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MUSIC PRODUCTION » COMPOSING MUSIC About This Article

How to Use MuseScore 15 votes - 36%

Co-authors: 14
Updated: January 5,
Author Info Download Article Click a star to vote 2021
Last Updated: January 5, 2021 Views: 45,955
PARTS
MuseScore is a software used to compose sheet A D V E RT I S E M E N T
1 The Basics
music on a PC or Mac computer. You can add layers AD
2 Others
of musical symbols on staves to create a full OTHER SECTIONS
composition for export to PDF, MIDI, mp3, or .wav Questions & Answers
files. Tips and Warnings
Related Articles

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

Part
1 The Basics Download Article

Make a New Score

1 Press Ctrl + N on your keyboard. You can also press a button on the top left
corner with the picture of a page and a star.

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Add the title, subtitle, composer, etc. These parts are optional and can be edited
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AD

3 Select a template. There are various styles and with different preset instruments and
voices available.
You can also choose an empty template and add your own instruments onto the
page.

4 Select the key your piece will be in. You may also choose a tempo, this is also
optional since you can edit it later on.

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5 Choose your time signature, pickup measure, and the number of measures in
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6 Click Finish.

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

Adding Notes

1 Press the 'N' button at the top left of the window or press N on keyboard to
turn on Note Input Mode.

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2 Drag your mouse over the bar lines and add the note wherever you'd like. You
can also type in the letter of the note (i.e. A to G).

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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

3 Increase or decrease the pitch of the note by toggling the up and down arrow
keys.

4 Move the note up or down an octave by holding Ctrl and toggling the up or
down arrow keys.

Adding Dotted Notes

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1 Add a note like a normal one.

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2 Click on the note you'd like to add a dot to. Then press on the "." on your keyboard
or the "Augmentation Dot" on the top.

Deleting Notes

1 Select the note and press Delete on your keyboard.

If a note was accidentally deleted, you can undo it by pressing Ctrl + Z .

While in "Note Input Mode", pressing Delete is the same as undoing
what you did. Be sure to close "Note Input Mode" so that you can straight
out delete the note.

Adding Instruments

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1 Click on Edit at the menu bar and click on Instruments to access the
instruments menu. You can also press I to open up the menu.
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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

2 Add the instrument(s) of your choice.

3 Switch the order of the instruments using the up and down arrows in the middle
bar.

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Adding Measures
A D V E RT I S E M E N T

1 Select a bar or measure.

2 Click on Add on the menu bar. Scroll through Measures. Select the choice of
inserting one measure or multiple measures. The measure will be inserted to the left
of selected bar.

=== Accidentals, Ornaments, and Grace Notes ===

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1 Select the note you need want to add an accidental on.

2 Go to the top of the screen until you see a '#' and a '♭'.

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3 Click on the desired accidental and it will be added onto your note.

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1 Open up Palettes on the side bar by pressing F9 .

2 Open up your desired category. Click on the symbol, and drag it wherever you
would want it to be.
The Grace Note will not affect the beat. You can also pitch of the grace note by
dragging it or toggling the up and down arrow keys.

Adding Ties

1 Select the notes which you want to tie together. Press Shift + + on your
keyboard to tie them together.
You can also find a button on the board at the top. A D V E RT I S E M E N T
If there is a similar note after the second note selected, this will also tie them
together.

Part
2 Others Download Article

Adding Voices or Parts to Your Scores

1 Use different colored numbers (blue, green, tan, and purple) to add a different
voice to your music. This way, you could add notes of different lengths to the same
measure without having to use a lot ties.

2 Select a note then assign it to a voice to split the measure into two parts.

Adding Lyrics

1 Select the note which you want to type the first word onto.

2 Press Ctrl+L, and it will let you type the word(s) down.

3 Press space or add a hyphen to jump to the next note. It will automatically go to
the next note when you do this.

Changing the Tempo

1 Select the note.

2 Click on Add on the menu bar. Scroll through Text and locate Tempo Marking. A
text box with a tempo marking will appear at the top of the measure.
You can also use the shortcut of pressing Alt + T for Macintosh Users or
Ctrl + Alt + T for Window Users.
If you're not satisfied with the beat note, you can drag a tempo marking from the
Palette.

3 Adjust the BPM.

Making Tuplets

1 Select a rest or a note.

2 Click on Notes at the menu bar. Scroll through Tuplets and select the tuplet you
want.
Click on Other to make more than nine notes in your tuplet.

Transposing

1 Click on Notes on the menu bar then click on Transpose .

2 Change it to the key signature you would like to transpose the piece to.

Opening Saved Files

1 Click on File on the menu bar then click on Open .

You can also use the shortcut of pressing Ctrl + O on your keyboard.

2 Navigate through your folders and locate the file you want to open. Double click
the file to open it.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I add the staff for my left hand?

Animebread
Top Answerer

Go to 'Edit' at the top and find 'Instruments'; click that and find the instrument that you want
to add a left hand staff to. Then select 'Add Staff'.
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

Question

How do I use "Double #" in musescore?

Technist
Community Answer

It'll be a little x (𝄪), and it should be along with the rest of the accidentals.
Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0

Question

How do I write 2 different notes in 1 space on MuseScore?

Community Answer

Hold shift and write the letter name of the other note you want while the first note is selected.
Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0

See more answers

Ask a Question

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Tips

The Getting Started score that appears in the Start Center when you first open MuseScore is
similar to an interactive "How to Use MuseScore".

Some useful shortcuts for Windows Users:

Ctrl + L will add lyrics to your score.

Ctrl + P will print out your score.

Ctrl + Q exits you out of MuseScore.

Ctrl + Z will undo your music.

Ctrl + Y will redo your music.

Ctrl + N will create a new score.

Ctrl + S will save your score.

Ctrl + O will opens up a pop-up to open another score.

Ctrl + Alt + T will let you change your tempo.

Ctrl + T will add staff text.

Ctrl + Shift + T will add system text.

Ctrl + M will collapse/expand empty measures.

Ctrl + Del will delete selected measures.

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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written
by multiple authors. To create this article, 14 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and
improve it over time. This article has been viewed 45,955 times.

Co-authors: 14
15 votes - 36% Updated: January 5, 2021
Views: 45,955

Categories: Composing Music

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