♯ , ♭ or ♮ right away.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • To prevent any character from being interpreted or superscripted, prefix the character with a backslash, "\". This could be used, for example, to add a literal letter "b", "h", a hash symbol "#", or a non-superscripted number etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • For other symbols, see the images below.
                                                                                                                                                                                          4. Move the cursor forward or backwards to continue entering or editing symbols for other chords;
                                                                                                                                                                                          5. When RNA is completed, exit by pressing Esc, or by clicking on a blank section of the score.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Just as with standard chord symbols, you can type Roman numeral analysis normally and MuseScore will do its best to recognize and format the symbols appropriately. The same shortcuts used for navigation when entering standard chord symbols are available for Roman numeral analysis as well (see above ).

                                                                                                                                                                                          Examples of RNA

                                                                                                                                                                                          Type this:

                                                                                                                                                                                          rna_1.png

                                                                                                                                                                                          To get:

                                                                                                                                                                                          rna_2.png

                                                                                                                                                                                          Entering a Nashville number

                                                                                                                                                                                          The Nashville Number System (NNS), is a shorthand way of representing chords based on scale degrees rather than chord letters. This allows an accompaniment to be played in any key from the same chord chart.

                                                                                                                                                                                          To start entering Nashville notation:

                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Select a start note;
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. From the menu, select Add→Text→Nashville Number.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Just as with standard chord symbols, you can type Nashville notation normally and MuseScore will do its best to recognize and format the symbols appropriately. The same shortcuts used for navigation when entering standard chord symbols (e.g. Space, see above) are available for Nashville notation as well.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Nashville Number example

                                                                                                                                                                                          Aligning chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          Using the Style menu

                                                                                                                                                                                          The default vertical alignment of all Chord Symbols can be set from the style menu, Format→ Style→Text styles→Chord Symbol.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Or you can do the same thing from the Appearance section of the Properties panel (refer to Saving and restoring default settings).

                                                                                                                                                                                          If this results in an irregular line of chord symbols, try varying Max shift above/below (Format→ Style→Chord symbols) to bring the symbols into line.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Using the Properties panel

                                                                                                                                                                                          You can align a selection of chord symbols by pressing Appearance, and changing the "Offset" values; and/or by changing the "Alignment" or "Position" properties in the Text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Transposition of chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          Transposing instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbols copied to a transposing instrument staff are automatically transposed in equal measure. For example, an A7 chord copied from a Flute part (non-transposing) to a B♭ Clarinet part (sounds a tone lower than written) will be transposed to a B7 chord.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Note that chords associated with guitar fretboard diagrams are not transposed automatically.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Transpose dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbols are automatically transposed by default when using the Transpose dialog. If this is not required, you can untick the "Transpose chord symbols" option in the same dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Capo fret position

                                                                                                                                                                                          The Capo fret position property automatically transposes chord symbols in the score (without affecting playback) and puts them in brackets after the existing chord symbols. The aim is to provide an alternative accompaniment on a capoed instrument.

                                                                                                                                                                                          To apply, select Format→Style→Chord symbols, and enter a number in the Capo fret position spin box.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Changing Spelling of Chord Symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          By default, MuseScore uses letter names for chord symbols. For users in regions where other note naming schemes are used, all chord symbols in the score can be changed.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord Spelling Systems

                                                                                                                                                                                          From the main menu, choose Format→Style→ Text Styles→Chord Symbol. Then choose one of the following radio buttons:

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Standard: A, B♭, B, C, C♯,…
                                                                                                                                                                                          • German: A, B♭, H, C, C♯,…
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Full German: A, B, H, C, Cis,…
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Solfeggio: Do, Do♯, Re♭, Re,…
                                                                                                                                                                                          • French: Do, Do♯, Ré♭, Ré,...

                                                                                                                                                                                          Automatic Capitalization

                                                                                                                                                                                          By default, MuseScore automatically capitalizes all note names on exit, regardless of whether you entered them in upper or lower case. From the main menu, choose Format→Style→ Text Styles→Chord Symbol. Then choose one of the following radio buttons:

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Lower case minor chords: c, cm, cm7,...
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Lower case bass notes: C/e,...
                                                                                                                                                                                          • All caps note names: DO, RE, MI,...

                                                                                                                                                                                          You can also turn off the automatic capitalization completely, in which case note names are simply rendered the way you type them.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Changing appearance of chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          [To do]

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Font settings
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Style settings for appearance, scaling/offset

                                                                                                                                                                                          Changing Playback of Chord Symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          Enabling and disabling playback

                                                                                                                                                                                          You can disable/enable playback of all chord symbols in the score by clicking on the cog icon to the right of the playback controls and deselecting/selecting Play chord symbols.

                                                                                                                                                                                          You can also disable/enable playback of a selection of chord symbols, by unchecking/checking Play in the General section of the Properties panel .

                                                                                                                                                                                          Customizing playback

                                                                                                                                                                                          Default playback settings for all chord symbols in a score are available in the Playback section of Format→Style→Chord Symbol.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbol playback settings (Style menu)

                                                                                                                                                                                          You can also customize the playback of selected chord symbols in the Chord symbol section of the properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Interpretation: Literal or Jazz.
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Voicing: Automatic, Root Only, Close, Drop two, Six note, Four note, three note
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Duration: Until next chord symbol, Until end of measure, Chord/rest duration

                                                                                                                                                                                          Generating chord voicings onto a staff

                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore allows you to generate chords on the staff from selected chord symbols. The voicing of these chords depends on the playback settings (above) for these chords.

                                                                                                                                                                                          To realize a selection of chord symbols:

                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Make a selection of chord symbols;
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Right click on any chord in the selection;
                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Click Realize chord symbols;
                                                                                                                                                                                          4. Optional. Check "Override with custom options" and set the options as required;
                                                                                                                                                                                          5. Click OK.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbol properties

                                                                                                                                                                                          Properties specific to chord symbols (i.e. playback) are covered in Changing Playback of Chord Symbols (above)

                                                                                                                                                                                          Other non-specific properties are detailed in Properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Chord symbol style

                                                                                                                                                                                          Default properties for all chord symbols in a score can be edited from Format→Style…→Chord Symbols.

                                                                                                                                                                                          The Chord symbols style menu contains the following headings:

                                                                                                                                                                                          Appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Style: Three options are available— Standard, Jazz or Custom.

                                                                                                                                                                                          In the Standard style, chords are rendered simply, with the font determined by your chord symbol text style.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Standard chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          In the Jazz style, the MuseJazz font is used for a handwritten look, with distinctive superscript and other formatting characteristics. The Jazz style is selected by default if you use any of the Jazz templates.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Jazz chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                          The Custom style option allows you to use your own customized chord symbols style file (advanced users only).

                                                                                                                                                                                          • Extension/Modifier scaling: This affects the size of the chord extension or of the modifier.
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Extension/Modified vertical offset: This affects the vertical position of the chord symbol extension or of the modifier.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Spelling

                                                                                                                                                                                          See Changing Spelling of Chord Symbols (above).

                                                                                                                                                                                          Positioning

                                                                                                                                                                                          Distance to fretboard diagram: Affects the distance between fretboard diagrams and any chord symbols above.
                                                                                                                                                                                          Minimum chord spacing: The minimum distance allowed between chords.
                                                                                                                                                                                          Maximum barline distance:
                                                                                                                                                                                          Maximum shift above/below: This is used to line up chord symbols whose vertical alignment is irregular. Experiment until you get the apperance you want.

                                                                                                                                                                                          Playback

                                                                                                                                                                                          See Customizing playback (above).

                                                                                                                                                                                          Figured bass

                                                                                                                                                                                            Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                            Figured bass is a shorthand notation for representing chords on a continuo instrument (such as a keyboard), using a series of numbers and other symbols written underneath the notes of the bass line.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Adding figured bass to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                            Entering a figure

                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Select the note to which the figured bass applies;
                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Press the Figured Bass shortcut. The default is Ctrl+G (Mac: Cmd+G); this can be changed in Preferences: Shortcuts if desired;
                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Enter the text in the "edit box" which appears.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Text format

                                                                                                                                                                                            For the relevant substitutions and shape combinations to take effect and for proper alignment, the figured bass mechanism expects input texts to follow some rules (which are in any case, the rules for a syntactical figured bass indication):

                                                                                                                                                                                            • There can be only one accidental (before or after), or only one combining suffix per figure;
                                                                                                                                                                                            • There cannot be both an accidental and a combining suffix;
                                                                                                                                                                                            • There can be an accidental without a digit (altered third), but not a combining suffix without a digit.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Any other character not listed above is not expected.

                                                                                                                                                                                            If a text entered does not follow these rules, it will not be processed: it will be stored and displayed as it is, without any layout.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Digits

                                                                                                                                                                                            Digits are entered directly. Groups of several digits stacked one above the other are also entered directly in a single text, stacking them with Enter:

                                                                                                                                                                                            Example 2

                                                                                                                                                                                            Accidentals

                                                                                                                                                                                            Accidentals can be entered using regular keys:

                                                                                                                                                                                            To enter: type:
                                                                                                                                                                                            double flat bb
                                                                                                                                                                                            flat b
                                                                                                                                                                                            natural h
                                                                                                                                                                                            sharp #
                                                                                                                                                                                            double sharp ##

                                                                                                                                                                                            These characters will automatically turn into the proper signs when you leave the editor. Accidentals can be entered before, or after a digit (and of course, in place of a digit, for altered thirds), according to the required style; both styles are properly aligned, with the accidental 'hanging' at the left, or the right.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Combined shapes

                                                                                                                                                                                            Slashed digits or digits with a cross can be entered by adding \, / or + after the digit (combining suffixes); the proper combined shape will be substituted when leaving the editor:

                                                                                                                                                                                            Example 3

                                                                                                                                                                                            The built-in font can manage combination equivalence, favoring the more common substitution:

                                                                                                                                                                                            1+, 2+, 3+, 4+ result in Modern digits 1 (or Historic digits 1)

                                                                                                                                                                                            and 5\, 6\, 7\, 8\, 9\ result in Modern digits 2 (or Historic digits 2)

                                                                                                                                                                                            Please remember that / can only by combined with 5; any other 'slashed' figure is rendered with a question mark.

                                                                                                                                                                                            + can also be used before a digit; in this case it is not combined, but it is properly aligned ('+' hanging at the left side).

                                                                                                                                                                                            Parentheses

                                                                                                                                                                                            Open and closed parentheses, both round: '(', ')' and square: '[', ']', can be inserted before and after accidentals, before and after a digit, before and after a continuation line; added parentheses will not disturb the proper alignment of the main character.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Notes: (1) The editor does not check that parentheses, open and closed, round or square, are properly balanced. (2) Several parentheses in a row are non-syntactical and prevent proper recognition of the entered text. (3) A parenthesis between a digit and a combining suffix ('+', '\', '/') is accepted, but prevents shape combination.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Editing existing figured basses

                                                                                                                                                                                            To edit a figured bass indication already entered use one of the following options:

                                                                                                                                                                                            • Select it, or the note it belongs to and press the same Figured Bass shortcut used to create a new one.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Double-click it.

                                                                                                                                                                                            The usual text editor box will open with the text converted back to plain characters ('b', '#' and 'h' for accidentals, separate combining suffixes, underscores, etc.) for simpler editing.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Once done, press Space to move to a next note, or click outside the editor box to exit it, as for newly created figured basses.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Navigating by note, beat, or measure

                                                                                                                                                                                            The duration of a Figured Bass indication often lasts until the next bass note or the end of a bar. Such Figured Bass can be entered consecutively using the keyboard. (To move to a point in between, or to extend a figured bass group for a longer duration, see Duration).

                                                                                                                                                                                            • Press Space to move to the next note ready for another figured bass indication (or click outside the editor box to exit it). The editor advances to the next note, or to the rest of the staff to which figured bass is being added.
                                                                                                                                                                                              Example 1

                                                                                                                                                                                              • Shift+Space moves the editing box to the previous staff note or rest.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • Tab advances the editing box to the beginning of the next measure.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • Shift+Tab moves the editing box to the beginning of the previous measure.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Duration

                                                                                                                                                                                            Each figured bass group has a duration, which is indicated by a light gray line above it (of course, this line is for information only and it is not printed or exported to PDF).

                                                                                                                                                                                            Initially, a group has the same duration of the note to which it is attached. A different duration may be required to fit several groups under a single note or to extend a group to span several notes.

                                                                                                                                                                                            To achieve this, each key combination in the table below can be used to (1) advance the editing box by the indicated duration, and (2) set the duration of the previous group up to the new editing box position.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Pressing several of them in sequence without entering any figured bass text repeatedly extends the previous group.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Type: to get:
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+1 1/64
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+2 1/32
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+3 1/16
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+4 1/8 (quaver)
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+5 1/4 (crochet)
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+6 half note (minim)
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+7 whole note (semibreve)
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+8 2 whole notes (breve)

                                                                                                                                                                                            (The digits are the same as are used to set the note durations)

                                                                                                                                                                                            Setting the exact figured bass group duration is only mandatory in two cases:

                                                                                                                                                                                            1. When several groups are fit under a single staff note (there is no other way).
                                                                                                                                                                                            2. When continuation lines are used, as line length depends on the group duration.

                                                                                                                                                                                            However, it is a good practice to always set the duration to the intended value for the purposes of plugins and MusicXML.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Entering continuation lines

                                                                                                                                                                                            Continuation lines are input by adding an '_' (underscore) at the end of the line. Each digit of a group can have its own continuation line:

                                                                                                                                                                                            Example 4

                                                                                                                                                                                            Continuation lines are drawn for the whole duration of the figured bass group.

                                                                                                                                                                                            'Extended' continuation lines

                                                                                                                                                                                            Occasionally, a continuation line has to connect with the continuation line of a following group, when a chord degree has to be kept across two groups. Examples (both from J. Boismortier, Pièces de viole, op. 31, Paris 1730):

                                                                                                                                                                                            Example 4b

                                                                                                                                                                                            In the# first case, each group has its own continuation line; in the second, the continuation line of the first group is carried 'into' the second.

                                                                                                                                                                                            This can be obtained by entering several (two or more) underscores "__" at the end of the text line of the first group.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Figured bass properties

                                                                                                                                                                                            The text formatting of figured bass symbols is handled automatically by the program, based on style settings (see below). Only General and Appearance properties can be adjusted from the Properties panel..

                                                                                                                                                                                            Figured bass style

                                                                                                                                                                                            Properties of all figured bass symbols in the score can be set from Format→Style…→Figured Bass.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Style settings

                                                                                                                                                                                            • Font: This is the preset "MuseScore Figured Bass," which is specially designed to realize figured bass notation.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Size: Select a font-size in points.
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Vertical Position: The distance (in spaces) from the top of the staff to the top margin of the figured bass text. Negative values go up (figured bass above the staff) and positive values go down (figured bass below the staff: a value greater than 4 is needed to step over the staff itself).
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Line Height: The distance between the base line of each figured bass line, as a percentage of font size.

                                                                                                                                                                                              The following picture visualizes each numeric parameter:

                                                                                                                                                                                              Parameters

                                                                                                                                                                                            • Alignment: Select the vertical alignment: with Top, the top line of each group is aligned with the main vertical position and the group 'hangs' from it (this is normally used with figured bass notation and is the default); with Bottom, the bottom line is aligned with the main vertical position and the group 'sits' on it (this is sometimes used in some kinds of harmonic analysis notations):

                                                                                                                                                                                              Vertical alignment

                                                                                                                                                                                            • Style: Choose between "Modern" or "Historic." The difference between the two styles is shown below:

                                                                                                                                                                                              Styles

                                                                                                                                                                                            Figured bass keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                            Type: to get:
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+G Adds a new figured bass group to the selected note.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Space Advances the editing box to the next note.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Shift+Space Moves the editing box to the previous note.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Tab Advances the editing box to the next measure.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Shift+Tab Moves the editing box to the previous measure.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+1 Advances the editing box by 1/64, setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+2 Advances the editing box by 1/32, setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+3 Advances the editing box by 1/16, setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+4 Advances the editing box by 1/8 (quaver), setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+5 Advances the editing box by 1/4 (crochet), setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+6 Advances the editing box by a half note (minim), setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+7 Advances the editing box by a whole note (semibreve), setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+8 Advances the editing box by two whole notes (breve), setting the duration of the previous group.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Ctrl+Space Enters an actual space; useful when figure appears "on the second line" (e.g., 5 4 -> 3).
                                                                                                                                                                                            BB Enters a double flat.
                                                                                                                                                                                            B Enters a flat.
                                                                                                                                                                                            H Enters a natural.
                                                                                                                                                                                            # Enters a sharp.
                                                                                                                                                                                            ## Enters a double sharp.
                                                                                                                                                                                            _ Enters a continuation line.
                                                                                                                                                                                            __ Enters an extended continuation line.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Note: For Mac commands, Ctrl is replaced with Cmd.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                              Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal marks (sometimes called Rehearsal Letters) can be used in a number of ways. e.g.

                                                                                                                                                                                              • To identify specific points in a score to facilitate rehearsing.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • As bookmarks in the score to which you can instantly navigate—using the Find/Search command.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • To mark the various sections in the score.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal marks are a type of system text. In a full score they show only above the top staff of a system, but appear in all instrument parts.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal marks can be added to the score in two ways: (1) manually, allowing you to name them as you wish, or (2) automatically, which ensures that they are named in sequence

                                                                                                                                                                                              Adding a rehearsal mark to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                              Manual placement and naming

                                                                                                                                                                                              To create a rehearsal mark manually and give it a name of your own choosing:

                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Click on a note (or rest) at the desired location;
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Select one of the following options:
                                                                                                                                                                                                • Press Ctrl+M (Mac: Cmd+M);
                                                                                                                                                                                                • From the menu, choose Add→Text →Rehearsal Mark;
                                                                                                                                                                                              3. Enter the desired text.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Automatic placement and naming

                                                                                                                                                                                              MuseScore can name the Rehearsal Marks automatically. Do either:

                                                                                                                                                                                              • Click on a note (or rest) at the desired location, then click the [B1] rehearsal mark icon in the "Text" palette
                                                                                                                                                                                              • Drag and drop the rehearsal mark from the "Text" palette onto the score.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Notes: (1) By default, marks are added in the sequence, A, B, C etc. (2) To change the format of subsequently-added marks (to lower case letters, or numbers), edit the previous rehearsal mark accordingly. (3) Marks added between existing rehearsal marks append a number or letter to the previous mark: it is a good idea to apply the Resequence command afterwards (see below).

                                                                                                                                                                                              Using measure numbers in rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                              If you want the rehearsal marks to be displayed as measure numbers:

                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Add the first rehearsal mark, then edit it to read the same as the number of the measure it is attached to;
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Add subsequent marks as shown in Automatic placement and naming (above). They will automatically adopt the measure-number format.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Resequencing rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                              MuseScore allows the user to automatically re-order a series of rehearsal marks if they have got out of sequence for any reason. Use the following method:

                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Before making a selection, you can, if desired, establish a new format for the rehearsal marks (lower/upper case, number, or measure number) by manually altering the first mark in the range accordingly.
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Select the range of measures you wish to apply the Resequence command to (if there is no selection then the program assumes you wish to resequence all measures).
                                                                                                                                                                                              3. From the menu, select Tools→Resequence Rehearsal Marks.

                                                                                                                                                                                              MuseScore automatically detects the sequence based on the first rehearsal mark in the selection—all rehearsal marks in the selection are then altered accordingly. The following sequences are possible:

                                                                                                                                                                                              • A, B, C etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • a, b, c etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • Numerical: 1, 2, 3 etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                              • Numerical: according to measure numbers.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Finding rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                              See Find / Go to (Navigating your score).

                                                                                                                                                                                              Repeating rehearsal marks on other staves

                                                                                                                                                                                              In most full scores any Rehearsal marks are shown only above the topmost staff of a system, but appear in all the generated instrument parts. If duplicate marks are required on lower staves they should be added as staff text.

                                                                                                                                                                                              However, some templates (e.g. Symphony Orchestra or Classical Orchestra), have an additional feature; when you create a rehearsal mark above the top staff, an identical one is automatically added just above the string section. If either instance of the mark is edited the content of both is updated.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Changing appearance of rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                              By default, rehearsal marks appear in a large bold font, enclosed in frames, and aligned to the center of the start barline of the measure. You can edit the default text properties from Format→Style→Text style.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal mark properties

                                                                                                                                                                                              The properties of selected rehearsal marks can be changed in the Properties Panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal mark style

                                                                                                                                                                                              Default positional properties for all rehearsal marks in the score can be edited from Format→Style… →Rehearsal Marks.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rehearsal marks style settings

                                                                                                                                                                                              External links

                                                                                                                                                                                              • Rehearsal letter (Wikipedia article)

                                                                                                                                                                                              Header and footer

                                                                                                                                                                                                Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                The header and footer areas are at the top and bottom of a page respectively. They often display useful information about the score such as the title, file name, page number, copyright details etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding a header or footer to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                1. From the main menu, select Format→Style→Header, Footer

                                                                                                                                                                                                  header_footer_style.png :

                                                                                                                                                                                                  The top half of the Header, Footer dialog is where you define the Header text; the bottom half is for the Footer text. Both header and footer areas are further subdivided into Odd, and Even sections—for odd and even pages respectively. And finally, both header and footer areas are divided horizontally into three sections: Left, Center, and Right, representing the corresponding areas of the header or footer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                2. To turn off/on the display of headers/footers, uncheck/check the "Header text" and/or "Footer text" boxes as required.

                                                                                                                                                                                                3. Hover the cursor over the control area in which you wish to specify text. A popup box appears displaying a list of text options, and which codes to enter to realize them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                4. Enter the code for the desired text in the control area. A new line should be used for each code snippet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                To create a header or footer for an instrument part, that part should be the active tab.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Note: When you create a new score, any copyright details entered on the Additional score information page of the New score dialog will appear in the footer area of the the first page. Page numbers are also displayed on subsequent pages of newly-created scores. These are default settings only, and can be changed later from the Header, Footer style dialog (above).

                                                                                                                                                                                                Using metadata

                                                                                                                                                                                                Metadata is information about your score file—such as the title, copyright info, file name, number of pages and so on. Each of these snippets is called a metadata tag.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Headers and footers can display metadata tags such as page number, file name etc., as well as tags whose content is shown in Project properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                                If you hover the cursor over any control area in the Header, Footer dialog (see image above) you will see a list of the metadata tags available for entry, and the (two-letter) codes to enter them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                You will notice that code entry for tags is case-sensitive. For example,

                                                                                                                                                                                                • $p enters a page number, but skips page 1.
                                                                                                                                                                                                • $P enters a page number on all pages.
                                                                                                                                                                                                • $C enters the copyright info on the first page only.
                                                                                                                                                                                                • $c enters the copyright info on all pages.
                                                                                                                                                                                                • $i enters the Part name, except on first page.
                                                                                                                                                                                                • $I enters the Part name, on all pages.

                                                                                                                                                                                                If you want to display content from the Project properties window not covered by a two-letter code, you need to enter it in the relevant control area using the format:

                                                                                                                                                                                                header_footer_code.png

                                                                                                                                                                                                Enter the tag name in lower-case letters, unless the name of the meta tag in Project properties consists of two words, in which case the second word should start with an upper-case letter, and there should be no spaces between words.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Changing how headers and footers are displayed

                                                                                                                                                                                                In the header, footer dialog there are two check boxes for both header and footer:

                                                                                                                                                                                                • Show on first page: When checked, header/footer text is enabled for page 1.
                                                                                                                                                                                                • Different odd/even pages: When checked, the header/footer text of odd pages may be different in content from that of even ones. If unchecked, the content of both is identical in form.

                                                                                                                                                                                                To fine tune the placement of all header and footer text:

                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Click on an instance of a header/footer in the score
                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Click on the Appearance button in the Properties panel
                                                                                                                                                                                                3. Edit the horizontal and vertical Offsets.
                                                                                                                                                                                                4. Click on the ellipsis symbol (three dots) for Offset and select “Save as default style for this score”.

                                                                                                                                                                                                In the same way you can adjust other text properties (font, font-size etc.) from the Text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                The same adjustment can be made directly in the "Header" and "Footer" entries at Format→Style→Text styles.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Header and footer properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                Unlike other types of text, you cannot change the text properties of a single header or footer element wthout affecting all the elements in the score of the same style. This makes sense as you usually want all footer/header elements to have the same text properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Header and footer style

                                                                                                                                                                                                Style properties of headers and footers are covered in Adding a header or footer to your score (above).

                                                                                                                                                                                                Text style properties are covered in Changing how headers and footers are displayed (above).

                                                                                                                                                                                                Text blocks

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                  A text block is a text object entered within a frame.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Text blocks in frames have numerous uses:

                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Display the title, subtitle composer, arranger, lyricist etc at the beginning of a score.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Display details of individual pieces within a suite.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Display lyrics at the end of a song/hymn.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  and so on.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding text blocks to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                  To add a text block to a frame:

                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Add the appropriate frame to the desired location in the score if needed
                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Right-click on the frame and select Add; alternatively, from the menu bar select Add→Text
                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Choose from the text types offered: Text, Title, Subtitle, Composer, Lyricist, Part name
                                                                                                                                                                                                  4. In the bounding box that appears, enter the desired text.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Note: When you enter details of a new score (such as Title, Composer etc) on the Additional score information page of the New score dialog, these appear automatically as text blocks in a frame at the top of the first page.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Changing the appearance of text blocks

                                                                                                                                                                                                  The general and text properties of a selected text block can be changed in the Properties panel. In particular, you may want to

                                                                                                                                                                                                  • change default horizontal/vertical alignment in the Text section.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  • adjust position by dragging, using the keyboard arrows, or adjusting the horizontal/vertical offsets in the Appearance section.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  • check “Match staff size” in the Text section, to ensure that the text block scales up and down with the Scaling set in Page Settings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Remember to make the new setting the style default (where appropriate) by clicking on the relevant ellipsis (three dots) icon and selecting “”Save as default style for this score”.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Text block text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                  The text properties of a selected text block can be changed in the Text section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Alternatively you may wish to choose a different text style altogether from the dropdown list under “Text style” (in Properties: Text)

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Text block text style

                                                                                                                                                                                                  The default properties of any text block can be edited from Format→Styles→Text Styles. Alternatively you can make changes to individual style properties from the Properties panel; see Saving and restoring default settings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Page layout concepts

                                                                                                                                                                                                      MuseScore generally does an excellent job of arranging music and text on the page, but there are situations where you may need to adjust things—to make music larger or smaller, to add space between staves, to change the number of measures on a page, to move text closer to or further away from the staff, etc. In order to make these types of changes, it helps to understand how MuseScore works with respect to page layout.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Definitions

                                                                                                                                                                                                      There are a number of terms used throughout this chapter that you will need to be familiar with.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                      A staff is the set of lines and spaces on which notes are written. When the term is used in MuseScore, it refers to that set of lines and spaces for a given instrument throughout an entire score. In the following score for voice and piano, everything marked in yellow constitutes a single staff—the staff for the voice:

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Grand staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                      In music for piano and certain other instruments, two staves are used—one primarily for the right hand, the other for the left. This set of two staves is normally connected by curly braces and is referred to as a grand staff. In the following excerpt, the portion marked in yellow is a grand staff:

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Grand staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                      System

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Like text, music is read left to right, top to bottom. Each line of music read across the page is called a system, and it contains the staves and grand staves for all instruments. In the following example, the yellow highlighted region represents a single system:

                                                                                                                                                                                                      System

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Even if a score has only a single staff for a single instrument, we still refer to a line of music read across the page as a system. In the following lead sheet, there is only a single staff but three systems:

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Single staff, multiple systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Frame

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Most text in notated music is associated with specific notes or measures. However, you may also need to place text that is not associated with a specific note or measure—the title at the beginning of a score, lyric verses placed at the end of a score, explanatory information placed between systems or even between measures. MuseScore uses elements called frames for this. There are vertical, text, and horizontal frames—each optimized for a particular type of use. Horizontal frames can also be used to create separation between measures on a system, with or without associated text.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Margin

                                                                                                                                                                                                      A margin is an area in which MuseScore will not normally place music or other elements. The page margin is the area around all four edges of the page where no elements are placed. The music margin is the area between the top and bottom margin and the first and last staff. The staves themselves will not be placed in those margins, but notes and other markings above or below the staves may be.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Margins

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Positioning of elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                        MuseScore places elements in your score automatically according to a set of rules and style settings. These are designed to produce excellent results by default in most cases&dash;elements positioned according to standard engraving practices while avoiding collisions between elements. MuseScore also provides the ability to customize these defaults and also to override the defaults for any given element.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Default position

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Most elements in MuseScore have a default position that is determined by a style setting that can be customized via the Properties panel or the Format→Style dialog. For elements that are placed above the staff, the position is specified as an offset from the top line of the staff; for elements that are placed below the staff, the position is specified as an offset from the bottom line of the staff. These offsets, like most measurements in MuseScore, are expressed in staff spaces—abbreviated sp. For many element types, you can specify an offset to be used when placed above as well as a separate offset to be used when placed below, and also which of these placements should be applied by default.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        For example, for dynamics, the default placement is below the staff, and the default offset below the bottom staff line is 2.5 sp. If you flip a dynamic marking above the staff, it defaults to 1.5 sp above the top staff line staff (expressed as a negative offset: -1.5 sp). These settings are all found in Format→Style→Dynamics.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Dynamics style settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Note that the default offset is larger for dynamics placed below the staff than above only because the offset is measured from the baseline of the text.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Offset of dynamics

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Auto-place

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Auto-place is the term MuseScore uses for a set of algorithms used to avoid collisions as well as to align certain elements automatically. A basic understanding of how auto-place works can be useful when making adjustments.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Vertical collision avoidance

                                                                                                                                                                                                        For most elements placed above or below the staff, collision avoidance works vertically. When an element is being positioned, MuseScore first tries to place it according to the default offset for that element tyoe. If that would result in a collision with another element, then one of the two elements will be moved further from the staff to avoid the overlap. MuseScore follows standard engraving rules in determining which elements to move. For example, tempo markings will be moved further above the staff to trill lines, rather than vice versa.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Vertical collision avoidance

                                                                                                                                                                                                        The Minimum distance style setting found determines how much distance MuseScore places between elements when avoiding collisions in this manner. The corresponding setting in the Properties panel allows you to override this for individual elements where necessary. But MuseScore adjusts this value automatically when positioning elements manually, as seen below in the section on manual adjustment.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Horizontal collision avoidance

                                                                                                                                                                                                        For certain elements such as lyrics or chord symbols, MuseScore will widen measures to avoid collisions rather than displace these elements vertically.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Horizontal collision avoidance

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Vertical alignment

                                                                                                                                                                                                        MuseScore will also try to align certain elements vertically, so that if one element of that type needs to be adjusted vertically to avoid a collision, other elements of that same type on the same system will automatically be adjusted as well. Elements that are always aligned vertically include lyrics and pedal markings. Dynamics and hairpins will be aligned if they are directly adjacent, as will pedal markings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Alignment of dynamics and hairpins

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Chord symbols can also be aligned vertically if you enable this in the chord symbol style settings, by setting a Maximum shift value. See Chord symbols for more information.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Disabling auto-place

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Auto-place normally does a good job of avoiding collisions and of aligning elements. And in cases where you wish to position an element manually, you can normally do so directly, without the need to disable auto-place (see manual adjustment below). However, there can be some situations in which you may still wish to disable auto-place. For example, rehearsal markings default to displaying above voltas, but you may wish to reverse this for some specific case where the volta was already displaced higher and there is then room for the rehearsal mark underneath.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Auto-place disabled

                                                                                                                                                                                                        In this case, disabling auto-place for the rehearsal mark allows it to display underneath the volta, while still allowing the volta to automatically avoid collisions with the notes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        To disable auto-place for an element, select it and then disable the Auto-place setting in the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Auto-place setting in Properties panel

                                                                                                                                                                                                        The element will be returned to its default position (as determined by its style settings) and it will not be included in the detection of collisions with other elements. Disabling auto-place for an element also causes it to be excluded from any vertical alignment that would otherwise have applied.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Manual adjustment

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Whether auto-place has displayed an element from its default or not, the position of elements can be adjusted manually, such as by dragging, using the cursor keys, or the Offset fields in the Properties panel. See Adjusting elements directly for more information.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        MuseScore even allows you to perform manual adjustments that would result in collisions. In the example above, if you drag the rehearsal letter below the volta, MuseScore will allow this and will automatically set the Minimum distance for that element to a negative value, thus effectively allowing the collision without disabling auto-place.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Manual alignment

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Elements of the same type will normally be aligned by default simply because they have the same style settings and therefore the same offset. However, auto-place can result in some of the elements being moved further from the staff than others. As described above under Vertical alignment, MuseScore will automatically align some types of elements. For other elements types, you can align them manually by assigning them the same vertical offset.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        To do this, simply select the elements you wish to align (e.g., click the first, Shift+click the last), then gradually increase or decrease the vertical offset in the Properties panel. For example, to align a series of tempo markings above the staff, you will need to set their vertical offsets to the same value. To make sure they are aligned and also avoid the collisions that cause auto-place to display one or more of them to begin with, you will need to set the offset to a sufficiently large negative value.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Align elements manually

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Score size and spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore provides a number of score-wide settings to control the overall size and spacing of your music, and below we will cover these settings. There are also a variety of ways to override these defaults to change the horizontal or vertical spacing of individual systems pages, and these are covered in Systems and horizontal spacing and Pages and vertical spacing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Page settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The settings that control the overall size of your music are found in Format→Page Settings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Page settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Note that units in this dialog default to millimeters, but you can change to inches using the control provided.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Page and margin sizes

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Page Size: select from predefined pages sizes
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Width: set a custom width
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Height: set a custom height
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Portrait / Landscape: set the page orientation
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Two sided: determines whether margins as well as Header and footer can be set independently for odd and even pages

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The default page size is Letter in North and Central America, and A4 in most of the rest of the world.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Odd Page Margins: set the top, bottom, left, and right page margins for odd-numbered pages
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Even Page Margins: set the top, bottom, left, and right page margins for even-numbered pages

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The margins default to 15 mm regardless of the page size. If Two sided is not enabled, then only the Odd Page Margins settings are applicable.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Staff size

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Staff space: set the distance between two adjacent staff lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The staff size is determined by the size of the staff space—a five-line staff is four staff spaces high. Almost all measurements elsewhere in MuseScore are expressed in units of staff spaces (abbreviated sp), so this setting affects the scaling of your entire score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The default sp value of 1.75 mm results in a staff height of 7 mm, which is a good staff height for most solo music, choral music, small ensemble scores, and individual parts. Lead sheets and children's music may benefit from a larger staff size. Large ensemble scores may often require a smaller staff size in order to fit all instruments on the page. MuseScore will adjust the staff space automatically when creating a score for many instruments, so that the staves all fit on the page initially. You may need to adjust this value further as you add music, if auto-place results in additional space being added between staves in order to avoid collisions.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Other settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • First page number: set the page number to use for the first page of the score
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Unit: select between inches and millimeters for values in this dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Actions

                                                                                                                                                                                                          In addition to the standard OK and Cancel buttons, this dialog also contains:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Reset All Page Settings to Default: reset all settings in this dialog to their default values
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Apply to all Parts: apply the current page settings to all individual parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Note that in large ensemble scores where MuseScore has automatically reduced the staff size in order to fit all instruments on a single page, resetting page settings will revert to the standard staff space default of 1.75 mm.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Style settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The horizontal spacing of notes and the vertical spacing of staves and systems are controlled by style settings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Horizontal spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore determines an initial width for each measure based on the music it contains, then calculates how many measures can fit on each system, and then stretches those measures out so that all systems (except possibly the last) are filled to the right margin. The initial width for a measure is determined by the music within it as well as a group of style settings that control the spacing between notes and other symbols. Most of the settings affecting the horizontal spacing for a score are found in Format→Style→Measure. The most important are:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Minimum measure width: set the minimum width for a measure
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Spacing ratio: set the ratio of space allocated for one note value compared to the next shorter value
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Minimum note distance: set the minimum distance between two notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The default spacing ratio value of 1.5 means that each note value takes 1.5 times as much space as the next shorter value. So, a half note takes 1.5 times as much space as a quarter note, etc. The minimum note distance specifies the smallest distance MuseScore will allow between two notes, and this sets the initial distance for the shortest note values. Longer note values will always receive more space as per the spacing ratio, and by the time measures are stretched to fill the page width, it is likely that even the shortest notes will not actually be as close as the minimum. The minimum note distance and spacing ratio settings together determine how tight or loose the spacing is.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Note: a value of 1.0 for Spacing ratio will result in all notes taking equal space. A ratio of 2.0 will result in direct proportional spacing, where a half note takes twice as much space as a quarter. Either of these extreme values can be useful in certain types of scores, but values closer to the default of 1.5 are best for most cases. To achieve tighter spacing, a slightly smaller value such as 1.4 can be used, or 1.6 for looser spacing. Decreasing or increasing the minimum note distance will also result in tighter or looser spacing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          If the spacing calculation results in some measures (those containing relatively few notes) working out to less than the minimum measure width, extra space is added to enforce the minimum.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          There are also many individual settings in this same dialog to control specific details such as the padding from Clef to time signature or Barline to grace note. More such settings are added over time, and these are meant to be self-explanatory.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Additional relevant style settings can be found in :

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Format→Style→Score
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Enable indentation on first system: set to indent the first system of the score
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • First system indentation: set the amount of indentation
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Format→Style→Page
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Last system fill threshold: determines whether to fill the last system of the score to the right margin

                                                                                                                                                                                                          These settings are discussed further under Systems and horizontal spacing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Vertical spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore provides a choice of two different vertical spacing algorithms.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          In both algorithms, MuseScore fills pages with systems in a similar manner to how it fills systems with measures. First, it determines an initial size for each system, then it determines how many systems can fit on each page, and then it spreads those systems out so that all pages are filled well. Depending on your style settings, MuseScore may literally fill each page to the bottom margin, or it may leave additional space on the bottom of some pages if trying to fill the page completely would spread things out too widely.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The difference between the two algorithms has to do with how the spreading to fill the page occurs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          If you select Disable vertical justification of staves, the distance between the staves within a system is fixed, unless that would result in collisions. In this algorithm, if MuseScore needs to spread systems to fill a page, it will always do so by adding space between systems rather than within systems. This yields consistent spacing between staves from one system to the next, but it can result in spacing between systems being much larger than spacing within them, and it will usually result in ragged bottom margins on pages with only a single system (since the staves within the system won't be spread to fill the page).

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The default, however, is to Enable vertical justification of staves. With this method selected, the distance between staves within systems is also subject to spreading. This results in more even spacing overall—the spacing between systems will still be larger than the spacing within them but not to the same extreme—and it mostly avoids ragged bottom margins on pages with only a single system (since the staves within the system can be spread to fill the page).

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Most of the settings controlling the vertical spacing for a score are found in Format→Style→Page. There is, however, one relevant setting in Format→Style→Score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Minimum vertical distance: set the minimum amount of space that MuseScore will allow between symbols below one staff or system and symbols above the next staff or system below

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Music margins

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Regardless of whether vertical justification is enabled or disabled, MuseScore will add space above the top staff and below the bottom staff of each page:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Music top margin: set the minimum amount of space between the page top margin and the top staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Music bottom margin: set the minimum amount of space between the page bottom margin and the bottom staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Distance between staves within systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                          If you select DIsable vertical justification of staves, then there are two settings that control spacing within systems:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Staff distance: set the distance between the staves of adjacent instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Grand staff distance: set the distance between the staves of a grand staff (e.g., for piano)

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Note: even with DIsable vertical justification of staves selected, MuseScore will still add more space between staves as necessary to avoid collisions. To force a completely consistent distance between staves (and accept the resulting collisions), set the Minimum vertical distance to a large negative number.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          If you select Enable vertical justification within staves, then there is not a single setting for staff or grand staff distance. Instead, you select a range of acceptable distances and values that control how much of the available space MuseScore will fill by spreading systems versus spreading staves (and how much extra space to add between bracketed and braced groups of staves). The relevant settings include:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Minimum staff distance: set the minimum distance between adjacent staves
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Maximum staff distance: set the maximum distance between adjacent staves
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Maximum grand staff distance: set the maximum distance between adjacent staves of a grand staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Factor for distance above/below bracket: set the extra amount to spread between bracketed staff groups
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Factor for distance above/below brace: set the extra amount to spread between braced staff groups

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Distance between systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Whether vertical justifications of staves is enabled or disabled, you specify the distance between systems as a range:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Minimum system distance: set the minimum distance between adjacent systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Maximum system distance: set the maximum distance between adjacent systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                          In addition, if you select Enable vertical justification of staves, there are two more settings:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Factor for distance between systems: set the extra amount to spread between systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Maximum page fill distance: the total maximum amount of spread

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Staff/part properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                          There are also a couple of staff-specific settings that affect size and spacing. To access these, right-click (Ctrl+click) a staff and then select Staff/Part properties. The relevant settings are:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Small staff: set staff size to percentage specified in Format→Style→Sizes
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Scaling: set staff size to a custom percentage
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Extra distance above staff: set an extra distance between this staff and the staff above

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Systems and horizontal spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                            The horizontal spacing algorithm in MuseScore determines the width of each measure, which in turn determines how many measures will fit on each system. While this will produce good results in many cases, there are also situations where you may wish to override this and have fewer or more measures on a system, or to have them spaced differently within the system.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Features

                                                                                                                                                                                                            The main tools used to control systems and horizontal spacing are described below.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            System breaks

                                                                                                                                                                                                            A system break causes MuseScore to end a system after a specific measure or horizontal frame, even if more measures would fit. To add a system break, select a measure (or any element within it) or a frame, and then click the System break icon in the Layout palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            System break

                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can also use the keyboard shortcut Enter. Both methods of adding breaks also work while in note input mode.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            After adding a break, the icon will appear above the measure you added it to:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            System break appearing in the score

                                                                                                                                                                                                            As with other formatting elements, system breaks appear in gray and will not print, and their on-screen display can be disabled via the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Layout stretch

                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can increase or decrease the width of measures, and their contents will stretch accordingly. The calculated width of a measure is multiplied by a layout stretch factor that you can set numerically for selected measures, but you can also use commands to increase or decrease the stretch of selected measures directly without needing to set a specific number.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To change the layout stretch directly, you can select one or more measures, then use one of the commands in Format→Stretch:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Increase layout stretch: increase the width of the measure (shortcut })
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Decrease layout stretch: decrease the width of the measure (shortcut {)
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Increase layout stretch: reset the width of the measure

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To set the layout stretch value numerically, you can select one or more measures and then set the Measure width in the Appearance section of the Properties panel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Measure width setting

                                                                                                                                                                                                            As you can see if you watch this setting, each press of } or { increments or decrements this value by 0.1.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can also set this value for a single measure by right-clicking it, selecting Measure properties, and setting Layout stretch in the resulting dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Horizontal frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                            A horizontal frame is a container for empty space, text, or images, that can be placed between measures in a score. Although you can place text or images within horizontal frames (see Using frames for additional content), one of their main purposes is to create empty space within systems, as shown below.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To add a horizontal frame to your score, select a measure and then click the Insert horizontal frame icon in the Layout palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Insert horizontal frame

                                                                                                                                                                                                            The frame will be inserted in front of the selected measure. If the measure is at the beginning of a system, the frame may actually appear at the end of the previous system, if there is room.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can also use the commands in the Add→Frames menu:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can then change the width of the frame using the Width setting in the Properties panel, or by selecting the frame and dragging its handle or using the Left and Right cursor keys to change the width. Keyboard adjustment occurs in steps of 0.5 sp, or 1.0 sp if you hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac).

                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Insert horizontal frame: insert a horizontal frame before the selected measure
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Append horizontal frame: append a horizontal frame to the end of the score

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Keep measures on the same system

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To keep measures together for the purpose of determining if they fit on a given system or not, you can select them and then click the Keep measures on the same system icon on the Layout palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Keep measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                            When MuseScore is deciding how measures to place on a given system, and it encounters such a group and determines that they do not all fit, MuseScore will move the entire group to the next system.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Tasks

                                                                                                                                                                                                            These features can be used in a variety of ways, but there are a handful of tasks that are especially common.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Placing fewer measures on a system

                                                                                                                                                                                                            It is always possible to get fewer measures on a system than what MuseScore places by default. To end a system on a particular measure or horizontal frame, select it and add a system break.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Placing more measures on a system

                                                                                                                                                                                                            While it is not always physically possible to fit more measures onto a given system at the current page and staff size and spacing settings—there may simply be “too many notes” to fit without overlapping—you can reduce the widths of selected measures.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To place more measures on a system:

                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Select and delete any system break that might be present already
                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Select the measures you wish to combine onto one system
                                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Reduce stretch for the selected measures until they fit (e.g., by pressing {)

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Depending on how close it was to fitting before, it might take multiple Decrease layout stretch operations before the stretch is reduced enough for them all to fit. But it may also be the case that it just is not possible without reducing your overall page or staff size, or spacing settings. See Score size and spacing for more information.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Changing the relative spacing of measures within a system

                                                                                                                                                                                                            The default spacing is designed to make sure that all notes of a given duration on the same system take the same amount of space, unless more space is required to make room for markings between specific notes. But there can be cases where it might make sense to increase the spacing in one or more measures, thus correspondingly decreasing the spacing in the others (or vice versa).

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To change the spacing in one or measure, simply select them and increase or decrease the layout stretch as described above.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Creating space between measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To create space between two measures, select the second measure, then insert and adjust a horizontal frame as described above.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Creating space at the beginning or end of a system

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To add space at the beginning of a system, select the first measure of the system then insert and adjust a horizontal frame as described above. You may also need to place a system break on the last measure of the previous system to ensure that the horizontal frame does not appear there instead.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Note that for the first system of a score, the First system indent style setting (in Format→Style→Score) automatically creates space. See Score size and spacing for more information.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To add space at the end of a system, first make sure there is no system break on the last measure, then select the next measure and insert a horizontal frame. Then add a system break to the horizontal frame itself if needed.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Adjusting the width of the final system

                                                                                                                                                                                                            The last system of a score will normally be right-justified (stretched to fill the width of the page) if its default width exceeds the Last system fill threshold as set in Format→Style→Score. See Score size and spacing for more information. This normally produces good results, but there may be cases where the last system is filled but would look better if it were not, or vice versa.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            For cases where the system is filled but you would prefer it not to be, you can increase the threshold. A value of 100% will mean the last system is never filled (since its width will never exceed that threshold). Conversely, if the last system is not filled but you want it to be, then decrease the threshold. A value of 0% will mean the last system will always stretch (because its width will always exceed that threshold).

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Normally, however, you should select a threshold value that will accommodate future changes to the score that might result in more or fewer measures ending up on the last system. For instance, if your last system currently has several measures and you force it to be filled by setting the threshold to 0%, this might look bad if the layout changes in the future and the last system has only one measure. Or if the last system has only one measure and you force it not to be filled by setting the threshold to 100%, this might look bad if the layout changes in the future and the last system ends up with several measures. This is why a more middle-of-the-road value usually makes sense.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            It is usually even better, however, to plan system breaks to avoid having the last system being less full than others.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Grouping measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                            As discussed in Score size and spacing, MuseScore normally fits as many measures as it can on each system. This can sometimes result in two or more musically-related measures being split across a system break, when it might be easier to read if they were kept together on the next system. While you could add a system break to the measure before the group, this could easily turn out to be counterproductive if the layout changes later and all the measures could have fitted on that system. What you really want is to be able to specify that a group of measures should be kept together if possible, whether that means keeping them on the original system or moving them all together to the next.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            In a word processor, a “non-breaking space” character can be used to keep two words together. If the words both fit on the current line, then the non-breaking space acts like a regular space. But if the two words cannot both fit on a line, word wrap will move them both together to the next line rather than split them apart at the non-breaking space.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            In MuseScore, you can use the Keep measures on the same system icon in the Layout palette to group selected measures in the same way. These measures will be treated as a single block for the purpose of deciding whether to place them on one system or the next.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Note that this will not allow you to fit more measures on a system than your current settings would normally allow. It simply tells MuseScore that it should keep them all together if possible.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Pages and vertical spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Features

                                                                                                                                                                                                              As described in Vertical spacing, MuseScore fills each page with as many systems as can fit given the current score settings, and then adjusts the spacing within each page according to according one of two different algorithms. You can also adjust the number of systems on a page, or the spacing between specific staves or systems, manually.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Page breaks

                                                                                                                                                                                                              A page break causes MuseScore to end a page after a given system, even if more systems would fit. To add a page break, select a measure or frame and then either press Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on Mac) or click the Page break icon in the Layout palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Page break icon

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Spacers

                                                                                                                                                                                                              A spacer is a formatting element you can add to a measure to control the amount of space above or below that particular staff. Spacers can work to either add or remove space, and they can operate either within or between systems.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Staff spacer in context

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To add a spacer to your score, select a measure and then click the appropriate icon in the Layout palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Staff spacer icon

                                                                                                                                                                                                              You can also drag and drop a spacer from the palette to a measure in your score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Once you have added a spacer, you can adjust its height by selecting it and dragging its handle, or by using the Height setting in the Properties panel. There are three different types of spacers, and the height setting affects the score differently according to the spacer type:

                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Staff spacer down: ensure there is at least the specified given amount of space below this staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Staff spacer up: ensure there is at least the specified amount of space above this staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Staff spacer fixed down: ensure there is exactly the specified amount of space below this staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                              In all cases, the spacer works within a system when added between staves of a system. In addition, a Staff spacer down or Staff spacer fixed down works between systems when added to the bottom staff of a system, and a Staff spacer up works between systems when added to the top staff of a system.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Vertical frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                              A vertical frame is a container for empty space, text, or images, that can be placed between systems in a score. Although vertical frames can be left empty and thus function in a manner similar to spacers, the primary purpose of vertical frames is to add text or images. For more information, see Using frames for additional content.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Text frame

                                                                                                                                                                                                              System dividers

                                                                                                                                                                                                              In ensemble music in which multiple systems fit on a single page of music, it is common to use a pair of diagonal strokes to help clarify the division between the systems.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              System divider

                                                                                                                                                                                                              MuseScore can add these automatically via the settings in Format→Style→System. You can enable Left and Right dividers independently. For each, you can customize a number of settings:

                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Symbol: select between System divider, Long system divider, or Extra long system divider
                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Horizontal offset: distance from default position (aligned with the page margin)
                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Veritical offset: distance from default position (midway between systems)

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Tasks

                                                                                                                                                                                                              The feature listed above can be used to achieve a number of common tasks.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Placing fewer systems on a page

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To place fewer systems on a page, simply add a page break to the system or frame you wish to appear last on the page.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Placing more systems on a page

                                                                                                                                                                                                              As with horizontal spacing, in some cases it might not be possible to fit more systems onto a page than your current settings permit. So you may also want to consider a smaller staff size, or reducing the minimum system distance score-wide, or other style changes. However, in some cases you may be able to fit more systems on a page by manually reducing the distance between specific systems.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To reduce the distance between two specific systems, add a Staff spacer fixed down to the bottom staff of the upper system, then set its height as desired. If this reduction allows another system to fit on the page, then it will happen automatically.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Adjusting the spacing on sparse pages

                                                                                                                                                                                                              MuseScore normally spreads systems and staves out to fill a page (see Vertical spacing for more information). Whether you enable or disable vertical justification, however, pages that are especially sparse may still look awkward. This is especially common for the last page of a score, where it is possible more systems could have fit.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              In many cases, the best results would be obtained by planning the system and/or page breaks throughout the score to avoid these overly sparse pages. But in cases where this is unavoidable, you will need to decide where you want the extra space—all at the bottom of the page, equally divided between the top and bottom, dispersed between systems, or dispersed between staves within systems as well as between systems.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To force all extra space to the bottom of the page, once solution is to add a Staff spacer down below the last system, and adjust its height as appropriate to take the space you wish to leave below. Another is to reduce either the Maximum system distance or Maximum page fill distance (see Vertical spacing). These settings may affect other pages as well, but in most cases, they will only be relevant for especially sparse pages.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To force some space at the top of the page, you can add a Staff spacer up above the first system.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To change the distribution of space between systems and staves within systems, be sure Enable vertical justification of staves is enabled in Format→Style→Page, then adjust Factor for distance between systems. A value of 1.0 means that space is equally distributed within and between systems. Larger values mean that more of the available space will be allocated between systems as opposed to within them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Adjusting space between specific systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To add space between two specific systems, add a Staff spacer down to the bottom staff of the upper system, or a Staff spacer up to the top staff of the lower system.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Adjusting space between specific staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                              To add space between specific staves within a single system, add a Staff spacer down to the upper staff, or a Staff spacer up to the lower staff.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Using frames for additional content

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding frames between or after systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Only needed for content - otherwise use spacers .

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Text frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Vertical frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding images

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Size

                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Automatic vs. manual

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Position and alignment of content

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding frames between measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Used for spacing as well as content

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding images

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Size

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Other frame properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Insert measures before/after frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Working with images

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding images

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • supported formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Frames

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Other elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Image properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Using sections for multiple movements or songs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A section break is used to divide a score into separate sections, such as might be required in a musical suite, for example.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In the following score example, there is a section break at the end of the first system, followed by a text frame providing the title of the next movement.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    section_break.png

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Features

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A section break has the following features:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • The measure after the point of application is forced to start a new system (like a system break)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • An adjustable playback pause between movements
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • An option to restart measure numbering
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • An option to display long instrument names (as you might at the start of a piece).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    These options are detailed in Section break properties (below).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Time and key signatures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    If the beginning of a new section is accompanied by a change of time or key signatures, there will be no courtesy signature at the end of the previous section.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding section breaks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To add a section break, select a measure, barline (or any element within the measure), then click the Section break icon in the Layout palette. You can substitute the latter action with a custom shortcut if desired (see Preferences: Shortcuts).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Section break properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The following properties of section breaks are adjustable from the Section break part of the Properties panel:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pause

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To adjust the playback pause after a section break: select the break and edit “Pause before new section starts”.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Instrument names

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To display the long intrument names on the first system after a section break: select the break and make sure that “Start new section with long instrument names” is checked.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Bar numbers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To restart measure numbering after a section break: select the break and make sure that “Reset bar numbers for new section” is checked.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Additional settings for measure number display are available in the Measure properties dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sound and playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Playback controls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Basic playback functions are accessed from the Play toolbar at the top right of the program window:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Playback controls toolbar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        From left to right, the icons are:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Rewind to start position: Playback returns to the beginning of the score, or to the start of the loop (if one is set).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Start or stop playback: See Start/stop playback.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Toggle loop playback: See Loop playback.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Play metronome: Toggles metronome ON and OFF.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Playback settings: Opens the playback settings dialog (see below).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To the right of the playback controls are counters showing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Time elapsed from the start of score to the cursor position.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Bar number and beat at the cursor position.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Tempo in 1/4 notes (crotchets) per min.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        This panel can also be undocked giving you access to additional controls—see play position and tempo, (below).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Playback commands

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Start/stop

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To play back all the instrument parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Click on a note or rest to establish the starting point.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Press the Play button, or press Space.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To play back selected instrument parts only

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Select a measure that you want to start from (by clicking on a blank space within that measure);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. To play back more than one instrument part, extend the selection up or down as required.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        3. Press the Play button, or press Space.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Notes: (1) If no selection is made before activating Play, playback returns to the place it stopped at previously; or, if no previous playback, to the start of the score. (2) The Play button changes to a "stop" icon while music is playing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To stop playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Press the Play button; or press Space.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Rewind

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To rewind playback click on the Rewind icon on the Play toolbar. Rewind returns the playback to the beginning of the score or, if a loop is set, to the beginning of the loop.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Loop

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To loop playback over a section of music:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Stop playback (if it is on);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Ensure that the loop playback button is "off" (i.e. not colored blue);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        3. Select a range in the score, encompassing the instrument staves you want to play back;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        4. Click on the loop playback button in the Play toolbar. Flags will appear around the selection and the button change color.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        5. Click on the Play button.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        In the example below, playback will cycle over the selected two bars of Violin 2 and Viola, the region marked by the blue flags. Use the "Loop playback" button to toggle the loop on or off.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Playback controls looping

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Metronome

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        If you want to hear a metronome tick during the performance, click on the metronome button. Click again to turn it off.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Play position and tempo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The current playback position is shown by counters to the right of the playback controls. One shows the position in terms of time elapsed, the other in measures and beats (see image in overview).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The numbers in the time and measure counters can be edited after clicking on them; playback will be resumed from the edited position.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        When the Play toolbar is undocked from the toolbar area, it automatically expands to include two slider controls. By dragging the sliders you can adjust the playback position and tempo of playback. Note that tempo overrides are only temporary, and do not affect the actual written tempo(s); returning the slider to "100%" restores normal playback.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        In the following example the position of playback is about one third of the way through the score, and the tempo is set to 130% of the current metronome mark of at 78 quarter note beats per minute (bpm).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Playback controls undocked

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Other commands

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Click the settings button (cogged gear) on the Play toolbar to show the following controls:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Playback settings dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        You can uncheck or check these options as desired.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Enable MIDI input

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Enable MIDI input to write music to your score with a linked MIDI device (such as a keyboard or drum machine) during playback. See Working with Midi for details.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Play repeats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Uncheck this option if you want playback to ignore any repeat indications in the score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pan score automatically

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        When checked, this option pans the score during playback; uncheck if you want the view to remain stationary.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Enable count-in

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        (Conductor icon) Adds a count-in when you start playback at the start of a measure. Extra beats are added if you start mid-measure. Toggles ON and OFF.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Mixer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore 4 mixer hero image

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The mixer allows you to

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • change instrument sounds;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • load 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 instrument 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Opening the mixer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          You can display/hide the mixer by:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Clicking on the Mixer button in the Note input toolbar.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Clicking View→Mixer.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Using the shortcut F10.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Mixer controls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Each channel strip contains the following controls (described from the bottom of a channel strip upwards):

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Mixer channel strip

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Mute (M) button: Disables the playback volume (Muted staves will not be heard).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Solo (S) button: Enables playback volume for the selected (soloed) stave and mutes all other staves. (Where only one stave is soloed, disengaging the solo mode will automatically unmute all other staves.)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Volume fader: This can be clicked and dragged to increase or decrease the playback volume. Double clicking on the volume fader will return it to a neutral level (0 dB gain).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Pan knob: This can be clicked and dragged to send the audio signal to the left or right speakers. Double clicking on the pan knob will return the pan to center position.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Audio FX and sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Sound row: the virtual instrument to use, exactly one must be selected. Supports three types: SoundFont(.sf2,.sf3), Virtual Studio Technology instrument(VSTi) and MuseSounds(MuseGroup proprietary).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Audio FX row: VST effect to use, allows stacking of multiple, is optional.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Compatible VST plugins installed on your computer will be automatically made available, find VSTi inside Sound drop-downs, find VST effects inside Audio FX drop-downs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Manual sf2, sf3 preset/bank selection is unsupported (yet, as of Musescore 4.0). In the meantime, try workaround methods in SoundFonts.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          sfz files are supported indirectly through a VST sampler, see SoundFonts.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To select a sound

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Exactly one sound (virtual instrument) must be selected for each instrument.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Hover over a Sound slot
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Click the dropdown button that appears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Locate and click on an item from the dropdown menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To add a VST effect

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Hover over a empty Audio FX slot
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Click the dropdown button that appears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Locate and click on a plugin from the dropdown menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Loading a VST into the mixer (animated image)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To disable a VST effect

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Hover over a Audio FX slot
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Click on the power icon that appears

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This deactivates the plugin without removing it from the mixer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Disabling a VST (animated image)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To remove a VST effect

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Hover over a Audio FX slot
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Click the dropdown button that appears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Click No effect

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This removes the effects plugin from the mixer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Removing a VST (animated image)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • installing Muse Sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          SoundFonts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MuseScore supports the SoundFont format (.sf2, .sf3), which is a single file containing one or more virtual instruments. MuseScore comes packaged with, MS Basic, a essential set of instrument sounds for common score creation. Visit Handbook (for MuseScore 3)'s SoundFonts and SFZ files Chapter for a list of downloadable sf2, sf3.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            For a more realistic, high quality virtual instrument experience,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • use 3rd party VSTi, see Working with VSTi , or
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • install the free Muse Sounds using the Muse Hub, see Installing Muse Sounds.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Install a SoundFont

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Once you’ve downloaded a SoundFont to your computer, there are two ways to install a SoundFont in MuseScore 4:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Drag and drop the SoundFont file into MuseScore 4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Place the SoundFont file in the directory specified in MuseScore 4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Drag and drop installation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            [Content on its way]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            File directory installation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            By default, MuseScore looks for SoundFonts in the following directories:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            [Content on its way]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can also specify in which folder(s) on your computer MuseScore looks to find SoundFonts. If a SoundFont is installed in a recognized folder (“directory”), it will automatically be available in MuseScore.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            First, specify the SoundFont directory in MuseScore 4:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Open Preferences (Mac: MuseScore > Preferences or shortcut Cmd+;. Windows: Edit > Preferences)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Select Folders (under General)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Click the folder icon in the SoundFonts row
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            4. Click Add directory in the dialog that appears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            5. Choose and Open the folder location you wish MuseScore to look for SoundFont files
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            6. If desired, you can add further directories by repeating the above five steps (optional)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            7. When you’re done, click OK. The specified directory (or directories) will appear in the text field in the SoundFonts row.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            8. Click OK in the Preferences dialog to confirm your selection.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Specify SoundFont directory (animated image)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            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:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Open the Mixer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Hover over the plugin slot next to Sound
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Click the dropdown arrow that appears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            4. Hover over SoundFonts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            5. Select the SoundFont you wish to assign to that particular instrument

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Loading a SoundFont in the mixer (animated image)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Uninstall a SoundFont

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To uninstall a SoundFont, simply open the folder where its file is installed and delete it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Preset / Bank selection workarounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Manual preset/bank selection is unsupported (yet, as of Musescore 4.0). Workarounds that do not provide fully equivalent function:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • splitting soundfont file apart (forum discussion), or
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • editing the soundfont file, or
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • through a VST sf2, sf3 sampler such as FluidSynthVST or juicysfplugin
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • through a VST sfz sampler described below sfznotes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Editing .sf2, .sf3 and sfz

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            You cannot edit .sf2, .sf3 and sfz files inside Musescore. Use a 3rd party software such as Polyphone, see Soundfont, MIDI velocity and instruments.xml.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            A note on the Zerberus player and SFZs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Visit Handbook (for MuseScore 3)'s SoundFonts and SFZ files Chapter for a list of downloadable sf2, sf3 and sfz.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Installing Muse Sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Installation via Muse Hub

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Muse Sounds is a library of sophisticated plugins that provide realistic playback for MuseScore.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Muse Sounds are installed using the Muse Hub application, which can be downloaded here on musescore.org.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Once installed, Muse Hub can be opened by clicking the application icon in the menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows). Click Get under any sound you’d like to have in your library, and it will begin downloading and installing right away.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Muse Hub also contains a range of effects plugins. Download and install these from the Effects tab.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Once a plugin is fully downloaded, it will appear in the Mixer the next time you launch MuseScore.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Using Muse Sounds in MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Any Muse Sounds plugins you’ve downloaded will be automatically assigned to the appropriate instruments in your score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              You can tell MuseScore to always use available Muse Sounds plugins via the Playback Setup dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Go to view → Playback setup
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Select Muse Sounds in the Profiles section
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3. Leave Set as default for new scores checked if you want all future scores to also use Muse Sounds
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              4. Click OK

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              The Muse Sounds playback profile will ensure that all Muse Sounds plugins will be assigned to every available instrument in your score. You can also manually assign a Muse Sounds plugin to a single instrument via the Mixer. This can be helpful for scores with more than one instrument, where you may wish to combine Muse Sounds plugins with other VSTs or Soundfonts.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Go to View → Mixer to show the Mixer (Shortcut: F10)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Hover over a plugin slot next to Sound
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3. Click the dropdown button that appears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              4. Navigate to Muse Sounds and select a sound from the desired library

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Available sounds in Muse Sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Muse Sounds currently supports the following instruments:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Choir

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Sopranos
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Altos
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Tenors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Basses

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Strings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violins 1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violin 1 (Solo)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violins 2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violin 2 (Solo)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violas
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Viola (Solo)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violoncellos
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Violoncello (Solo)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Contrabasses

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Brass

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • French Horns a6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • French Horn
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Trumpets a4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Trumpet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Trombones a3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Trombone
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Bass Trombone
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Cimbasso
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Tuba

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Percussion

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Bass Drum
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Bell Tree
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Bongos
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Cabasa
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Castanets
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Claves
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Cowbell
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Crotales
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Field Drum
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Glockenspiel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Gong
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Marimba
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Mark Tree
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Piatti
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Shaker
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Sleigh Bells
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Snare Drum
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Suspended Cymbal
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Taikos
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Tam-Tam
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Tambourine
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Timbales
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Timpani
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Toms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Triangle
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Tubular Bells
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Vibraphone
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Wood Blocks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Xylophone
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Metronome

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Keys

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Celesta
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Grand Piano
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Harpsichord
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Soft Piano
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Upright Piano
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Hammond Organ
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Suitcase Piano
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Wurly 200A
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Dream Piano

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Harp

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Harp

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Any instruments not supported by Muse Sounds will remain assigned to MS Basic by default.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Piano roll editor

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              potentially delete this page - piano roll editor is not currently in MU4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Capo playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                MuseScore allows you to transpose the playback of a staff, without having to adjust the music notation (written pitch). This simulates the effect of a capo on a guitar (or other stringed instrument).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding a capo marking to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To a single staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Add staff text to the note/rest from which you want capo playback to start;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Open the Staff text properties dialog.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                3. Click on the Capo Settings tab;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                4. Check the “Capo Settings” checkbox, and set "Capo fret" to the fret number you wish to apply the capo at (each fret increases the pitch by a semitone);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                5. Click OK to apply your changes;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                6. Edit the wording of the text as desired.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To a staff / tablature pair

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Use one of the following:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • If linked, add the capo to the standard staff—not the tablature.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • If unlinked, add the capo to both staves.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Note: Any capo playback settings apply until overridden by a subsequent Staff text with “Capo Settings” enabled.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Chord symbols: Capo fret position

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Swing playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • what is swing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • what typical ratios are

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding a swing or straight marking to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • using the triplet marking

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Changing swing playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • system/staff text properties
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • using staff text to customize per-staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • compatibility: style option

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Working with MIDI

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with VST and VSTi

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Introduction to VST

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is an audio plug-in software interface licensed under Steinberg that integrates software synthesizers and effects units into digital audio workstations. Most VST plugins are either instruments (VSTi) or effects (VSTfx); VSTi includes software simulation emulations of well-known hardware synthesizers and samplers.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      In MuseScore 4, any compatible VST plugins installed on your computer will automatically be made available in the Mixer, where you can easily switch between VSTi plugins, stack multiple VST effects, and access plugin interfaces for further customization.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      MuseScore 4 supports VST3 plugins only (VST2 is not supported due to licensing restrictions). Support is currently only for Windows and MacOS, but Linux support is in the pipeline.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      For alternatives to VSTi’s, try one of the following:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • install Muse Sounds
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • use the built-in MS Basic SoundFont
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • download and use 3rd party virtual instruments in sf2, sf3, or sfz formats (see SoundFonts).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Note: (1) Any sounds you load in the Mixer are automatically saved with the score. (2) SFZ files are not directly supported—host these in a third party VSTi sampler instead. See SoundFonts.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Enabling, disabling, removing and replacing VST plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      To learn more about working with VST plugins in the Mixer, see Audio FX and Sounds.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      File management

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Opening and saving scores

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          You can store your files either locally on your computer, or online (“in the cloud”) to your musescore.com account. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one for free here.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          In the case of scores saved online, MuseScore also keeps local copies on your computer (in a folder called Cloud Scores in your user “MuseScore 4” folder), so you can work on them even without an active internet connection. Every time you save a score that was opened from the Cloud Scores folder, the online copy at musescore.com is also updated. This system protects both the integrity of your local cloud scores while offering all the advantages of online storage, including backup, viewing and playback across multiple devices, ease of sharing, commenting, and much more.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Please note that, if you download one of your cloud scores from musescore.com and open it in MuseScore, the file you download and open will be a new, locally-stored file, separate from the file in the cloud.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Opening a score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          There are a few ways to open a score in MuseScore 4.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          File → Open

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This triggers your file browser, allowing you to select and open scores stored on your computer or storage device (dialog will vary according to operating system).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Windows/Linux: Ctrl+O. MacOS: Cmd+O

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          File → Open recent

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This option allows you to choose from a list of recently-opened scores.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Home tab → Scores

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This window displays your most recently modified scores. Double-click on any score thumbnail to open it. You can also click Open other… to access locally-stored scores from your file browser.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Scores that have been saved to the cloud are indicated with a cloud icon. Unlike local scores, it is not possible to rename or otherwise modify a cloud file from your computer’s file browser. You can, however, do this from the score manager on musescore.com. Go directly to your score manager by clicking the Score manager (online) button in the Scores window.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          It is possible to open multiple scores simultaneously. In this case, MuseScore opens each score in a separate window.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Import file formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Apart from its native format files (*.mscz and *.mscx), MuseScore can also open MusicXML, compressed MusicXML and MIDI files, as well as a variety of files in other formats. You can customize various import settings by going to Preferences → Import.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Saving a score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To save a score:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Go to File
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Choose any of the following options:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Option What it does Shortcut
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save Saves current score to new file, or saves changes to a previously saved file Windows/Linux: Ctrl+S, MacOS: Cmd+S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save As... Saves current score to new file Windows/Linux: Shift+Ctrl+S, MacOS: Shift+Cmd+S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save a copy... Saves current score to new file, but allows you to continue editing the original file None
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save selection... Saves selected measures to new file None
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save to cloud... Saves score as a new file on musescore.com None

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The first time you use any of the above save options, a dialog opens asking you “How would you like to save”, then offering you the options of “Save to the cloud” or “Save to computer”.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To disable this window, click Don't show again to ensure you only see your operating system's native save dialog for future saves.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save to computer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The Save to computer option triggers your operating system’s “Save” dialog, allowing you to save the score as a (compressed) MuseScore file, .mscx.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          There is also an option in your “Save” dialog to save files in an uncompressed format (“Uncompressed MuseScore folder”). This option creates a new folder on your computer that contains a MuseScore (.mscx) file, as well as a thumbnail image file (.png) and any relevant .json, .mss, and .xml files.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Save to the cloud

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Scores saved online (to the cloud) appear in the program’s Home: Scores tab with a cloud symbol at the corner of the file icon. A copy is also automatically saved on your computer in the Cloud scores folder in your user “MuseScore 4” folder.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To save a score to the cloud, choose Save to the cloud. This triggers a dialog with the following options:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Name

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This is the name under which your score will be identifiable on musescore.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Visibility

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Private allows you to save changes to your score without others seeing your work online.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Public makes your score visible to everyone on musescore.com.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          When you’re ready, click Save. The first time you do this, MuseScore will ask whether you also want to upload your audio to musescore.com. You can choose from the following options:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Never

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Each time you press Save, only the score itself will be uploaded to musescore.com. Online playback will use the MS Basic soundfont.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Always

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Each time you press Save, MuseScore will generate an .mp3 file to upload together with your score. Score playback on musescore.com will sound the same as it does in your desktop app (including audio from the Muse Sounds library, if installed, or any VST instruments and effects you’ve added)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Every x saves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          MuseScore will only generate and upload an .mp3 file at a save interval you specify.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          These settings only affect your private cloud scores. You will only be asked to specify this setting once, however you can change this setting at any time by going to Preferences → Cloud. Once you click OK, MuseScore will confirm your score has been saved. Your file will be accessible from both the Home tab as well as the score manager on musescore.com.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          File export

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            This chapter covers the saving of MuseScore scores in formats other than the native ones (*.mscz and *.mscx), such as MusicXML, MIDI, MP3, PDF, PNG etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Exporting your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To export a score:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Select File→Export
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Choose a Format from the dropdown list
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Select the parts to export by checking/unchecking the appropriate boxes on the left of the dialog
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            4. If you want to combine all parts in one file click on the radio button titiled All parts combined in one file
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            5. Click Export...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            File formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Graphical formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            PDF is a universal format for text, pictures, music and so on. Virtually every computer will have a dedicated PDF reader; if not a PDF can also be opened using web browsers such as Firefox etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Use this format when you want to generate music scores for other musicians to read from. PDF scores can also be printed to hard copy if desired.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            PNG is a compressed graphical format suitable for embedding in all kinds of documents. SVG enables you to preserve a higher graphical resolution and allows you to resize in situ.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Audio formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MuseScore enables you to export audio files in a number of compressed formats: MP3 is the most well-known, but OGG and FLAC also have their advantages. These formats combine the benefit of relatively small size with high audio quality.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            If you want uncompressed audio go for the WAV option. File size will be considerably larger than the uncompressed audio options.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MIDI format

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), a well-established music industry standard, encodes the notes and instrumentation of the original score and can be played back using a PC’s media player, or other suitable computer app, as long as the right software (or hardware) instruments are available to realize it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            You should be aware that the sound generated by a MIDI file is dependent on the virtual instruments used to play it back, so it is likely to differ in sound quality from the original. Also it does not preserve score formatting, voicing etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Score formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MusicXML is a universal standard which aims to preserve as much of the original score formatting as possible. It can be opened in any modern score writer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Braille. [To be added]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Customizing export settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            {To be added]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MIDI import

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • MIDI import panel not currently implemented, making this section largely moot

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Working with MusicXML files

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Cleaning up an imported score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • resetting stems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • removing breaks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • resetting text
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • import settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Preparing a score for export

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • gotchas - manual adjustments, misuse of element types, images, ...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • export settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Backup and recovered files

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • TBD

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Project properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Project Properties dialog contains meta tags. Meta tags are snippets of descriptive text that can be used by Musescore, such as "Work title," "Composer," "Copyright" etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Changing score properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To change a score property

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. From the menu, choose File→Project Properties...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Click in the required field
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Enter text or edit existing text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  When you create a score, a title block is generated on the first page, and the value of some metatags is genearted automatically (see Setting up your score). After the score is created, the text in the title block is no longer linked to the value of the metatags in Project Properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Every score is created with the following predefined metatags. The third column shows the code to use the meta tag in Headers and Footers.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Property Value when Score is created Code to access from headers and footers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Work title Same text as "Title" on the first page of the score (see Setting up your score). $:workTitle:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Arranger $:arranger:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Composer Same text as "Composer" on the first page of the score(see Setting up your score). $:composer:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Copyright Same text as "Copyright" on the first page of the score(see Setting up your score). (if you need a copyright symbols, copy/paste this: ©).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Creation Date Date of the score creation. This could be empty, if the score was saved in test mode (see Command line usage). Edit manually if you are Beethoven's ghost. $D
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Lyricist Same text as "Lyricist" on the first page of the score(see Setting up your score).fragment="title"]). $:lyricist:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Translator Empty $:translator:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Platform The computing platform the score was created on. This might be empty if the score was saved in test mode.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Source May contain a URL if the score was downloaded from or Publish to MuseScore.com.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Musescore Version The version of MuseScore the score was last saved with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  File Path The score file's location on your Computer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Adding new properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To add another metatag, click on the New button. Fill in the "New tag name" field and press OK;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Input tag nameInput tag name

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Any tag name can be used. For example, the following metatags were used in previous versions of Musescore:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • movementNumber:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • movementTitle:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • originalFormat:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • poet:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • workNumber:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To delete a tag click on the trashcan symbol. The predefined meta tags cannot be deleted.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Accessing project properties in your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To show the content of one or more metatags in a header or footer for your score or part:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Make sure that the correct score or instrument part is the active tab;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. From the menu, select Format→Style...→Header, Footer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Style / Header, Footer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    If you hover with your mouse over the Header or Footer text region, a list of macros will appear, showing their meaning, as well as the existing meta tags and their content.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tooltip
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Add tags (e.g. $:workTitle:, note the leading and trailing colons) and macros (e.g. $M, no colons) to the appropriate boxes, as required;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  4. Click Apply to see how the header or footer looks in the score. Make corrections to the dialog if required;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  5. If an instrument part is in the active tab, click Apply to all parts, if you want to apply these settings to all the score parts;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  6. Click OK to assign the header or footer and exit the dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  In this list $I and $i are only available in, because the partName score property is only defined there, unless, as described above, it got manually added to the main score properties. Not shown in this tooltip, but available likewise, is the $:partName: meta tag.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Metatags for parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Every part additionally has the following meta tag, generated and filled on Parts:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • partName: The name of the part as given on part creation (which is also used to fill the corresponding part name text in the top vertical frame—be aware that later changes to one are not reflected in the other). It can be accessed for use in Headers and Footers using $I, $i, or S:partName:.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To change a part name:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • click on parts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • double click on the part name or click on the "..." menu to the right of the part and choose Rename
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • edit the part name

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  This meta tag is not present in the main score and thus is not available for use in its header/footer or in an added part name box in the top vertical frame, unless manually added as a new tag to its score properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Score comparison

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • not currently implemented

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Publish to musescore.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Scores can be saved online using a free or subscription account with Musescore.com. This allows you to access your scores from anywhere; you also have the option of whether to keep them private or allow them to be shared. You can choose to save scores only online, or publish any of your locally saved files online.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    When saving online Musescore creates an MP3 file of the audio of your score which may take a long time. To modify this behaviour see Managing publishing preferences .

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a MuseScore account

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    [To be added]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving only to Musescore.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The first time you save a score you will be asked if you want to publish the score to Musescore.com.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dialog for First Save

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    If you are not already logged in to Musescore.com, or you do not have an account, you will need to login.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dialog for Login

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    You will be asked it if the score should be Public or Private. Public scores are visible to everyone on the internet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dialog for Public or Private

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Musescore will tell you when it is ready. Large scores may take some time to generate the MP3 file.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dialog for Success

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Publish locally saved scores

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Scores saved on your computer can also be published at Musescore.com but are not automatically updated.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To publish a score at Musescore.com
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    * Click the Publish Tab (below the menu bar)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    * Click Publish to Musescore.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dialog for Publish anytime

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Visibility in score manager

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Scores published only at Musescore.com are not saved on your computer. Those scores are marked with a "cloud" symbol in the Musescore score manager.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dialog for Score Manager showing where things are saved

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Manage generation of mp3 during upload

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    When saving online Musescore creates an MP3 file of the audio of your score. Depending on the score length, and number of instruments in the score, this might take a long time. To control when this happens:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. From the menu, choose Edit→Preferences...→Cloud
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Under "Generate MP3 audio for private cloud scores" choose Never, Always, or Every (X saves)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    3. If you chose "Every X saves" choose the number of saves
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Dialog for Score Manager showing where things are saved
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    upload
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Attachment Size
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    publish-preferences.png 47.87 KB

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customization

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Language

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        MuseScore works with your "System" language (the one used for most programs, and generally depending on your country and the language settings of the PC, or account).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Change language

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. From the menu, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. In the General tab, select the desired language from the drop-down list in the Language section:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Dialog: Edit / Preferences / General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Update translations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To update translation(s):

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Select the Languages tab in the Resource Manager.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Click on the Update buttons for the language(s) you want to update.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Note: Almost all menus and dialogs will switch to the changed/updated translations immediately, but some won't use them until the program is restarted.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To update?? Or will this be the same - check
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        * Helping to improve translation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To change the appearance of MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. From the menu, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. In the Appearance tab, select the desired option described below.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Dialog: Edit / Preferences / General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Theme and Colors

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The following options are available to change the colors of MuseScore. The display changes immediately so options can be tested without closing the dialog. The changes apply to all open instances of MuseScore (see Windows)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Light or Dark Theme
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Select "Follow system theme" if you want MuseScore to change themes from light to dark, or dark to light, when the system theme changes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Enable high-contrast
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Accent color options
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Background - the color behind the score (not the color of palettes and other program items) can be changed to a solid color or a Wallpaper image.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Paper - the color of the score itself can be changed to a solid color or a Wallpaper image.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Invert Score - swaps the color of score elements with the Paper color

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Fonts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To change the font face and text size for Menu and Palette elements:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. From the menu, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...);
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. In the Appearance tab, select the font options.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This does not affect and text elements in the score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Toolbars and windows

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Windows, toolbars and panels within MuseScore can be repositioned, and you can choose which elements you want to see displayed in them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The default appearance of MuseScore is shown below:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The User Interface

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. The Menu bar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Toolbars
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            3. Palette, Property and Instrument Panels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            4. The Score Window
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            5. The Status Bar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Toolbars

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Showing and hiding toolbars

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To show or hide the playback controls, note input toolbar, or the status bar:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Select View→Toolbars... and check/uncheck the applicable element.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Rearranging toolbars

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To change the position of either the note input or playback toolbars, click on and hold the six dots at the left of the toolbar, then drag and drop it to the desired location. The toolbar can be left free floating, but in the case of the note input toolbar, you can also drag and drop it either to the left or the bottom edge of the program window—a blue rectange then appears to show you that you can drop the toolbar at that location to redock it. The playback toolbar can only be redocked in its default position.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Customizing contents of toolbars

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To select the icons that you want on view in the note input or playback toolbars, click on the gear icon to the right of the toolbar:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            gear_icon.png

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            In the case of the note input toolbar, this reveals a dropdown list from which you can hide or diplay the various icons by clicking on the eye symbol to the left of each one (closed=hidden, open=displayed).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            In the case of the playback toolbar, uncheck or check the various options in the gear menu to hide or display the corresponding elements.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Windows and Panels

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Docking and undocking panels

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To undock and move one of the side panels (Palette, Instruments, Properties, or Selection filter), click on the three dots on the tab, select the Undock option, then drag the undocked panel to the desired position.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can leave the panel free-standing but there are also dock positions at the top and right hand edges of the document window—a blue rectangle appears to show that you can drop the panel to redock it at that location.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            In a similar way, you can redock the free panel back to the sidebar:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • To display half-length at the top of the sidebar, drag and drop the free panel to the top left of the sidebar.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • To display half-length at the bottom of the sidebar, drag and drop the free panel to the bottom left of the sidebar.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • To display full-length in the sidebar, drag and drop the free panel to the center left of the side.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            You can also redock the free panel in its original position by clicking on the three dots on the tab, and selecting Dock.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Panels such as the Mixer or virtual Piano can be undocked if desired, by dragging them into position or clicking on the three dots icon and selecting Undock. To redock, click on the three dots icon and select Dock.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The undocked mixer can be resized by dragging the edges inwards or outwards.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Customizing contents of panels

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To choose which elements to display within the mixer or the virtual Piano, click on the three dots, select View and uncheck or check the applicable options.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To customize the palettes area, see Customization: Palettes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Templates and styles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A template is simply a standard MuseScore file (*.mscz) that has been stored in the “Templates” folder in your MuseScore 4 user directory. Now, when you start the New Score dialog, the template file will appear in the “My templates” section of the Create from template tab.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A style file, which is applied from the Format menu, is a file containing customized style settings for all musical and text objects in a score.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Templates

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Saving your score as a template

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Create a specimen score containing the style settings, workspace, and title text that you wish to use in the template.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Save the score in the "Template" folder of your MuseScore 4 user directory.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Creating a score from your template

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Open the New Score dialog
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Choose a template file in the “My templates” section of the Create from template tab.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3. Complete the rest of the New Score dialog and exit.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Style files

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Saving style settings for your score to a file

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Create a score with the style settings that you wish to save and reuse in future scores
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Select Format→Save style, and save the Style file in the “Styles” folder of your MuseScore 4 user directory.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Loading style settings into your score from a file

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Open the score to which you want to apply the saved style settings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Select Format→Load style, and select the applicable style file.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Setting a default style for your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              [to be added]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                You can add, delete, edit and rearrange palettes and their contents as you wish to create a customized palettes area.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding preset palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Only a selection of the total available palettes are visible by default. To transfer more (preset) palettes to the palettes area:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Click on the Add Palettes button in the Palettes sidebar panel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Click on one or more of the + (plus) buttons next to the palette(s) of interest
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                3. To exit the dialog, click once more on the Add Palettes button, or press Escape, or click outside the Add Palettes dropdown.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The newly-added palettes appear at the top of the list of palettes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding custom palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To add an empty custom palette to the palettes area:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Click on the Add Palettes button in the Palettes sidebar panel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Click on the Create Custom Palette button
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                3. Name the palette in the text box provided
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                4. Click Create.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The new palette appears at the top of the palettes list.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Hiding and deleting palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To hide a preset palette, right click on it and select Hide palette. The palette is returned to the Add Palettes list (see above). Note that preset palettes cannot be deleted.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To hide or delete a custom palette, right click on it and select Hide/Delete palette. Then follow the instructions in the dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Changing the order of palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To change the order of a palette simply drag it up or down and drop it onto the desired position in the palettes list.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Customizing palette contents

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding elements from the master palette

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The Master palette is MuseScore’s repository of all musical symbols. To add a symbol from the master to an ordinary palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Open the desired palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Open the Master Palette (Shift+F9 or View→Master palette)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                3. Drag and drop symbols from the relevant section(s) of the Master palette to the ordinary palette as required.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Alternatively you can access the Master Palette using the More button in the custom palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Open the custom palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Click on More
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                3. Use the arrow buttons to navigate through the various sections of the Master Palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                4. To add a symbol to the palette, click on the symbol and press Add to my custom
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                5. To exit the dialog, click once more on the More button, or press Escape, or click outside the More section.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adding elements from your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To add score elements to a palette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Open the desired palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Press Ctrl+Shift, then drag and drop the score element to the open palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Moving elements between palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Symbols can be moved from one open palette to another simply by dragging and dropping them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Deleting elements from palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To delete an element in a palette, right-click on it and select Delete. In the case of preset palettes, the element will be moved to the More section. For custom palettes you are offered a choice of Hide (send element to the More section) or Delete permananetly.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Resetting a palette

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To reset a palette to its default state, right-click on the palette name, or click on the ellipsis symbol (three dots) to the right of the palette name; then select Reset palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Saving and loading palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To save a palette, right-click on the palette name, or click on the ellipsis symbol (three dots) to the right of the palette name; then select Save palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To load a previously-saved palette, right-click on a palette name, or click on the ellipsis symbol (three dots) to the right of the palette name; then navigate to the desired palette, select it and click Open.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Palettes menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To access display options for the palettes area, click on the ellipsis symbol (three dots) to the right of the Palettes title at the top of the palettes area.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                palette_options.png

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Single-click to open a Palette: Uncheck this if you want to open a palette by double-clicking.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Open only one Palette at a time: if this option is checked, when you open a palette other palettes automatically close.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Collapse all Palettes: Closes all open palettes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Expand all Palettes: Opens all palettes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Close: Palettes panel closes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Undock: Undocks the palettes panel. See also Windows and panels.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Palette properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To access Palette properties for individual palettes, right-click on the palette name, or click on the ellipsis symbol (three dots) to the right of the palette name; then select Palette properties.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                This allows you to rename the palette, create a visible grid to separate elements, adjust width and height of cells, and change the scale and offset of the symbols.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Using the palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Workspaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A workspace includes the visible palettes, toolbars and assorted open panels. You can customize the appearance of all aspects of a workspace, and create new ones.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Creating a new workspace

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To create a new workspace:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Click on the current workspace name in the status bar below the document window. Alternatively, select View→Workspaces→Configure workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Click on Create new workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Fill in the name of the workspace, and uncheck any elements in the list below whose present arrangement you do not wish to be remembered.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  4. Click Select to close the dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To customize the palettes display and contents, see palettes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  To customize the display of toolbars and panels, see Toolbars and panels.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Deleting a workspace

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Click on the current workspace name in the status bar below the document window. Alternatively, select View→Workspaces→Configure workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Select the workspace to be deleted
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Click on the trash icon at the top of the dialog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Switching between workspaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Click on the current workspace name in the status bar below the document window.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. In the resulting dialog box, click on the desired workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Press Select.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Alternatively

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Select View→Workspaces→Configure workspace
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Click on the desired workspace in the menu.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • opening the dialog
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • finding commands
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • key sequences

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Defining a shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Resetting and clearing shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Importing and exporting shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Preferences

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • this section is a quick tour of all preferences (and possibly where to find more info)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • mention reset preferences up front

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Canvas

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Note input

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      MIDI device mapping

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I/O

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Import

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Update

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Advanced

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Plugin API current status, and using plugins written for MuseScore 3 on MuseScore 4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        See MuseScore 3 features not implemented in MuseScore 4, and Plugins for 4.x (porting a Musescore 3 plugin to MuseScore 4)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • what plugins are
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • how/where to get plugins
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • disclaimers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • info on creating them

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Managing plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Installing a new plugin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Enabling and disabling plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Running a plugin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • menu, shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pre-installed plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • brief info on each

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Support

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Getting help

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • documentation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • support questions
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • bug reports
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • feature requests

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Learn

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • tutorials
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • classes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Forums

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Issue tracker

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • ?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            GitHub

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • ?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Mastering MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Revert to factory settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • why to do this
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • what it does
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • disclaimers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Reverting to factory settings from the menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Reverting to factory settings from the command line

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Windows

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              macOS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Linux

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Troubleshooting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Installation issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Score issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Display issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Sound issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Printing issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Known incompatibilities

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Appendix

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Command line usage

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    All keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    On macOS, make the following substitutions:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replace Ctrl with Cmd (or ⌘)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replace Alt with Option (or ⌥)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replace Home with Fn+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replace End with Fn+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replace PgUp with Fn+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replace PgDn with Fn+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add Fn with function keys

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Keyboard Map

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Click for full resolution. Print Friendly PDF version
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    QWERTY keyboard shortcut map image

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Page navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Zoom in Ctrl+= Cmd+=
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Zoom out Ctrl+- Cmd+-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Zoom to 100% Ctrl+0 Cmd+0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to first element in score Ctrl+Home Cmd+Fn+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to last element in score Ctrl+End Cmd+Fn+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to next screen PgUp Fn+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to previous screen PgDn Fn+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to top of first page Home Fn+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to bottom of last page End Fn+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to next page Ctrl+PgUp Cmd+Fn+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to previous page Ctrl+PgDn Cmd+Fn+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Find / Go to Ctrl+F Cmd+F
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessibility: get location Shift+L Shift+L
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Show/hide timeline F12 Fn+F12

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select next chord Right Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select previous chord Left Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to next measure Ctrl+Right Cmd+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to previous measure Ctrl+Left Cmd+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select next element in score Alt+Right Option+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select previous element in score Alt+Left Option+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select next in-staff element Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Right Cmd+Option+Shift+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select previous in-staff element Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left Cmd+Option+Shift+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select note/rest above Alt+Up Option+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select note/rest below Alt+Down Option+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select top note in chord Ctrl+Alt+Up Cmd+Option+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select bottom note in chord Ctrl+Alt+Down Cmd+Option+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to top staff Alt+Shift+Up Option+Shift+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to bottom staff Alt+Shift+Down Option+Shift+Down

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input: toggle note input mode N N
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input: toggle 're-pitch existing notes' mode Ctrl+Shift+I Cmd+Shift+I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input: toggle 'insert' mode Ctrl+I Cmd+I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Show/hide piano keyboard P P
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 1 Ctrl+Alt+1 Cmd+Option+1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 2 Ctrl+Alt+2 Cmd+Option+2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 3 Ctrl+Alt+3 Cmd+Option+3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 4 Ctrl+Alt+4 Cmd+Option+4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Duration

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration 1 – 9 1 – 9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 64th note 1 1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 32nd note 2 2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 16th note 3 3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 8th note 4 4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: quarter note 5 5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: half note 6 6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: whole note 7 7
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: double whole note 8 8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: longa 9 9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle duration dot . .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+2 – Cmd+9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: duplet Ctrl+2 Cmd+2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: triplet Ctrl+3 Cmd+3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: quadruplet Ctrl+4 Cmd+4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: quintuplet Ctrl+5 Cmd+5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: sextuplet Ctrl+6 Cmd+6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: septuplet Ctrl+7 Cmd+7
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: octuplet Ctrl+8 Cmd+8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet: nonuplet Ctrl+9 Cmd+9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add tied note T T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Halve selected duration Q Q
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Double selected duration W W
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Halve selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+Q Shift+Q
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Double select duration (includes dotted values) Shift+W Shift+W
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert full measure rest Ctrl+Shift+Del Cmd+Shift+Del

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pitch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note A – G A – G
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note A A A
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note B B B
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note C C C
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note D D D
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note E E E
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note F F F
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter note G G G
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note to chord Shift+A – Shift+G Shift+A – Shift+G
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note A to chord Shift+A Shift+A
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note B to chord Shift+B Shift+B
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note C to chord Shift+C Shift+C
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note D to chord Shift+D Shift+D
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note E to chord Shift+E Shift+E
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note F to chord Shift+F Shift+F
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add note G to chord Shift+G Shift+G
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval Alt+1 – Alt+9 Option+1 – Option+9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: unison Alt+1 Option+1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: second above Alt+2 Option+2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: third above Alt+3 Option+3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: fourth above Alt+4 Option+4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: fifth above Alt+5 Option+5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: sixth above Alt+6 Option+6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: seventh above Alt+7 Option+7
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: octave above Alt+8 Option+8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter interval: ninth above Alt+9 Option+9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: flat - -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: natural = =
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: sharp + +
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter rest 0 0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add grace note: acciaccatura / /

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tablature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration (TAB) Shift+1 – Shift+9 Shift+1 – Shift+9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 128th note (TAB) Shift+0 Shift+0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 64th note (TAB) Shift+1 Shift+1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 32nd note (TAB) Shift+2 Shift+2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 16th note (TAB) Shift+3 Shift+3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: 8th note (TAB) Shift+4 Shift+4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: quarter note (TAB) Shift+5 Shift+5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: half note (TAB) Shift+6 Shift+6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration: whole note (TAB) Shift+7 Shift+7
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 0 – 9 0 – 9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret A – K A – K
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 0 0 0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 1 1 1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 2 2 2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 3 3 3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 4 4 4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 5 5 5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 6 6 6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 7 7 7
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 8 8 8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 9 9 9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 0 A A
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 1 B B
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 2 C C
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 3 D D
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 4 E E
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 5 F F
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 6 G G
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 7 H H
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 8 J J
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter TAB: fret 9 K K
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to string above (TAB) Up Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to string below (TAB) Down Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle ghost note Shift+X Shift+X

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select all Ctrl+A Cmd+A
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add to selection: previous note/rest Shift+Left Shift+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add to selection: next note/rest Shift+Right Shift+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add to selection: staff above Shift+Up Shift+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add to selection: staff below 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 line Shift+Home Shift+Fn+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Select to end of line Shift+End Shift+Fn+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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Copy/paste: swap with clipboard Ctrl+Shift+X Cmd+Shift+X
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Delete selected measures Ctrl+Del Cmd+Del
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Show/hide properties F8 Fn+F8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Edit element F2 Fn+F2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move chord/rest left Shift+Left Shift+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move chord/rest right Shift+Right Shift+Right

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Duration

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set duration 1 – 9 1 – 9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enter tuplet Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+2 – Cmd+9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add tied note T T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Halve selected duration Q Q
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Double select duration W W
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Halve selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+Q Shift+Q
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Double selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+W Shift+W
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Paste half duration Ctrl+Shift+Q Cmd+Shift+Q
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Paste double duration Ctrl+Shift+W Cmd+Shift+W
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert full measure rest Ctrl+Shift+Del Cmd+Shift+Del

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pitch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: flat - -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: natural = =
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: sharp + +
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move pitch/selection up Up Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move pitch/selection down Down Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move pitch up an octave Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move pitch down an octave Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move pitch up diatonically Alt+Shift+Up Option+Shift+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move pitch down diatonically Alt+Shift+Down Option+Shift+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Change enharmonic spelling (concert and written pitch) J J
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Change enharmonic spelling (current only only) Ctrl+J Cmd+J
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move note to higher string (TAB) Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move note to lower string (TAB) Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle ghost note (TAB) Shift+X Shift+X

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Flip direction X X
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mirror notehead Shift+X Shift+X
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 1 Ctrl+Alt+1 Cmd+Option+1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 2 Ctrl+Alt+2 Cmd+Option+2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 3 Ctrl+Alt+3 Cmd+Option+3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Use voice 4 Ctrl+Alt+4 Cmd+Option+4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move selected note/rest to staff above Ctrl+Shift+Up Cmd+Shift+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move selected note/rest to staff below Ctrl+Shift+Down Cmd+Shift+Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle multimeasure rest M M

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Manual adjustment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move text left Left Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move text right Right Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move text left quickly Ctrl+Left Cmd+Left
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move text right quickly Ctrl+Right Cmd+Right
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move selection up Up Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move selection down Down Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move selection up quickly Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Move selection down quickly Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: staff text Ctrl+T Cmd+T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: expression text Ctrl+E Cmd+E
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: system text Ctrl+Shift+T Cmd+Shift+T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: tempo marking Alt+Shift+T Option+Shift+T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: rehearsal mark Ctrl+M Cmd+M
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert special characters Shift+F2 Shift+Fn+F2

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Format text: bold face Ctrl+B Cmd+B
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Format text: italic Ctrl+I Cmd+I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Format text: underline Ctrl+U Cmd+U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert flat Ctrl+Shift+B Cmd+Shift+B
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert natural Ctrl+Shift+H Cmd+Shift+H
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert sharp Ctrl+Shift+# Cmd+Shift+#
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics p Ctrl+Shift+P Cmd+Shift+P
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics m Ctrl+Shift+M Cmd+Shift+M
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics f Ctrl+Shift+F Cmd+Shift+F
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics n Ctrl+Shift+N Cmd+Shift+N
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics r Ctrl+Shift+R Cmd+Shift+R
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics s Ctrl+Shift+S Cmd+Shift+S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert dynamics z Ctrl+Shift+Z Cmd+Shift+Z

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: lyrics Ctrl+L Cmd+L
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to next syllable Space Space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to previous syllable Shift+Space Shift+Space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics: enter hyphen - -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics: enter melisma _ _
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add lyric verse Return Return
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to next lyric verse Down Down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Go to previous lyric verse Up Up

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: chord symbol Ctrl+K Cmd+K
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add text: figured bass Ctrl+G Cmd+G
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Next text element Space Space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Previous text element Shift+Space Shift+Space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advance cursor: next beat ; ;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advance cursor: previous beat Shift+; Shift+;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advance cursor: duration Ctrl+1 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+1 – Cmd+9

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other score elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Show/hide palettes F9 Fn+F9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Search palettes Ctrl+F9 Cmd+Fn+F9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Open master palette Shift+F9 Shift+Fn+F9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add slur S S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add articulation: accent Shift+V Shift+V
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add articulation: marcato Shift+O Shift+O
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add articulation: staccato Shift+S Shift+S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add articulation: tenuto Shift+N Shift+N
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add hairpin: crescendo < <
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add hairpin: decrescendo > >
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add parentheses to element ( (

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score setup and formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add/remove instruments I I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Open instruments dialog F7 Fn+F7
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle visibility of elements V V
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Decrease layout stretch { {
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Increase layout stretch } }
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add/remove system break Return Return
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add/remove page break Ctrl+Return Cmd+Return
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Reset shapes and positions Ctrl+R Cmd+R

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    File Operations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    New Ctrl+N Cmd+N
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Open Ctrl+O Cmd+O
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Close Ctrl+W Cmd+W
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Save Ctrl+S Cmd+S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Save as Ctrl+Shift+S Cmd+Shift+S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Print Ctrl+P Cmd+P
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Quit Ctrl+Q Cmd+Q

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    User interface

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Play Space Space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Show/hide mixer F10 Fn+F10

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessibility

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Next UI group Tab Tab
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Previous UI group Shift+Tab Shift+Tab
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Next UI pane/window F6 Fn+F6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Previous UI pane/window Shift+F6 Shift+Fn+F6

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action Windows/Linux macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Multiinstances Ctrl+F3 Cmd+Fn+F3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Full screen F11 Fn+F11

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Known incompatibilities

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Upgrade from MuseScore 3.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Keyboard Shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See All keyboard shortcuts for MuseScore 4. Here are the common ones that have changed or are entirely new:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Action MuseScore 3 MuseScore 4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Add tied note + T
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Next Measure (Chord Symbol Entry) Tab Ctrl/Cmd+→
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Previous Measure (Chord Symbol Entry) Shift+Tab Ctrl/Cmd+←
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: flat None -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: natural None =
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toggle accidental: sharp None +
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Edit element Alt+Shift+E F2 or Alt+Shift+E
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert special characters... F2 Shift+F2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to next UI pane None F6 or ` (backtick / grave accent)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump to previous UI pane None Shift+F6 or Shift+`
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Show / hide selection filter F6 None

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Upgrade from MuseScore 2.x or 1.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Handbook for MuseScore 3.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Handbook for MuseScore 2.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Handbook for MuseScore 1.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Glossary

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Acciaccatura
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Acciaccatura A short grace note which appears as a small note with a stroke through the stem. It is quickly executed and technically takes no value from its associated note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accidental
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A sign appearing in front of a note that raises or lowers its pitch. The most common accidentals are sharps, flats or naturals, but double sharps and double flats are also used. Also koron, and sori and other quarter tone or microtonal accidentals. Accidentals affect all notes on the same staff position only for the remainder of the measure in which they occur, but they can be canceled by another accidental. In notes tied across a barline, the accidental continues across the barline to the tied note, but not to later untied notes on the same staff position in that measure.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ambitus
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note (or vocal) range used in a staff. Used particularly in early music.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Anacrusis (mostly BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See Pickup measure.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Anchor
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The point of attachment to the score of objects such as Text and Lines: When the object is dragged, the anchor appears as small brown circle connected to the object by a dotted line. Depending on the object selected, its anchor may be attached to either (a) a note (e.g. fingering), (b) a staff line (e.g. staff text), or (c) a barline (e.g. repeats).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Appoggiatura
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A long grace note which takes value from its associated note. Its functions include: passing tone, anticipation, struck suspension, and escape tone.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Arpeggio
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An arpeggio tells the performer to break up the chord into the constituent notes, playing them separately and one after the other. An arrow on the arpeggio indicates the direction in which the player should play the notes of the chord.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Arpeggio

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    B

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Bar (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See measure.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Barline
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Vertical line through a staff, staves, or a full system that separates measures.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Beam
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notes with a duration of an eighth or shorter either carry a flag or a beam. Beams are used for grouping notes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    BPM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Beats Per Minute is the unit for measuring tempo, traditionally counted in quarter note durations. See metronome mark
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Breve
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Brevis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A double whole note or breve is a note that has the duration of two whole notes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    C

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Caesura
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A caesura (//) is a brief, silent pause. Time is not counted for this period, and music resumes when the director signals.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Caesura
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cent
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An interval equal to one hundredth of a semitone.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chord
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A group of two or more notes sounding together. To select a chord in MuseScore, press Shift and click on a note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Clef
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sign at the beginning of a staff](#staff), used to tell which are the musical notes on the lines and in the spaces.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Some transposing instruments make use of octave transposing clefs or have different clefs in concert pitch vs. transposing pitch.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also Courtesy clef.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Concert pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. The sounding, or real pitch of a note—as opposed to the written pitch. See Working with transposing instruments.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. A score viewing mode in Musescore, see Concert pitch box in the status bar.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    3. The frequency of A4.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Courtesy clef
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A reduced-size clef applied to the end of a system indicating a clef change at the start of the next system.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cross-staff notation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A musical phrase extending across two neighboring staffs: e.g. bass staff and treble staff.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To notate crossbeams3.png, see Cross-staff notation.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To notate longstem2.png, see How to span a chord or stem over two staves.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Crotchet (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See Quarter note.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    D

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Double Flat
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A double flat (♭♭ or 𝄫) is a sign that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be lowered two semitones.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Double Sharp
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A double sharp (♯♯ or 𝄪) is a sign that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be raised two semitones.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Demisemiquaver (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A thirty-second note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Duplet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See tuplet.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dynamic
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A symbol indicating the relative loudness of a note or phrase of music—such as mf (mezzoforte), p (piano), f (forte) etc., starting at that note.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    E

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Edit mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The program mode in which you can either edit text in text objects; or which allows you to move non-text objects with the keyboard arrows (where this is disallowed in normal mode). There are a number of ways to enter this mode, after clicking on the desired object: (1) Double-click (text only); (2) Press F2 or Alt+Shift+E; (3) Right-click and choose "Edit element".
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Eighth note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A note whose duration is an eighth of a whole note (semibreve). Same as a quaver (BE).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Endecalineo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    endecalineo.png
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Endecalineo or endecagram, the stave for Solfège. See Solmisation (tutorial for MuseScore 3, pending update)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Endings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See volta.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enharmonic notes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notes that sound the same pitch but are written differently. Example: G♯ and A♭ are enharmonic notes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Explode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    explode.png
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A feature that allows the user to split (or explode) the chords in a passage of music in a single staff into their constituent notes or voices. See Implode and explode.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also, Implode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    F

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See beam.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Flat
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sign (♭) that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be lowered one semitone.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    G

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Grace note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Grace notes appear as small notes in front of a normal-sized main note. See acciaccatura and appoggiatura.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Grand Staff (AE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Great Stave (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An instrument or part with two or more staves, featuring treble and bass clefs, used to notate music for keyboard instruments and the harp.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    H

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Half Note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A note whose duration is half of a whole note (semibreve). Same as a minim (BE).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hemidemisemiquaver (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A sixty-fourth note.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Implode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    implode.png
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A feature allowing the user to combine voices from separate staves onto one staff. See Implode and explode. This is similar to, but not exactly, score reduction (wikipedia).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also, Explode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Interval
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The difference in pitch between two notes, expressed in terms of the scale degree (e.g. major second, minor third, perfect fifth etc.). See Degree (Music) (Wikipedia).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Interleaved
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    interleaved.png A term used to describe two interlocking, oppositely-beamed sets of notes. To create, use the voice function and the beam palette. See Interleaved beam directions

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    J

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In MuseScore, "jumps" are notations such as "D.S. al Coda", found in the "Repeats & Jumps" palette.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    K

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Key Signature
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set of sharps or flats at the beginning of the staves. It gives an idea about the tonality and avoids repeating those signs all along the staff.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A key signature with B flat means F major or D minor tonality.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Koron
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An Iranian accidental which lowers the pitch of a note by a quarter tone (in comparison to the flat which lowers a note by a semitone). It is possible to use this accidental in a key signature.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also Sori.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    L

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Local time signature
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    localts.png
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The time signature on a single staff when different from the overall score time signature. See Adding a local time signature for a single staff.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Longa
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A longa is a quadruple whole note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ledger Line (AE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Leger Line (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Line(s) that are added with and for notes above or below the staff.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    M

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure (AE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A segment of time defined by a given number of beats. Dividing music into measures provides regular reference points to pinpoint locations within a piece of music. Same as → bar (BE).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Metronome mark
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Metronome marks are usually given by a note length equaling a certain playback speed in →BPM. In MuseScore, metronome marks are used in Tempo texts.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Minim (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →Half note.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    N

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Natural
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A natural (♮) is a sign that cancels a previous alteration on notes of the same pitch.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The operating mode of MuseScore outside note input mode or edit mode: press Esc to enter it. In Normal mode you can navigate through the score, select and move elements, adjust Inspector properties, and alter the pitches of existing notes.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The program mode used for entering music notation. Enter it by pressing N or clicking on the pen icon in the note input toolbar.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    O

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Operating System (OS)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Underlying software that controls and manages the hardware and other software on a computer. Popular OSes are Microsoft Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ossia
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ossia.png
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An alternative passage which may be played instead of the original passage (from the Italian for "alternatively", meaning "or be it"). See How to create an ossia with another staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    P

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Part
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. In MuseScore, the music notation for an individual instrument staff extracted from the main score. See Parts.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. A single melody line in a polyphonic musical composition. MuseScore 4 never uses this definition, but there is a similar feature Voice.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    3. Instrument(s) or their staves. MuseScore 4 never uses this definition.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pickup Measure (mostly AE, also known as an Anacrusis (mostly BE) or Upbeat)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Incomplete first measure of a piece or a →section of a piece of music. See Measure duration and Create new score: Pickup measure and also Exclude from measure count. May or may not be compensated for at the end of the score or section.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Q

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Quadruplet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →tuplet.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Quarter note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A note whose duration is a quarter of a whole note (semibreve). Same as a crotchet (BE).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Quaver (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →eighth note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Quintuplet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →tuplet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    R

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Respell Pitches
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tries to guess the right accidentals for the whole score (see Accidentals).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rest
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Interval of silence of a specified duration.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Re-pitch mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Allows you to rewrite an existing passage of music by changing the note pitches without altering the rhythm.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    S

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Section
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In MuseScore, a region of the score between section breaks; also from the start of a score to the first section break, and from the last section break to the end of the score.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Semibreve (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A whole note (AE). It lasts a whole measure in 4/4 time.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Semiquaver (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A sixteenth note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Semihemidemisemiquaver (Quasihemidemisemiquaver) (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A hundred and twenty eighth note.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sextuplet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →tuplet.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    SF2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A virtual instrument format developed by E-mu Systems and Creative Labs. See SoundFonts.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    SF3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An invention of Werner Schweer, the Musescore developer (source). This format supports sound sample compression. See SoundFonts.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Shared note head
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    sharednotehead2.png A single notehead with two beams—one up, one down. Especially common in guitar music, for example. See Noteheads
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sharp
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sign (♯) that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be raised one semitone.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slash chord
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See Slash chord (Wikipedia).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slash notation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A form of music notation using slash marks placed on or above/below the staff to indicate the rhythm of an accompaniment: often found in association with chord symbols. There are two types: (1) Slash notation consists of a rhythm slash on each beat: the exact interpretation is left to the player (see Fill with slashes); (2) Rhythmic slash notation indicates the precise rhythm for the accompaniment (see Toggle rhythmic slash notation).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slur
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A curved line over or under two or more notes, meaning that the notes will be played smooth and connected (legato).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also →tie.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Solmisation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    see Endecalineo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sori
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    An Iranian →accidental which raises the pitch of a note by a quarter tone (in comparison to the sharp which raises it by a semitone). It is possible to use this accidental in a →key signature.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also →Koron.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    SoundFont
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A virtual instrument format supported by MuseScore. A SoundFont is a special type of file (extension .sf2, or .sf3 if compressed) containing sound samples of one or more musical instruments. In effect, a virtual synthesizer which acts as a sound source for MIDI files. MuseScore 4 comes with its own native soundfont, MS Basic.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Spatium (plural: Spatia) / Space / Staff Space / sp. (abbr./unit)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The distance between the midpoints of two lines of a music staff (or one-quarter the size of the full five-line staff, assuming a hypothetical staff line thickness of 0). The sizes of most elements in the score are based on this setting (see Page settings).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff / Staffs
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A set of lines and spaces, each representing a pitch, on which music is written. In period music notation (before 11th century) the staff may have any number of lines.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff Space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See Spatium (above).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stave / Staves (BE)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See Staff (above).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Step-time input
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    MuseScore's default note input mode, allowing you to enter music notation one note (or rest) at a time.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    System
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Set of staves to be read simultaneously in a score.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also →Operating System (OS).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    T

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tie

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A curved line between two adjacent notes of the same pitch to indicate a single note of combined duration:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Quarter note + Tie + Quarter note = Half note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Quarter note + Tie + Eighth note = Dotted Quarter note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Quarter note + Tie + Eighth note + Tie + 16th note = Double Dotted Quarter note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      See also →slur.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Transposition

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. The tune is too low or too high for a singer. In this case the whole orchestra will have to be transposed as well—easily done using MuseScore.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. The part is written for a particular instrument but needs to be played by a different one.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    3. The score is written for an orchestra and you want to hear what the individual instruments sound like. This requires changing the transposing instrument parts to concert pitch.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    4. A darker or a more brilliant sound is desired.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Triplet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →tuplet.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tuplet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A tuplet divides its next higher note value by a number of notes other than given by the time signature. For example a →triplet divides the next higher note value into three parts, rather than two. Tuplets may be: →triplets, →duplets, →quintuplets, and other.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    U

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Upbeat
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See →pickup measure.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    V

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Velocity
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The velocity property controls how loudly the note is played, from 0 (silent) to 127 (maximum). This usage of the term comes from MIDI Velocity: on a keyboard instrument, it is the speed with which a key is pressed that controls its volume.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Voice
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. In Musescore, voice is a software feature, you can use up to 4 voices per staff, see When to use Voices, also see →staff.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. The musical term "voice" refers to a musical line or part which can have its own rhythm. MuseScore does not have a feature to implement the exact same idea, if the voice feature does not suit your need, try adding separate instruments instead.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Volta
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In a repeated section of music, it is common for the last few measures of the section to differ. Markings called voltas are used to indicate how the section is to be ended each time. These markings are often referred to simply as →endings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    W

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Written pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    (to be added)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    External links

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • http://www.robertcarney.net/musical-terms-definitions.htm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Full Table of Contents

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing the Handbook

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Introduction to MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Download and installation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Windows

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    macOS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Linux

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • AppImage

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    New features in MuseScore 4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    New user interface

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Instruments and parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Inspector

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    New playback and VSTi support

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Engraving improvements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cloud storage

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other changes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Create your first score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering score information

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding items from the palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Making adjustments in Properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Inserting and deleting measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Exporting your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Viewing and navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessibility

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setup

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Windows
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • NVDA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • JAWS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Narrator
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Linux

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with the user interface

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The user interface

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Navigating your score

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Mouse wheel
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Element navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Navigator

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Timeline

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Views

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Page view
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Continuous view (horizontal)
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Zoom

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Zoom in
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Status bar zoom controls
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Restoring 100% zoom

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Find/Go to

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Navigating to a numbered measure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Navigating to a numbered page
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Navigating to a numerical rehearsal mark
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Navigating to an alphabetic rehearsal mark

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Timeline

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Meta labels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Instrument labels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Meta rows
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Main grid

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Meta elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Basic interactions

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting a measure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting multiple measures
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Drag selection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • [Shift] selection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • [Ctrl] selection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Clearing a selection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Meta values selection

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Scrolling

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Standard scrolling
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • [Shift] scrolling
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • [Alt] scrolling
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Dragging

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Labels interaction

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Rearranging meta labels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Collapsing the meta labels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Hiding instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Zooming

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Context menus

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Meta labels context menu
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Meta rows context menu
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Instrument context menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Basics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setting up your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Choose instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Adding instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Changing order of instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Removing instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Create from template

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Additional score information

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Key signature
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Time signature
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tempo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Measures
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Title and other text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing instruments after score creation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering notes and rests

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting a start point
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Selecting pitch using the computer keyboard
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Selecting pitch using the mouse
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Selecting pitch using a MIDI keyboard
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Selecting pitch using the virtual piano keyboard

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering chords

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering rests

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accidentals

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting an accidental before entering a pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding an accidental after entering a pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding courtesy/cautionary accidentals

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with multiple voices

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering notes and rests in multiple voices

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing notes and rests in multiple voices

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjusting rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Hiding or deleting rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Positioning rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing voice of existing notes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Combining voices into chords

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Alternative note input methods

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessing alternative note input methods

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rhythm only

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Re-pitch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Real-time

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Real-time (metronome)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Real-time (foot pedal)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Real-time Advance shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Insert

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding and removing measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Inserting measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • The Properties panel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Note input toolbar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Menu bar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Inserting measures with keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Deleting measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Remove empty trailing measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting a single element

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Notes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Chords
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Overlapping elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting a list of individual elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting multiple elements manually
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting similar elements automatically

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting a range of measures and staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting a range by dragging
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting a range by clicking
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting a range using the keyboard
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Special range selections

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Excluding elements from a range selection

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing notes and rests

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Making changes in note input mode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing duration in note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing pitch in note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replacing notes and rests in note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Deleting notes in note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Moving notes in note input mode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Making changes in normal mode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing duration in normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Changing selected notes to a specific note value
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Increasing or decreasing the duration of a selected note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Doubling or halving all note values in a range selection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing pitch in normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Deleting notes and rests in normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Removing notes and rests and their associated time
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding ties in normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing voice in normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Moving selected notes into another voice
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Exchanging the contents of two voices

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Copy and paste

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessing the commands

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Copying a range

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Copying a single element or list of elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Moving elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Swapping a selection with the clipboard

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeating a selection

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Copying a selection to multiple staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Paste half/double duration

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Duplicating individual elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using the palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessing the palettes panel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding palette items to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Items applied to individual score elements
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Items applied to ranges
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Items applied to full measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Expanding and collapsing palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Searching and navigating the palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Search
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessing more palette items

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding more palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Properties panel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessing the Properties panel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Global settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Show
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Score appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    General settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Visible
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Auto-place
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Cue size

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Playback settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Appearance settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Leading space
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Measure width
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Minimum distance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Offset
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Snap to grid
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Arrange
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Color

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving and restoring default settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adjusting elements directly

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the position of elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the shape of elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the range of a line
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating diagonal lines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Editing line text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Opening a part

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Closing a part

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating custom parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Reveal instruments in default parts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Create a new part
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Choose which voices appear in each part

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Applying styles to parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Renaming, duplicating and deleting parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Exporting and printing parts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Default keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Page navigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Score navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tablature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Notation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Manual adjustment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Formatting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Lyrics
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other score elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score setup and formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    File Operations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    User interface

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notation: Instruments, staves, and systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Accessing the panel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Deleting instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the order of instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Instrument settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Hiding/showing instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Renaming instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Replacing instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding and configuring staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To add a staff to an existing instrument
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To add a linked staff to an existing instrument
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Configuring a staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Showing staves only where needed

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hiding empty staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Hiding all empty staves
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Excluding specific staves from being hidden

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Temporary staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cutaway staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ossia

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other invisible measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Implode and explode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Implode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Combine notes from multiple voices in a single staff into one voice
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Combine notes from multiple staves into multiple voices on a single staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Explode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Copy passage of single notes to multiple staves
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Separate passage of chords into constituent notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mid-score instrument changes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding an instrument change

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with instrument changes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Removing an instrument change
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Re-labelling an instrument change
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Instrument changes in the mixer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing staff type

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff type change

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a staff type change

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setting staff properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff/Part properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advanced style properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Template (all staves)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Standard and Percussion staff options only
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tablature options only
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Fret Marks tab
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Note Values tab

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Part properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Instrument
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Names
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Usable pitch range
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transposition
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Strings and frets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Brackets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding brackets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing brackets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing bracket type
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing bracket span

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Deleting brackets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing bracket appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notation: Rhythm, meter, and measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Time signatures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setting the initial time signature for your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a time signature change to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Deleting a time signature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Controlling the visibility of time signatures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a custom time signature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a local time signature for a single staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Time signature properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Appearance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Beam Groups

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Time signature style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stems and flags

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stem direction

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Default stem direction
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Flipping stem direction

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing stem length

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating stemless notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stem and flag properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stem and flag style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Beams

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Controlling which notes are beamed

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Setting the default beaming for a time signature
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the beaming for selected notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Controlling the appearance of beams

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the angle of a selected beam
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating a feathered beam

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Beam properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Beam style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Regroup rhythms

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Regrouping rhythms

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tuplets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating tuplets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Simple tuplets
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • In note input mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • In normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Consecutive tuplets
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Custom tuplets
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Nested tuplets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the display of tuplets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tuplet properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tuplet style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Barlines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding double and other special barlines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing barline type for all staves
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing barline type for a single staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding mid-measure barlines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing barline length

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Extending all barlines in a staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Extending selected barlines in a staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating partial barlines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating barlines between staves only (Mensurstrich)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Barline properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Barline style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure numbering

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Showing and hiding measure numbers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Showing measure numbers automatically
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Showing measure numbers manually
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Hiding measure numbers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the measure number sequence

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Excluding a measure from the count
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Altering the numbering of a measure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Resetting measure numbering for a new section

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the position of measure numbers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure number properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure number style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure rests and multimeasure rests

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure rest

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Multimeasure rest

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Enabling and disabling multimeasure rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Breaking multimeasure rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Multimeasure rest properties
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Multimeasure rest style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pickup and non-metered measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a pickup measure

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Specifying the pickup duration during score creation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Converting a measure into a pickup

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating non-metered measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Inserting notes and rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Using a keyboard shortcut
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Using Insert mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Joining measures
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Splitting a measure

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Opening and using the dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure duration

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notation: Pitch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Clefs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setting the initial clef for a staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding or changing a clef

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add/Change a start clef
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add/Change a mid-measure clef

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Delete

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Controlling the visibility of clefs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Standard clefs
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Courtesy clefs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Clefs and transposition

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using octave clefs
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using different clefs for transposed and concert pitch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Clef properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Clef style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Key signatures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setting the initial key signature for your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a key signature change to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a local key signature for a single staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting a key signature for a single staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Replacing an existing key signature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Deleting a key signature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Controlling the visibility of key signatures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Key signatures and transposing instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Open/Atonal key signature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a custom key signature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Key signature properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Key signature style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Format→Style→Page
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Format→Style→Accidentals
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Format→Style→Measure

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Transposition

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Transposing with keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transpose chromatically
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transpose diatonically
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transpose by an octave

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using the transpose dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transpose Chromatically
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • To transpose chromatically to a specific key:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • To transpose chromatically by interval
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transpose Diatonically

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with transposing instruments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transposed and concert pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Setting the interval of transposition
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Controlling enharmonic spelling

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Octave lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding an octave line to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Octave line properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Style tab
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text tab

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Octave line style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Noteheads

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing notehead direction

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing notehead shape

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sharing noteheads between voices

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Notehead sharing rules
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change offset noteheads to a shared notehead
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Shared noteheads in tablature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Alternative notehead systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding pitch and velocity information to notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notehead properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ambitus

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding an ambitus to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the range of an ambitus

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ambitus properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Respell pitches

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Manually changing the enharmonic spelling of notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Automatically respelling all notes in a selection

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Respell pitches

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notation: Expressive markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Articulations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding articulations to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Toolbar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Articulations palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Articulations playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Articulation properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Articulation style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dynamics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding dynamics to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Dynamics palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Custom dynamics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of dynamics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dynamics properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dynamics style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hairpins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of hairpin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a hairpin to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Lines palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of hairpins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Range
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Height
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Set at angle
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Other adjustments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of hairpins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hairpin properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Style tab
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text tab

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hairpin style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slurs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a slur to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding slurs in normal mode
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Method 1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Method 2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding slurs in note input mode

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Multi-voice and cross-staff slurs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of slurs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slur properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slur style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Breaths and pauses

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of pauses

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Fermata
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Breath mark
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Caesura

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a pause to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing pause playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pause properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pause style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ornaments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding an ornament to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add an ordinary ornament
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add an ornament line

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding accidentals to ornaments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ornament properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ornament style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Arpeggios and glissandi

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Arpeggios

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding an arpeggio/strum to your score
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjusting the height of an arpeggio/strum
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating multi-voice or cross-staff arpeggios
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Multi-voice arpeggios
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Cross-staff arpeggios
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing playback of arpeggios
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Arpeggio style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Glissandi

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding a glissando to your score
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Editing range of a glissando
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing appearance of glissandi
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing playback of glissandi
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Glissando properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Bends

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Types of bends
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding a bend to your score
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing appearance of bends

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Grace notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of grace notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a grace note to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add grace note with keyboard shortcut
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add grace note from palette

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Multiple grace notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Sequential grace notes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Grace note chords

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing grace notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change pitch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of grace notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Grace note style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tremolo and rolls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of tremolo and rolls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Single note tremolo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tremolo between notes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Buzz roll

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tremolo to a single note

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tremolo between notes/chords

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of tremolos

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a line to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adjusting a line

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Guitar-related lines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tempo lines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Staff and System Text lines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Trill lines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Standard lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Line properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Style tab
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text tab

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Line style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The Symbols palette

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • View
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Search

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add a symbol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add to other symbols
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Reposition symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notation: Repeats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeat signs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding repeat signs to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Simple repeats
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Multiple ending repeats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of repeat signs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of repeat signs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeat properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeat style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Voltas

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding voltas to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of voltas

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of voltas

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Volta properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Voltas style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a jump or marker to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of jumps and markers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump and marker properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jump and marker style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure and multi-measure repeats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a measure or multi-measure repeat to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure repeat properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Measure repeat style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeat playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Turning repeat playback on and off

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Unrolling repeats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Idiomatic notation: Keyboard

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pedal

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of pedal markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding pedal markings to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating pedal changes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pedal properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pedal style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cross-staff notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating cross-staff notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of cross-staff notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accordion notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding accordion symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Idiomatic notation: Guitar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fretboard diagrams

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a fretboard diagram to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Chord symbols linked to fretboard diagrams

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a custom fretboard diagram

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Finger markers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Alternative notation styles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fretboard diagram appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fretboard diagram properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General (tab)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Settings (tab)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fretboard diagram style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Guitar techniques

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a bend symbol to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Apply a bend
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Edit bend
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjust bend height
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Reposition bend

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tremolo bar symbol to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a slide to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add a slide
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Edit properties
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjust start and end points of a slide

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a barre line to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding hammer-on and pull-off symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notating harmonics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Standard staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tablature
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Staff/Tablature pairs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Notating guitar fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a tablature staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of tablature staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tablature staff to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add tablature using the New Score dialog
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add tablature using the "Add or remove Instruments" dialog
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change an existing staff from standard to tablature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating paired standard and tablature staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Create paired standard/tab staves using the New Score Wizard
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Create paired standard/tab staves using the Instruments dialog

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering and editing tablature notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Computer keyboard entry

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mouse entry

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting note duration

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Period tablature notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing tablature notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Moving the fretmark to a different string
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Crosshead/Ghost notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing a tablature staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing tuning

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding or removing strings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add a string
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Delete a string

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mark unfretted string “open”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Change number of instrument frets

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing tablature staff type

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change staff type from Instruments panel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change staff type from Staff/Part properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing appearance of tablature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Idiomatic notation: Percussion

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering and editing percussion notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Types of percussion staves
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding a percussion staff to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering notes and rests in percussion staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Mouse entry using the Drum input palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using keyboard shortcuts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using a MIDI controller
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using the on-screen piano keyboard

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Drumset customization

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Introduction

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing a drumset definition

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Selecting a sound
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Defining the note
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Name
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Noteheads
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Other properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving and loading drumset definitions

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other percussion notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Diddles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pedal lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rolls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sticking

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Alternative notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a mensural time signature to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using mensural note symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with non-metered music

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with Mensurstrich

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding barlines between staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Displaying note values across measure boundaries

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Slash notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Filling a range with beat slashes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating rhythmic slash notation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Accompaniment rhythms on the staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Accent rhythms above or below the staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Custom staff types

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing appearance of staff lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing appearance of generated elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing appearance of notes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing staff type mid-score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering and editing text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add text from a palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add text from a menu
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Add text using a shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Keyboard shortcuts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Special characters

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Formatting text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview—levels of formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text style
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text object properties
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Character formatting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Formatting hierarchy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Applying text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Apply to a text object
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Apply to characters

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Setting style defaults

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting different text styles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Position

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff and system text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding staff text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding expression text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding system text to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeating system text on other staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff and system text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff and system text style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a tempo mark to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using metronome markings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using text markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of tempo markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing playback of tempo markings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Metronome marks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tempo text
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tempo change lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeating tempo markings on other staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tempo style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding lyrics to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering syllables
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering a melisma
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering multiple verses
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering lyrics onto rests
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Special characters within lyrics
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Elision slur
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Escaping characters (that cannot be normally typed while entering Lyrics)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing existing lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Delete lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Entering lyrics above the staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing verse number of lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Copying lyrics

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Copying lyrics within MuseScore
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Copy to the same verse
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Copy to a different verse
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Copying lyrics to other programs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lyrics style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Types of fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding fingering to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding fingering from a palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding fingering using a keyboard shortcut
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding fingering using the menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adjusting position

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the appearance of fingering

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fingering properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fingering style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding chord symbols to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering a chord symbol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Navigation commands
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Chord symbol syntax
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Editing a chord symbol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering Roman numeral analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Enter RNA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Examples of RNA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering a Nashville number

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Aligning chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using the Style menu
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Using the Properties panel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Transposition of chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transposing instruments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Transpose dialog
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Capo fret position

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing Spelling of Chord Symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Chord Spelling Systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Automatic Capitalization

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of chord symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing Playback of Chord Symbols

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Enabling and disabling playback
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Customizing playback
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Generating chord voicings onto a staff

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chord symbol properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chord symbol style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Appearance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Spelling
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Positioning
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Figured bass

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding figured bass to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering a figure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text format
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Digits
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Accidentals
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Combined shapes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Parentheses
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Editing existing figured basses
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Navigating by note, beat, or measure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Entering continuation lines

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Figured bass properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Figured bass style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Figured bass keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a rehearsal mark to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Manual placement and naming
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Automatic placement and naming

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using measure numbers in rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Resequencing rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Finding rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Repeating rehearsal marks on other staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing appearance of rehearsal marks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rehearsal mark properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rehearsal mark style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    External links

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Header and footer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a header or footer to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using metadata

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing how headers and footers are displayed

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Header and footer properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Header and footer style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text blocks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding text blocks to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the appearance of text blocks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text block text properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text block text style

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Page layout concepts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Definitions

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Grand staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • System
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Frame
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Margin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Positioning of elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Default position

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Auto-place

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Vertical collision avoidance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Horizontal collision avoidance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Vertical alignment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Disabling auto-place

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Manual adjustment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Manual alignment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score size and spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Page settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Page and margin sizes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Staff size
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Other settings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Actions

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Style settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Horizontal spacing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Vertical spacing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Music margins
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Distance between staves within systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Distance between systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staff/part properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Systems and horizontal spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Features

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • System breaks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Layout stretch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Horizontal frames
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Keep measures on the same system

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tasks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Placing fewer measures on a system
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Placing more measures on a system
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Changing the relative spacing of measures within a system
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating space between measures
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating space at the beginning or end of a system
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjusting the width of the final system
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Group measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pages and vertical spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Features

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Page breaks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Spacers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Vertical frames
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • System dividers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tasks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Placing fewer systems on a page
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Placing more systems on a page
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjusting the spacing on sparse pages
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjusting space between specific systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adjusting space between specific staves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using frames for additional content

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding frames between or after systems

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Text frames
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Adding text
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Vertical frames
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Adding text
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Adding images
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Size
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Position and alignment of content
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Spacing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding frames between measures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding text
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding images
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Size
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Spacing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Other frame properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with images

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding images

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Frames
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Other elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Image properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using sections for multiple movements or songs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Features
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Time and key signatures

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding section breaks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Section break properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Pause
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Instrument names
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Bar numbers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sound and playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Playback controls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Playback commands

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Start/stop
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • To play back all the instrument parts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • To play back selected instrument parts only
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • To stop playback
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Rewind
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Loop
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Metronome
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Play position and tempo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other commands

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Enable MIDI input
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Play repeats
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Pan score automatically
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Enable count-in

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mixer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Opening the mixer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mixer controls

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Audio FX and sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To load a VST plugin
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To disable a VST plugin
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To remove a VST Audio FX plugin
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To replace a sound plugin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    SoundFonts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Install a SoundFont

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Drag and drop installation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • File directory installation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Uninstall a SoundFont

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A note on the Zerberus player and SFZs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Installing Muse Sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Installation via Muse Hub

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Using Muse Sounds in MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Available sounds in Muse Sounds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Choir
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Strings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Brass
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Percussion
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Keys
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Harp

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Piano roll editor

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Capo playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a capo marking to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To a single staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • To a staff / tablature pair

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Swing playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding a swing or straight marking to your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing swing playback

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with MIDI

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with VSTi

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Introduction to VSTi Plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Enabling, disabling, removing and replacing VST plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    File management

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Opening and saving scores

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Opening a score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • File → Open
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • File → Open recent
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Home tab → Scores

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Import file formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving a score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Save to your computer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Save to the cloud
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Name
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Visibility
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Never
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Always
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Every x saves

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    File export

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Exporting your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    File formats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Graphical formats
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Audio formats
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • MIDI format
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Score formats
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Customizing export settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    MIDI import

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Working with MusicXML files

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cleaning up an imported score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Preparing a score for export

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Backup and recovered files

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Project properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing score properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding new properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Accessing project properties in your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score comparison

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Publish to musescore.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a MuseScore account

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving only to Musescore.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Publish locally saved scores

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Visibility in score manager

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customization

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Language

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Change language
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Update translations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • See also

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Theme and Colors

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fonts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toolbars and windows

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Toolbars

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Showing and hiding toolbars
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Rearranging toolbars
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • The Play toolbar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • The Note input toolbar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • The Status Bar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Windows and Panels

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • The Score Window
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Docking and undocking Property, Instrument and Palette panels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Customizing contents of panels

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Templates and styles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Templates

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Saving your score as a template
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Creating a score from your template

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Style files

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Saving style settings for your score to a file
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Loading style settings into your score from a file
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Setting a default style for your score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Adding palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hiding and deleting palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing the order of palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Customizing palette contents

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding elements from the master palette
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Adding elements from your score
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Moving elements between palettes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Deleting elements from palettes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Resetting palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saving and loading palettes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Palettes menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Palette properties

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Workspaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Creating a new workspace

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Deleting a workspace

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Switching between workspaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Changing workspace settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sharing workspaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Defining a shortcut

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Resetting and clearing shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Importing and exporting shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Preferences

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    General

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Appearance

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Canvas

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    MIDI device mapping

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I/O

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Import

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Update

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advanced

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Managing plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Installing a new plugin
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Enabling and disabling plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Running a plugin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pre-installed plugins

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Support

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Getting help

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Learn

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Forums

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Issue tracker

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    GitHub

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mastering MuseScore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Revert to factory settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Overview

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Reverting to factory settings from the menu

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Reverting to factory settings from the command line

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Windows
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • macOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Linux

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Troubleshooting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Installation issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Display issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sound issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Printing issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Known incompatibilities

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Appendix

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Command line usage

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    All keyboard shortcuts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Keyboard Map

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Page navigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Score navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Note input

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Tablature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Selecting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Editing

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Duration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Pitch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Notation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Manual adjustment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Text

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • General
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Formatting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Lyrics
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other score elements

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Score setup and formatting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    File Operations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    User interface

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Playback
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Accessibility
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Other

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Known incompatibilities

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Upgrade from MuseScore 3.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Upgrade from MuseScore 2.x or 1.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Handbook for MuseScore 3.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Handbook for MuseScore 2.x

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Handbook for MuseScore 1.x

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • External links