User Interface
I have been trying to figure out the Musescore user interface for several years now, and have found it to be incredibly cryptic and un-intuitive. I recently installed Musescore 4 because of the new playback sounds and in the hope that I would be able to learn to use it. It's still hopelessly convoluted and unintelligible. If you really want to see a musically intuitive user interface, I suggest you look at Noteworthy Composer. With it I was able to create a viable score on my first attempt (about 30 years ago) and I have been using it happily ever since. My only beefs with Noteworthy are that it only runs on Windows, and that it only plays back in general midi. I'd love to switch over and start using Musescore, but the interface is just too confusing.
Comments
The problem with "intuitive" is that it is completely subjective - what is intuitive to one person is incomprehensible to another. Some people find program X more intuitive than Y, others find it exactly the opposite. So that's why documentation exists. I recommend checking out the videos provided with MuseScore, or my tutorial here:
https://youtu.be/dIMFQ7s31DM
In reply to The problem with "intuitive"… by Marc Sabatella
I switched from Noteworthy Composer to Musescore several years ago. It took me about 2 weeks to align my intuition with the way Musescore works. It is just a matter of practice and taking the time to read the handbook.
In reply to The problem with "intuitive"… by Marc Sabatella
You're quite right. Musescore might be very intuitive to someone who approaches music from a background in computers, but for me, approaching notation software from a background of decades of writing with pen and paper, it just doesn't cut it. The only software I've tried (and there have been many) that approaches writing from that angle is Noteworthy Composer. Unfortunately, it is wedded firmly to Windows.
In reply to You're quite right… by Ormand
No, it's not just about having a computer background or not. it's far more personal than that. I mean, even two people who are accustomed to pencil and paper can think differently - clearly this is so, or they'd all be writing the same type of music too! Even two people with the same background, same experiences, might disagree on which software is more intuitive just as they might disagree on which cola drink they prefer or who they think was the best third baseman of all time or anything else that's hopelessly subjective.
Anyhow, the point being, it's completely impossible to create software everyone will find intuitive, because everyone is different. But, everyone is also capable of learning. And MsueScore is quite easy to learn, once you spend the effort to do so! Do check out the video I linked to, or any other documentation you like.