Create a new score
To create a new score, open the New Score Wizard (see Create new score, below): this can also be accessed via the Start Center.
Start Center
This is the window that is displayed when you open MuseScore for the very first time:
To open the Start Center (if not already visible), use any of the following options:
- Press F4.
- From the menu bar, select File→Start Center...
To stop the Start Center from showing up when you open MuseScore:
- From the menu bar, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...) and uncheck "Show start center" in the Program Start section of the General tab.
From the Start Center you can:
- Create a new score (by clicking on the icon with the plus sign).
- View thumbnails of previously-opened scores: click on a thumbnail to open it.
- Open a score from your computer's file system: click on Open a score ...
- Open the "Getting Started" tutorial score. Use the arrow buttons in the right-hand pane to access the link.
- Search sheet music on musecore.com.
- Access various other facilities (see right-hand pane).
Create new score
To open the New Score Wizard when the Start Center is not open, use one of the following options:
- Click on the New Score icon in the toolbar on the top left of the window;
- Use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N (Mac: Cmd+N);
- From the menu, select File→New....
This opens a step-by-step wizard:
- Enter score information
- Choose template file
- Choose instruments (or voice parts)
- Choose key signature (and tempo)
- Choose time signature, tempo, pickup measure, and number of measures
Enter score information
Step 1: Enter score information.
Enter the title, composer or any other information as shown above, then click on Next >. This step is optional: you can also add this information after the score has been created (see Vertical frame).
Choose template file
Step 2: Choose template file.
In the left column is a list of solo, ensemble and orchestral templates, divided into categories according to musical styles.
To choose a score template:
1 Browse or use the Search bar (top left) to find specific templates.
2 Click on the name of a score template to select it, then click Next >; alternatively, just double-click the score template name. This will automatically take you to the next page of the Wizard - Choose key signature and tempo.
To pick and add individual instruments one by one: Click on "Choose Instruments" under the "General" category, then click Next >; alternatively, just double-click "Choose instruments" .
Once you created a desired score set-up, you can save the score (empty or not) as a custom template. Custom templates in the user templates folder are displayed under the "Custom Templates" category of this window.
Choose instruments (or voice parts)
The Choose Instruments window contains the following items:
- The search box at the top left filters items to be shown underneath. Clear it out to show all available instruments.
- The type filtering dropdown box under the search box filters items to be shown in the space underneath. "Common" is selected by default, which filters out some uncommon instruments or voice parts. Select "All instruments" to show all available instruments.
- The left column space shows a list of instruments or voice parts you can add to the current score. They are grouped by the instrument families they belong to. Click on a family name subheading to expand or collapse that group.
- The Ordering dropdown box at the top right shows the current system of instrument ordering. 'Orchestral' is the default preset. Instruments added to the score will be inserted into a correct position according to ordering. The ordering setting contains the position for soloist instruments.
- You cannot create custom or edit existing ordering system presets inside Musescore, but you can create a score with desired set-up and save as a reusable template.
- The right column space shows currect score set-up, the vertical order represents the real instrument vertical order on score. Empty column means the score contains no staffs.
The main actions available in this window are :
- Add a new instrument to the score: This is the essential and most common action. This adds a new instrument, along with all of its editable staff(s), to the current score. Each instrument has its own playback settings, see Mixer.
- Add a staff to an existing instrument: This inserts an extra editable staff to an existing instrument on the current score, so that you can create your own custom instrument.
- For example, to create a piano that use three staffs rather than normally two staffs.
- This action is rarely used because its limitation on playback. In Musescore, playback setting is instrument based - those three piano staffs cannot be configured to use two different sounds, nor can they be muted individually (To do these you should create multiple instruments instead) .
- Add a linked staff to an existing instrument: This inserts an non-editable, ready-only staff to an existing instrument on the current score, it automatically shows the same content of the staff it is linked to.
- The only real purpose is to allow you to have two staffs for a guitar (or similar instruments) where one staff is the standard notation, the other is the tab notation, and everything you enter onto the standard staff is automatically reflected an tab.
- Make an existing instrument soloist: This reorders an existing instrument on the score (all its staffs) to the soloist position, add "solo" to their name. Soloist instruments will be numbered separately from non-solo instruments, where relevant.
- The soloist position is defined in the instrument ordering setting chosen in Ordering dropdown box. For example, in an 'Orchestral' ordering system, soloists are above the strings. You can designate multiple soloist instruments.
- You can rearrange order manually.
- The soloist designation is a score layout feature only and has no impact on playback.
Add instrument
Understand the main actions available in Choose instruments window first.
To add a new instrument to the score, use any of the following options:
- Select one or more instruments in the left column, and then click Add to score in the middle of the window, or
- Double-click an instrument in the left column.
The instrument names, and their associated staff lines, now appear in the list of instruments in the right column.
Add Staff
Understand the main actions available in Choose instruments window first.
To add an editable staff to an existing instrument in the score:
- Select a staff of the instrument in the score list on the right-hand side
- Click Add Staff at the top.
- Adjust the Staff type, if applicable.
Add Linked Staff
Understand the main actions available in Choose instruments window first.
To add a non-editable ready-only staff to an existing instrument in the score:
- Select a staff to be linked in the score list on the right-hand side.
- Click Add Linked Staff at the top.
- Adjust the Staff type, if applicable.
See also, Combine pitched staff with tablature.
Make / undo soloist
Function of this button is explained in Choose instruments window above.
To make an existing instrument soloist, or to undo it:
- Select an instrument name subheading in the score list on the right-hand side.
- Click Make soloist or Undo soloist at the top.
Change order of instruments
To change the order of instruments (or staves) in the score:
- Click either an instrument name or a staff in the right-hand column, and click the arrow buttons.
Delete an instrument or staff
To delete an instrument (delete all its staffs), or delete a staff from the score:
- Select an instrument or a staff in the right-hand column and click Remove from score in the middle.
Choose key signature (and tempo)
Step 3: Choose key signature (and tempo).
- Select the desired key signature, then click Next > to continue. Prior to version 3.5, you can also set the tempo here.
Choose time signature, tempo, pickup measure, and number of measures
Step 4: Choose time signature etc.
Here, you can set:
- The initial time signature.
- 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).
- Tempo (prior to version 3.5, this is set on the Choose key signature (and tempo) page instead).
Click Finish to end the wizard and create your new score.
Adjustments to score after creation
Any settings you make in the New Score Wizard can always be changed when you start work on the score itself:
Add / delete / adjust measures
Add/edit text
Change instrument set-up
To add, delete, or change the order of instruments:
- From the menu, select Edit→Instruments...; or use the keyboard shortcut, I. This opens the Instruments dialog which is virtually identical to the Choose Instruments dialog in the New Score Wizard (see above).
See also Change instrument (Staff properties).
Hide a staff
- To hide a staff permanently: Open the Instruments dialog (I) and untick the "Visible" box for that staff.
- To hide a staff under certain conditions: See the "Hide" options in the Style window: Score settings; and the Staff Properties.
Adjust layout and formatting
To adjust the distance between staves and systems, set page margins etc., see Layout and formatting.
Templates
A Template is simply a standard MuseScore score file that has been stored in one of two "templates" folders: any files in these folders are automatically displayed on the "Choose template file" page of the New Score Wizard. Two templates folders are created by default:
Check out the Score from Template plugin by parkingb which improves template function.
System templates folder
This folder contains the templates installed with MuseScore and should not be modified. It can be found in the following locations:
Windows: Usually at C:\Program Files\MuseScore 3\templates or C:\Program Files (x86)\MuseScore 3\templates (Actually %ProgramFiles%\MuseScore 3\templates or %ProgramFiles(x86)%\MuseScore 3\templates, respectively) .
Linux: Under /usr/share/mscore-xxx if you installed from the package manager. If you compiled MuseScore on Linux yourself, then look under /usr/local/share/mscore-xxx (with xxx being the version you are using).
MacOS: Under /Applications/MuseScore 3.app/Contents/Resources/templates.
User templates folder
Any templates that you create for future use should be stored here. Once in the user "templates" folder, they will automatically appear on the "Choose template file" page of the New Score Wizard—under the heading "Custom Templates".
The default location of the user templates folder is as follows:
Windows: %HOMEPATH%\Documents\MuseScore3\Templates.
MacOS and Linux: ~/Documents/MuseScore3/Templates.
Note: That above mentioned directory name ("Templates") might be translated according to your language settings!
To configure the location of your private templates folder:
- From the menu, select Edit→Preferences...→General.