This handbook is for MuseScore version 0.9.2 and above. In order to help improving or translating the handbook, leave a post in the MuseScore documentation forum and apply to become a handbook contributor.
This chapter helps you install and run MuseScore for the first time. The chapter will also show you how to create a new score.
You will find the Windows installer on the Download page of the MuseScore website. Click on the link to start the download. Your Internet browser will confirm that you want to download this file. Click "Save File".
When the download finishes double click on the file to start the installation. Windows may open a security window and ask you to confirm before running the software. Click "Run" to continue.
The installer recommends that you close all other applications before continuing. After you close the other applications click "Next" to continue.
The setup wizard displays the terms of the free software license which you may review. Click "I Agree" to continue.
Next it confirms the location for installing MuseScore. If you are installing a newer version of MuseScore but still want to keep the old version on your computer then you should change the folder. Otherwise click "Next" to continue.
Next it confirms the name for the MuseScore folder that appears in the Windows Start menu list of programs. Click "Install" to continue.
Give the setup wizard a few minutes to install the necessary files and configurations. When it is done click "Finish" to exit the installer. If you wish, you may now delete the installer file you downloaded.
To start MuseScore choose Start → All Programs → MuseScore 0.9 → MuseScore.
After several seconds MuseScore will open up to the demo score. Feel free to experiment with the demo score and get the feel of the program. Next you may want to create your own score.
This guide is written primarily for users of the K Desktop Environment (KDE), used in Linux systems such as SUSE or Kubuntu, with instructions in brackets (...) for users of the GNOME Desktop Environment, used in Linux systems such as Ubuntu or Fedora.
The project source is available at http://www.musescore.org/en/download but you will usually find a suitable binary package in the repository of your distribution.
In Ubuntu, MuseScore is located in the "universe" repository. The universe repository must be enabled, if you want to install MuseScore.
To output sounds you have the option to use ALSA or the JACK sound server. Which one works (better) depends on the individual system.
Follow these steps to install MuseScore:
Open the "JACK Audio Connection Kit" and select Setup.
Follow these steps to set up MuseScore:
sudo modprobe snd-seq sudo su -c 'echo snd-seq >> /etc/modules'
From the main menu choose File → New.... This opens the new score wizard.
Enter the title, composer, or any other information as shown above. Notice the two options at the bottom:
The first option offers a list of ready-made scores in the next screen. The second option gives you the full choice of instruments in the next screen. Templates are discussed in more detail below, but for now choose "Create new score from scratch."
Click "Next" to continue.
The instrument window is divided into two columns. The first column lists instruments or voice parts to choose from. The second column is initially empty but will soon contain a list of the instruments for your new score.
The instrument list in the first column is categorized into instrument families. Double click a category to show the full list of instruments in each family. Select an instrument and click "Add". The instrument you selected now appears in the second column. You can add more instruments or voice parts if needed.
The order of the instruments in the second column determines the order they appear in the score. To change the order click on an instrument name and use the "Up" or "Down" buttons to move it higher or lower. When you are done click "Next".
If you are using the latest version of MuseScore the wizard asks for a key signature. Select the key signature you need and click "Next" to continue.
If you are using version 0.9.2 or earlier the wizard does not ask for a key signature so you may ignore this step.
Set the time signature to the numbers you want. If your piece begins with a pickup then mark the "Pickup measure" checkbox and adjust pickup time signature to indicate the actual duration of the first measure.
If you know approximately how many measures you need you can specify that here. Otherwise you can add or delete measure later.
Click "Finish" to create your new score.
You can change any settings specified during the new score wizard even after you start working on the score.
See also: Key signature, time signature, clef.
The first screen of the new score wizard has an option to "Create new score from template" (see Title and other text above for details). To create a score using this method select the template option and click "Next" to continue.
The next screen shows a list of templates. Select a template and click "Next". Continue and finish the new score wizard as usual.
The template files are normal MuseScore files stored in the template folder. You can create your own templates by saving MuseScore files to the template folder. On Windows the template folder is usually located at C:\Program Files\MuseScore 0.9\templates. On Linux look under /usr/share/mscore-xxx if you installed from the package manager. If you compiled mscore on Linux then look under /usr/local/share/mscore-xxx.
The "Getting started" chapter above guides you through the Installation and process for creating a new score. The "Basics" chapter gives an overview of MuseScore and describes the general methods for interacting with the score.
Notes are entered in Note entry mode. First select a note or rest as start position for note entry. When entering notes you are always replacing existing notes or rests. So the duration of a measure does not change.
After entering Note entry mode you should select the duration of the note you want to enter by selecting a value from the note palette or by the corresponding keyboard shortcut.
In version 0.9.4 and later the keyboard shortcuts for selecting the note duration are:
In version 0.9.3 or earlier the note duration shortcuts involve two keys:
Notes are entered by typing: C D E F G A B C
Space creates a rest: C D Space E
Notes are added to chords by holding Shift and entering a note name: C D Shift+F Shift+A E F
Add an augmentation dot to a note: 5 . C 4 D E F G A (Note: versions 0.9.3 or earlier use different keyboard shortcuts to change note duration. See section above for more information)
To change octaves use the following key combinations:
Other editing commands:
You can also insert pitches using a MIDI keyboard on Windows or Linux as of version 0.9.4. Version 0.9.3 or earlier has support for MIDI keyboard on Linux only.
MuseScore can copy individual notes or large selections of music. The 0.9.4 release includes many improvements to copy-paste including support for shift-drag selections. Copy-paste in versions 0.9.3 or earlier is limited to full measures and difficult to use (see below for instructions).
Many elements in the score can be edited in Edit Mode :
Some elements show handles in edit mode which can be moved by mouse dragging or keyboard commands.
Slur in Edit Mode:
Available keyboard commands:
See also: Text editing, Slur, Bracket, Lines
To add a measure to the end of the piece press Ctr+B (Mac: ⌘+B). To add multiple measures use the menu Create → Measures → Append Measures....
First select a measure then press Ins to insert a new empty measure before the selected one. To insert multiple measures use the menu Create → Measures → Insert Measures....
To delete a measure you have to first select it in a special way. Press Ctr (Mac: ⌘) on the keyboard as you click on an empty part of the measure with the mouse. The measure is marked with a dotted line indicating that you selected a "piece of time". Press Ctr+Click (Mac: ⌘+Click) to extend the selection. Pressing Del (Mac: Fn+Backspace) removes the selected measures.
To edit the properties of a measure right click on an empty part of the measure and select Measure Properties....
The Visible property allows you to show or hide the notes and staff lines for the current measure. The Stemless property allows you to show or hide all note stems for the current measure. Notes that normally have a stem such as half notes (minums) and quarter notes (crotchets) only show the note head when marked as stemless.
The Nominal duration is the time signature that is displayed on the score. You can change the Actual duration of a measure to anything regardless of the time signature displayed on the score. Normally the nominal and actual duration of a measure is identical. A pickup (upbeat) measure can have a shorter actual duration.
An "irregular" measure is not counted in the measure numbering. Normally a pickup measure is marked as "irregular". If you are using version 0.9.4 or earlier and mark a measure as irregular then you may need to save and reload the score before the measure numbers show the change.
If the measure is the end of a repeat you can define how often the repeat should be played.
This property separates a multi-measure rest at the current measure. If the current measure contains a change of time signature then MuseScore marks this property automatically.
You can show or hide the palette using the menu Display → Palette.
You can drag-and-drop palette symbols onto score elements.
Double clicking a palette symbol is equivalent to drag-and-dropping this symbol to each of the selected elements on the score.
For example you can easily put a tenuto on several notes at once:
MuseScore has unlimited undo/redo functions.
The standard shortcuts are:
Or use the toolbar buttons:
A score can be exported via File → Save As... to several different formats:
*.mscz).msc files.*.mscx)*.xml)*.mxl)*.mid)*.pdf)*.ps)*.png)*.svg)*.ly)*.wav)*.flac)*.ogg)In the previous "Basics" chapter you learn how to enter notes and interact with the palette. The "Notation" chapter describes the different types of notation in more detail including more advanced music notation.
Accidentals can be set or changed by dragging an accidental symbol from the accidental palette to a note in the score.
If you only want to change the pitch of a note you can also select the note and press:
MuseScore automatically tries to set an appropriate accidental for the changed pitch. If you need to manually correct an accidental or place an cautionary accidental (editorial accidental), then drag an accidental from the accidental palette to the note. If you later change the pitch with cursor keys, manual settings to the accidental are removed.
The menu function Notes → Pitch spell tries to guess the right accidentals for the whole score.
Arpeggios are set by dragging an arpeggio symbol from the arpeggio palette to a note of a chord.
In version 0.9.5 or later you can edit the length of the arpeggio by double clicking on it and dragging the handle up or down
Bar lines are changed by dragging a bar line symbol from the bar line palette to a bar line in the score.
To hide a bar line entirely right-click on the line and choose Set Invisible.
To extend bar lines over multiple staves double click on a bar line to edit it (see Edit mode).
Click and drag the blue square down to the next staff.
Display of all staff bar lines updates when you leave edit mode.
See also: Measure operations
Beams are set automatically but the automatic setting can be overridden manually. Drag a beam symbol from the beam palette to a note in order to change its beam behavior.
You can also first select a note and then double click the appropriate symbol in the beam palette.
Start a beam at this note.
Do not end a beam a this note.
Do not beam this note.
Start a second level beam at this note.
See also: Cross staff beaming
Select the bracket and press Del
Drag a bracket symbol from the bracket palette to an empty space in the first measure of a system.
Drag a bracket symbol from the bracket palette to an bracket in the score.
In version 0.9.4 or later you can adjust the horizontal placement of a bracket. Double click a bracket and press Shift+Left or Shift+Right to move it left or right.
Double click on a bracket to enter edit mode, In edit mode you can drag the height of a bracket to span arbitrary staves of a system.
To place a breath symbol drag it from the breath palette to a note in the score. The breath symbol is placed before the note.
Breath symbol in score:
Clefs are created or changed by dragging a clef symbol from the clef palette to a measure or another clef. Use F9 to show or hide the palette sidebar.
Drag a clef from the palette onto a clef in the score. You can also drag a clef from the score to another clef of the score by using Shift + leftMouseButton + Drag.
Drag a clef from the palette onto an empty part of a measure. This creates a clef at the beginning of the measure. Drag a clef to a particular note to create a mid-measure clef. If the measure is not the first measure in the staff it is drawn smaller.
Select a clef and press Del.
Note that changing a clef does not change the pitch of any note. Instead the notes are moved.
In piano scores it is common to use both staves (bass and treble clef) to write a musical phrase.
This can be entered in MuseScore as follows:
First enter all notes in one staff:
Ctrl+Shift+Down moves the selected note or chord to the next staff (Mac: ⌘+Shift+Down.)
See also: Bar line for cross-staff bar lines (i.e. grand staff).
Example drum notation:
Notation for drumsets often include upstem and downstem notes happening simultaneously. If are unfamiliar with editing multiple voices in a single staff then see voices for an overview. See below for instructions specific to percussion notation.
The easiest way to add drum notation to your score is via MIDI keyboard. Most MIDI keyboard have percussion markings above each key. If you press the key for high hat then MuseScore will add the correct notation to the score. MuseScore automatically takes care of the stem direction and type of note head.
Note input via mouse is available in version 0.9.4 or later
Short grace notes (Acciaccatura) appear as small notes with a stroke through the stem. Long grace notes (Appoggiatura) have no stroke. Both are placed before the normal-sized main note.
Create a grace note by dragging a grace note symbol from the notes palette to a regular note on the score.
See also: Grace note at Wikipedia
Hairpins are line objects. To create a hairpin first select a note to mark the start point.
You can also create hairpins by dragging a hairpin symbol from the line palette to a note head.
Key signatures are created or changed by dragging a key symbol from the key palette to a measure or existing key signature.
F9 toggles the palette window.
Drag a key from the palette onto a key in the score. You can also drag a key from the score to another key on the score by using Shift+leftMouseButton+Drag.
Drag a key from the palette onto an empty part of a measure. This creates a key at the beginning of the measure.
Select a key and press Del.
The lines palette like other palettes works via "drag-and-drop". Use the mouse to drag the item from the palette and drop it onto the score.
See also: Hairpin, Volta (1st and 2nd endings)
When an entire measure is devoid of notes, a full measure (semibreve) rest is used.
To create a one-bar rest select a measure and press Del. All notes and rests on this measure are then replaced by a one-bar rest.
The start and end of simple repeats can be defined by setting appropriate bar lines. For instructions on first and second ending measures see volta.
To hear repeats during playback make sure the "Play Repeats" 
button on the toolbar is selected. Likewise you can turn off repeats during playback by deselecting the button.
In the last measure of a repeat you can set the property "Repeat Count" to define the number of played repeats.
Repeat text such as "D.C. al Fine" or "D.S. al Coda" is located in the repeats palette.
A slur is a curved line between two or more notes that indicates they are to be played without separation. If you mean to join two notes of the same pitch, see Tie
The boxes or handles (displayed in the images for steps 2-4 above) can be adjusted with the mouse. The two outer handles adjust the start and end of the slur. The two inner handles adjust the contour of the slur.
A slur can span several systems and pages. The start and end of a slur is anchored to a note/chord or rest. If the notes are repositioned due to changes in the layout, stretch or style, the slur also moves and adjusts in size.
Note: It is not possible to change the start and end anchor notes using the mouse. Use Shift + left or right arrow keys to adjust the start and end points of a slur.
A tie is a curved line between two notes of the same pitch. If you want a curved line that spans multiple pitches see Slur.
Select first note:
+ creates a tie: (In version 0.9.3 or earlier the shortcut is Shift+S)
To create ties during note entry press + after the first note of the tie. In version 0.9.3 or earlier you must press + before adding the first note.
Time signatures are available in the main palette sidebar. You can drag and drop the times signatures onto the score (see palette for general information on working with palettes in MuseScore).
If you need a time signature not found in the sidebar palette then go to Create → Time... to create your own. You can edit the upper and lower numbers in the Create Time Signature pane.
In most cases you'll only need to edit the first of the upper numbers. The additional upper numbers are for additive meters which contain multiple upper numbers separated by a plus sign.
There are occasions when the actual duration of a measure is different from the duration specified by the time signature. Pickup measures are a common example. To change the actual duration of a measure without displaying a different time signature see the Properties section of measure operations.
Tremolo is the rapid repetition of one note or a rapid alternation between two or more notes. It is indicated by strokes through the stems of the notes. If the tremolo is between two or more notes, the bars are drawn between them.
The tremolo palette contains separate symbols for one note tremolos (shown with stems below) and for two note tremolos (shown with no stem below).
In a two note tremolo every note has the value of the whole tremolo duration. To enter a tremolo with the duration of a half note (minim) first enter two normal quarter notes (quavers). After dragging a tremolo symbol to the first note the note values automatically double to half notes.
To create a triplet first create a note with a duration of the whole triplet. Then select the note and press Ctrl+3 to change it to a triplet. Similarly Ctrl+5 changes the note to a quintuplet.
First select a note:
Ctrl+3 creates a triplet:
which can be further edited
Tuplet entry works a little differently in note entry mode than the method outlined above. In version 0.9.5 or later you must take care of duration first then enter the pitches afterward. Below are step-by-step instructions for making triplet eight notes.
To change the display properties of a tuplet right click on the tuplet number and choose Tuplet Properties....
The number section of the properties dialog allows you to show one integer, a ratio of two integers, or no number at all.
In the bracket section the "bracket" and "nothing" allow you to explicitly show or hide the bracket. The "auto bracket" option hides the bracket for beamed notes and shows the bracket if the tuplet includes unbeamed notes or rests.
Note: The MuseScore implementation of voices in 0.9.4 is not yet complete and subject to change.
on the toolbar or press X on the keyboard.
and start entering the bottom voice (all the down-stem notes).
To hide a rest right-click on the rest and select Set Invisible. If you have Display → Show Invisible marked then the rest still shows in gray on your screen. The rest does not appear when you print.
Volta brackets or first and second ending brackets are used to mark different endings for a repeat.
To place a volta bracket on the score drag-and-drop the item from the lines palette.
The brackets can span more than one measure. Double click the volta to enter edit mode and then move the handles with:
These commands move the "logical" start or end of the volta which determine the bracketed measures.
Other commands in edit mode also move the handles but do not change how the repeat is played.
If you move the handles, a dashed line from the logical position to the actual position is shown
You can change the text and many other properties of a volta bracket using the Line Properties dialog. Right-click on a volta bracket and choose Line Properties.... If you are using version 0.9.3 or earlier then choose "Volta Properties..." The figure below shows the volta text as "1.-5."
Sometimes a repeat plays for more than two times. In the figure above the volta text indicates that it should play five times before it continues. If you want to change the number of times MuseScore plays a repeat then go to the measure containing the repeat bar line and change its Repeat Count (see Measure operations for details).
In version 0.9.4 or earlier you can only place voltas on the top staff of a multi-part score. Otherwise you may encounter bugs such as the MuseScore crashing when you create parts (see bug report) or the anchor position moving when you reload the score.
MuseScore has "Sound and playback" capabilities built in. This chapter covers the playback controls and ways to extend the instrument sounds beyond the built-in piano sound.
MuseScore has an integrated sequencer and synthesizer to play your score.
By pressing the Play 
button you enter Play mode. In Play mode the following commands are available:
Press the play button again to stop and exit Play mode.
MuseScore starts playback from the place it last left off. If you select a note then MuseScore starts from the newly selected note instead. The toolbar also has rewind button to quickly return to the beginning of the score for playback.
The Play Panel offers more controls over playback including tempo, starting position, and general volume. From the main menu choose Display → Play Panel to open the Play Panel.
If you want to play instruments other than piano you have to change the MuseScore integrated SoundFont with a more capable one in Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab. See SoundFont for instructions.
MuseScore comes with a piano sound for play back. For more sounds, such as a violin or percussion, you need a General MIDI SoundFont.
A SoundFont file can store any number of instrument sounds. Many SoundFonts are available on the web. Look for one that covers the 128 sounds of General MIDI (GM).
The file size and sound quality of SoundFonts available on the web is varied. Larger SoundFonts often sound better but may be too large to run on your computer. If you find MuseScore runs slowly after installing a large SoundFont or your computer can't keep up during play back then look for a smaller SoundFont. Below are two popular GM SoundFonts of different sizes.
Since SoundFont files are large they often are compressed into a variety of formats including .zip, .sfArk, and .tar.gz. You need to decompress these files before they can be used.
After finding and decompressing a SoundFont do not double click to open it since this does not set up MuseScore. Instead move the file to a folder of your choosing, start MuseScore, and follow the instructions below.
Go to Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab.
The initial SoundFont setting is :/data/piano1.sf2. Replace this with the location of your new SoundFont (.sf2) file. Click on the Open icon to browse for the file and open it.
To apply changes click OK to exit the preferences panel. Quit and and reopen MuseScore for the changes to take affect
If the toolbar play panel is greyed out or not visible follow the instructions below to get your sound working again:
If you are setting up a SoundFont for the first time please use one of the recommended SoundFonts listed above.
Play back tempo can be changed via the play panel or via tempo text in the score.
Note that in versions 0.9.3 or earlier it is not possible to change the tempo text or BPM from the initial Tempo Text dialog. However you can change both of these after you add a tempo text to the score.
Existing tempo text can be changed by double clicking the text to enter edit mode. You can use the F2 palette to add a quarter note or another duration for a metronome mark in the tempo text.
Beats per minute (BPM) on existing tempo text can be adjusted by right clicking on the text and selecting Tempo Properties...
Note: Tempo text in the score overrides a tempo setting in the play panel.
The mixer allows you to change instrument sounds and adjust the volume, panning, reverberation, and chorus for each staff. From the main menu choose Display → Mixer to show the mixer.
Use the Mute check box to quickly silence certain staves. Alternatively use the Solo check box to silence all staves except the staff you mark as "solo".
To turn a dials clockwise click and drag upwards. To turn a dial counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise) click and drag downwards.
The sound drop-down menu lists every instrument supported by your current SoundFont. This feature is not implemented in version 0.9.4 or earlier for Windows, but fixed in version 0.9.5.
In MuseScore some instruments can change sounds midway through a piece. For example strings can switch to pizzicato or tremolo and trumpet can switch to muted trumpet. The following instructions use muted trumpet as an example but the same principles apply to pizzicato or tremolo strings.
Every note after the staff text you added now sounds muted. To return to an unmuted sound later in the piece follow the same guidelines as above except type Open in step 3 and select normal in step 6.
The "Text" chapter covers lyrics, chord names, and other staff text. The previous chapter covers text that affects playback tempo
Double click on text to enter edit mode:
In text edit mode the following commands are available:
Text palette:
See also: Chord name, Lyrics, Frame, Edit mode
Text elements are created from a Text Style. This style defines the initial properties of text.
Chord names can be entered by first selecting a note and then pressing Ctrl+K. This creates a chord name text object for the selected chord.
Chord names can be edited as normal text. To add a sharp type # and to add a flat type b. These characters will automatically turn into proper sharp or flat signs when you move to the next chord.
If you prefer a more handwritten appearance to the chord names in your score then versions 0.9.5 and later include this option.
Fingering can be added to notes by dragging a fingering character from the fingering palette to a note head in the score. Fingerings are normal text which can be edited like any other text.
Syllables can be extended by an underline:
Entered with: soul, _ _ _ To Esc.
Lyrics can be edited as normal text with the exception of a few characters. If you want to add a space, hyphen or underscore to a single syllable then use the following shortcuts.
See also: Text, Chord name.
Page breaks or line breaks (system breaks) are applied by dragging the corresponding symbol from the breaks palette to an empty space of a measure in the score. The break happens after the marked measure. The green break symbols are visible on the screen but do not appear on printouts.
Spacers are used to increase the space between two adjacent staves. Drag and drop a spacer to a measure above the area that needs more vertical space. Double click on the spacer and drag the handle using the mouse to adjust the height of the spacer.
If you want to adjust the space between staves score-wide then use the style settings. Spacers are designed for local adjustments.
Frames provide empty space outside of normal measures. They can also contain text or pictures. MuseScore has two kinds of frames:
First select a measure. The command to insert a frame is found in the menu Create → Measures . The frame is inserted before the selected measure.
Select the frame and press Del.
Double click the frame to enter edit mode. A handle appears which can be used to drag the size of the frame.
Title frame in edit mode:
This chapter describes how to find help using MuseScore: the best places to look, the best way to ask a question on the forums, and tips for reporting a bug.
Before posting your support request in the forum:
When posting your request for support or bug report, please include as much of the following information as you know:
Recent versions of MuseScore have the option to revert back to the standard built-in presets or "factory-settings". Sometimes this is helpful if your settings are corrupted. This is not a normal occurrence so it is best to consult the forums first since there maybe a way to solve your problem without resetting everything.
Warning: reverting to "factory settings" removes any changes you have made to the preferences, palettes, or window settings.
"C:\Program Files\MuseScore 0.9\bin\mscore.exe"After a few seconds MuseScore should start and all the settings reverted to "factory settings"
/Applications/MuseScore.app/Contents/MacOS/mscore -F
This resets all MuseScore preferences to factory settings and immediately launches the MuseScore application. You can now quit Terminal, and continue using MuseScore.