Piano Guidance
Photo by KoolShooters Pexels Logo Photo: KoolShooters

How good is MuseScore?

MuseScore has an intuitive layout which is great if you're new to music notation software. With visible sidebars and all the standard music and note input symbols right there on the screen it is surprisingly easy to pick up. However, inputting notes with a mouse can be time consuming.

How many years does a piano last?
How many years does a piano last?

Ten to Thirty Years Normal regulation and voicing will maintain good tone and touch if usage is moderate. If the piano suffers wide temperature and...

Read More »
Do keys wear out over time?
Do keys wear out over time?

Over time, your keys start to wear off slowly. This is because you are noticeably jamming it into lock holes and turning them over and over. As...

Read More »

MuseScore is the world’s most popular music notation programme, and what’s more it is completely free! MuseScore is essentially like the other well known notation programs like Finale and Sibelius, but unlike these it is open source software. That means that not only is MuseScore free on your PC and Mac, but the source code is also freely available, and anyone who wants to can download it, modify it and redistribute it freely. One of the most powerful things you can do with MuseScore is to input scores from PlayScore 2, the music scanning app for iOS or Android. This means that if you have printed music, or you have found a PDF score online you can scan it in with PlayScore 2 and then send the results to MuseScore. Essentially you can go from paper music or PDF to an editable score in seconds. MuseScore also gives you access to an amazing online score library (musescore.com). MuseScore has an intuitive layout which is great if you’re new to music notation software. With visible sidebars and all the standard music and note input symbols right there on the screen it is surprisingly easy to pick up. However, inputting notes with a mouse can be time consuming. So, as with the other score editing software we’ve reviewed, you can enter notes by hooking up a MIDI keyboard or using MuseScore’s on screen keyboard. MuseScore is always improving and the latest release (3.6.1) has big improvements in editing and formatting. If you have used MuseScore before there are now significant improvements to engraving, spacing, and automation. There’s also an incredible variety of instruments to choose for your scores, from alto guitars to xylophones! Another great thing about MuseScore is that it’s open source, meaning that you can instantly share your scores with a community of over 2 million users. Once you’ve composed or orchestrated your music, you can upload it to musescore.com, a repository with hundreds of thousands of free scores, from Broadway musicals to classical chamber music. They are available to view and download in various formats (e.g., PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, MP3).

Musescore for iOS and Android

Musescore.com also has a free iOS and Android app but you can’t notate music in it as it’s mainly designed for score viewing and playback. However, users can unlock optional paid subscriptions of musescore.com along with free trial periods. Benefits of these subscriptions include: ad-free browsing, additional mixing tools, advanced sharing options and accessing viewers’ analytics.

MuseScore Guides and Tutorials

If you get a little unstuck, there’s a comprehensive forum and handbook any users can contribute to, so you’ll definitely find some handy hints. In addition, you can enrol on “Mastering MuseScore.” This is an online, self-paced video course created by a developer at MuseScore and it takes you through the essentials of the programme. Bearing in mind all of the above features, it’s no surprise to see why MuseScore has earned its place in today’s music notation software market. It’s an easy-to-use yet effective resource, catered for the growing demands of online music scoring and distribution. If you’re on a tight budget and want to create, share and download scores for free, MuseScore does the job.

Which is harder to learn piano or guitar?
Which is harder to learn piano or guitar?

Guitar is easier for adults to learn because it is less challenging to learn songs at the beginner level. Piano, however, is easier for younger...

Read More »
How do I teach my 5 year old to play the piano?
How do I teach my 5 year old to play the piano?

13 Tips For How To Teach Piano To A 5 Year Old Learn The Finger Numbers. Practice Key Groupings. Introduce The Musical Alphabet. Daily Rhythm...

Read More »

Why did China ban ivory?
Why did China ban ivory?

So as China came to be seen as the main culprit for elephant poaching, attitudes within the country began to shift. Surveys in Beijing, Shanghai...

Read More »
Can you make a cover of a song without permission?
Can you make a cover of a song without permission?

Once the song is released, anyone can do a cover of it and sell it without asking permission. Jun 18, 2009

Read More »
Why do rich people wear rings on little finger?
Why do rich people wear rings on little finger?

During the Victorian era pinky rings became fashionable among British nobility thanks to Queen Victoria's sons, who took cues from the Germans and...

Read More »
Why do seventh chords sound so good?
Why do seventh chords sound so good?

This dominant seventh chord is useful to composers because it contains both a major triad and the interval of a tritone. The major triad confers a...

Read More »