Adding a mensural time signature to your score

To apply mensural signs to a score you need to add a conventional time signature first, then modify its display by substituting with the appropriate mensural symbol in the Time signature properties dialog. Note that these signs are for show only; it is not possible to modify the duration ratio between different note values, and the actual underlying time signature remains unchanged.

Using mensural note symbols

[to be added]

• add from symbols palette, hide

Working with non-metered music

Early music, such as renaissance choral music, may be written without barlines or a time signature. This can be achieved in MuseScore as follows:

1. Set up the instruments or voices of the score in the usual way (See Setting up your score);
2. Hide the time signature;
3. in Format→Style→Score, check the box titled "Display note values across measure boundaries";
4. Right-click on a measure in the top staff and select Staff/Part properties;
5. Uncheck "Show barlines"; repeat this for each applicable staff (see note);
6. Click OK.

Note: In step 4 you can make the barlines invisible instead by selecting all and pressing V.

Note that the score still behaves as if measures are present. Measure properties can be applied if required.

Working with Mensurstrich

Mensurstrich is a form of modern notation of early music in which barlines are drawn between staves rather than across them:

Adding barlines between staves

1. Right click on the bottom staff of the intended mensurstrich system, and select Staff/Part properties. Uncheck "Show barlines".
2. Select the first (not the start!) barline for each of the remaining staves;
3. Check the "Span to next staff" box in the Barline section of the Properties panel;
4. Adjust "Span from" to set the position of the top of each barline;
5. Press Set as staff default;

Displaying note values across measure boundaries

1. From the menu bar, select Format→Style→Score;
2. Check "Display note values across measure boundaries".

See also

Filling a range with beat slashes

To indicate that a range of measures is to be strummed—but without indicating the exact rhythm:

1. Select the desired range of blank measures
2. From the menu, select Tools→Fill with slashes

3. Apply chord symbols in the usual way to the slashes.

   

Using beat slashes is a quick and convenient way of indicating strumming. The exact rhythm is left to the player and only the chord symbols play back.

To notate the chord slashes with the correct duration:

1. Fill the applicable measures with beat slashes, as shown in steps 1 and 2 (above)
2. Select the slashes and in the Properties panel, uncheck “Stemless” in the Note: Stem section.
3. Change the duration of slashes, as required
4. To change a rest to a slash, copy and paste a slash to it of the same duration
5. To indicate a mute strum, select the slash and click the cross notehead in the Noteheads palette (or in the Note: Notehead section of the Properties panel).
6. To ensure the correct note beaming pattern, select the range of measures and apply “Auto” from the Beam properties palette.
7. Apply chord symbols in the usual way to the slashes.

Creating rhythmic slash notation

To notate the strum rhythm, with the option to include correct playback, you need to use rhythmic slash notation.

Accompaniment rhythms on the staff

1. Add the chords, in full, in standard notation on the staff
2. Select the range of chords
3. From the menu bar, select Tools→Toggle rhythmic slash notation
4. To unmute the slash notation, select the applicable range of chords and check “Play” in the Properties: General panel.

Accent rhythms above or below the staff

Overview

Musescore has four staff types, each of them has different build-in templates, see Staff/Part properties.

To create a custom staff used on whole score :

• Use this step common to all four staff types: find and add an instrument similar to the target staff type by Setting up your score or in Instruments panel, then change its Staff properties and Advanced style properties, notehead scheme is also customized there.
• For percussion staff (type 3, see Staff/Part properties), in addition to the above, use Edit drumset window for notehead related settings, see Drumset customization.

To create a custom staff to be used on one section of score:

• Use the Staff type change element.
• The Change Instrument text element also change staff type by changing the instrument, see Mid-score instrument changes.

Customizing appearance of staff lines

[this section is a work in progress, please add missing info]

• Number
• Color
• Visibility
• Line distance

Customizing appearance of generated elements

[this section is a work in progress, please add missing info]

• Clef
• Key signature
• Time signature
• Barlines

Customizing appearance of notes

• Ledger lines [ a work in progress, please add missing info]
• Stems [ a work in progress, please add missing info]

Notehead schemes

Download this testing score file https://musescore.org/sites/musescore.org/files/2023-10/ms411_noteheads…

'Notehead schemes' are used by musicians to designate notehead shape meaning. In Musescore 4.1.1, schemes for a staff is named "Notehead Scheme", same options for a note is named "Notehead System", see Noteheads.

Musescore has nine of them. Five of them are directly fully supported, notes written create correct playback. Four "shape note notations" are supported in terms of notehead engraving, users need to take advantage of 'Transposing instruments' feature to create desired playback, see Noteheads.

To create custom "shape note notations", see Noteheads.

The nine supported by Musescore are:

• Normal: The default scheme used by vast majority of musicians.

4 solfege related notations:

• Pitch name: Noteheads automatically and dynamically change to include the English pitch name in the notehead.
• German pitch name: similar to Pitch name but B replaced with H, and B♭ with B.
• Solfège Movable Do (also called Tonic Solfa): Noteheads with solfege literally written. It uses Ti and not Si.
• Solfège Fixed Do: Noteheads with solfege literally written. Used in France, Italy, Spain, etc. It uses Si and not Ti.

4 shape note notations, need further config if you wish to create desired playback:

• 4 Shape (Walker): used in books such as William Walker’s Southern Harmony (1835).
• 7 Shape (Aikin): used in books such as Jesse B. Aikin’s The Christian Minstrel (1846), and books by the Ruebush & Kieffer Publishing Company. It's the most used 7-shape system.
• 7 Shape (Funk): used in books such as Joseph Funk’s Harmonia Sacra (1851).
• 7 Shape (Walker): used in books such as William Walker’s Christian Harmony (1867).

Changing staff type mid-score

See Overview

[this section is a work in progress, please add missing info]

• Most of the above plus line & step offset

External links

For Notehead scheme:

• The Music Notation Project Wiki > Shape Note Notation
• IMSLP.org Wiki > 4-shape notation
• IMSLP.org Wiki > 7-shape notation
• staff/part properties preview window score https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/tree/master/src/notation/view/re…
• shape note SMuFL specification