MuseScore in 10 Easy Steps: Part 3 Note Entry Basics

[elenah48]

addl comment-Love your tutorials. I also got several useful tips from the couple I watched & intend to watch them all. Thanks again for such a timely response.

[elenah48]

Thanks so much for your answer. I was able to solve the problem and complete the score for granddaughter to play piano for school talent show. I had missed that I could click the rests that are in measures at the beginning-then use keyboard shortcuts to break rests down to shorter rests-then click on each rest-replace it with appropriate note. Since I don't have a degree in music-may have just been me-but maybe it would help someone else if that step was made more clear in the online handbook.

[das1029]

Thank you very much for your tutorials. I have a question. Is it possible to create a condensed template without whole rest in the empty parts? In other words, if I notated a piano grand staff, and then 5 staves(1stVlns, 2ndVlns, Violas, Cellos, CBass) below the piano staves, for a total of 7 staves. But, all of the 5 bottom staves are blank without whole note rests in each measure. That way, when I print out the score, I can notate the parts by pen with counterpoint or whatever. Possibly?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@das1029 You could create the template with the rests in it and then hide them - that way they won't show when you print the score. To hide any object in your score, right-click on it and choose Set Invisible. Hope that helps!

[elenah48]

I have learned a lot from the online handbook-the forum & your videos-but am having a couple of problems I can find the solution to. #1 When I select a different measure from the 1st one to enter notes into-then click on the N-the cursor always goes back to the 1st measure of the piece and I can't figure out how to move it around in a measure so that I can enter notes under certain words & not just where there is a rest, Also, when I try to enter the dot for the 1/2 note-the program crashes.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@elenah48 Are you using the latest version (1.1)? There should be no problem adding the dot to a 1/2 note. The cursor shouldn't be jumping back to the beginning. Try selecting a rest or note instead of the whole measure. If you're still having problems, it would be best to post your query in the MuseScore forum and upload your score.

[MrSnoozable]

are there short cuts when you use some thing like drums since there is no pitch???/????

[parkec4]

I have completed a score but the whole rests are still in each measure even though all proper notes are there! How is this happening??

[parkec4]

I have completed a score but all the default rests are still showing up! How do I get rid of them?

[0MindSwept0]

or, if you have a MIDI enabled keyboard like mine, you can just hit whatever key you want.

[ThorSpirit]

How do you create rests! I want to start a piece with a dotted crotchet rest but can find no rest values other than a crotchet on the screen. What about rests of other values ?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@ThorSpirit There's a dot in the toolbar along to the right of the note values. You select crotchet first and then click on the dot and it will add it to the crotchet.

[WinsonBringsYou]

how do u delete a rest -.-?

[0MindSwept0]

@WinsonBringsYou ha, i dont think you can.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@PandE4552 You can delete a note by selecting it and pressing delete. Musescore will replace it with a rest so that the bar still adds up to the total beats in the time signature.

[kaputasri]

Hey nice vid, i was wondering can you make midi files of the sheets that you make on musescore?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@kaputasri Yes - you can just go to File > Save As and choose Standard MIDI file from the Format drop down menu

[kaputasri]

@MuseScoreHowTo Thx for the reply. Is there way to copy/convert pdf sheet music into Musescore sheet music? without manually having to copy the score note to note.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@kaputasri The only way is to do it via scanning. You can scan the pdf with OCR music scanning software which converts the pdf to a MusicXML file (universal notation file format) or MIDI file and then open that in MuseScore. There will then be a fair bit of fixing up to do in MuseScore. Not exactly an easy process, but worth pursing if you think you'll need to do it often!

[MysteryTurd]

I love your tutorials, so easy to understand!

Please check out my musescore pieces at my site

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@MysteryTurd Thanks!

[jaydotdea]

Hey, i have a question. when your writing a song how do you make a melody happen in the treble cleff whilst having a chord in the bass as well as having a number of notes being held in the treble cleff for the WHOLE bar. I can only seem to do either the notes being held and the chord or the melody and the chord.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@jaydotdea Sorry - forgot to answer this! What you're describing can be achieved by using Voices. I've made a video - just search MuseScore Voices.

[MafaldaBird]

I am having problems trying to figure out how to insert rests and can't find it in the handbook. It just says that I need to be in note entry mose, but I can't find any rest symbols to use.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@MafaldaBird You can insert a rest by pressing zero, instead of pressing a letter (which enters a note in your score). So, steps would be: click on your starting point (a note or a rest), select the rhythmic value of the rest you want (eg. press 5 for quarter note) and then press 0 (zero) to "write" the rest into your score.

[MelodyLeilaFu]

hi, I just want to ask that do this software has the triplets. If yes, how can I insert it?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@MelodyLeilaFu Yes - you can do triplets. There's a Youtube video that shows you how - just search for "MuseScore triplets".

[gorrilabuttable]

@MuseScoreHowTo i dont want triplets but it is giving them to me anyways. i want straight eighth notes. how do i fix that. and how do i delete the rests?

[robenharm]

I've downloaded musescore 1.0 and i tried to make a file. That works but there is a problem. How to set a white note above a black note? When i click the white note above the black note there appears completely different notes. What is wrong? If it is possible to set that different notes on the same line, how to do that?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@robenharm You need to enter the notes as a chord. There's a video that explains how - just search for "MuseScore chords" on Youtube.

[robenharm]

@MuseScoreHowTo

Thanks!

[MegaUberMonkey]

What is the musical alphabet?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@MegaUberMonkey I'm not sure what you mean?

[Ronster2020]

@MegaUberMonkey a-g with variant sharps or flat's througout the scale

[OMERTA011]

lol why didnt you give us a little keyboard or something like sequencers have.. time/notes window so we could do it easily

[tHickman95]

-.-

i press n, get the little note cursor, but when i click, it doesnt do anything :/

tbh, ive only really done work on percussion and drum kit score, do i have to do something different?

[fightinside1]

I am new at this, so I need some help. Let's say I have a 4/4 time signature...how do I add a note before that signature, like a beginning note that isn't part of the time signature, if that makes sense?

[katiesw1]

@fightinside1 You're referring to a "pick-up" bar/measure (also called an anacrusis or upbeat bar). In MuseScore you can create the pick-up bar when you are setting up your score: it's just underneath the Create Time Signature bit. If you need a crotchet pick-up bar you'll need to create a pick-up bar with a time sig of 1/4.

[fightinside1]

@katiesw1 Ok thanks! :) I have one more question. I have a half note and a quarter note playing at the same time in the treble clef, but it keeps making the half note a quarter note. I don't know what to do about it.

[progunnerboi]

Is there any way to solve this? I need to have a 2 beat rest at the start of the bar. However everytime i press N it starts to enter at the Start of the bar. and rest ends up at the back of the bar and i cant move the notes back.

[katiesw1]

@progunnerboi You need to "write" a rest into the bar just like you write notes in. So for a rest at the start of the bar the sequence would be: select bar, press N for note entry, select minim from the toolbar at the top and then press 0 (zero) to create a rest. Then enter the notes at the end of the bar.

[progunnerboi]

@katiesw1 Thank You!

[MuzicSoundz]

can you run this program on windows 7? please answer :)

[katiesw1]

@MuzicSoundz Yes - of course you can. I just made the videos on my Mac, but MuseScore is for Windows, Mac and Linux. Go to the website to download.

[fightinside1]

@MuzicSoundz You should be able to

[tobihebi]

cachera habla en español

[pianoprodigy93]

Great video! I am having a little trouble with one thing however. When entering notes, there is something I cannot figure out how to do. Is there any way to enter a half note and a quarter note (or any different length notes) in the same chord? Thank you!

[katiesw1]

@pianoprodigy93 Thanks! To enter notes of different rhythmic values on the same chord you need to enter them in different voices ie. a quarter note in voice 1 and a half note in voice 2. Visit the MuseScore website and take a look at the Voices section in the online handbook.

[pianoprodigy93]

@katiesw1 Thank you so much! It was driving me crazy trying to figure it out, just looking under the wrong section I guess. Keep it up!

[101jir]

I can't figure out how to get slurs or ties to work properly.

[jamespiperca]

I like the intro music. Is it from a song or just a short piece for the video?

[katiesw1]

@jamespiperca The intro music is a GarageBand loop

[rdhornst]

Hi Kate, I just discovered your software and love it! How do you put 6 quarter note triplets in a measure (with a triplet sign above all 6 quarter notes)? In addition can you highlight a bunch of measures and move them to the next page? Thanks-

Rob

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@rdhornst Please don't give me credit for the software - it's the work of some very talented software developers around the world who donate their time :) I've just made these videos because I think it's a worthy program and I like to help people. Re: the triplets - you can create a semibreve, select it and press Ctrl+3. MuseScore will give you 3 minims with a triplet sign over the top. You can then change them to crotchets. You can copy/paste measures by using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

[CantoSemper49]

Aim the reply to the comment below towards me, I was accidentally under a different user's account.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@CantoSemper49 You can enter a rest by pressing the space bar. Or you can skip a rest/note by using the arrow keys (right arrow).

[CantoSemper49]

@MuseScoreHowTo Thanks a million!

[DanielleS1988]

How do I enter rests? Or, how do I skip beats to put a note in? confusingggggg =[

[KipKapable]

Is there any way to make triple-lets or the quavers with the little 3s above them? I use them a lot, but until recently, I can't improvise and change the rest of the instruments with out changing the time signature and then writing whole new parts.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@KipKapable To create triplets, select the bar, press N for note entry, select the total rhythmic value of the triplet group (ie. a triplet group of quavers adds up to one crotchet, so select crotchet from the toolbar at the top), press Ctrl+3 (Command on Mac). The triplet bracket will appear and you can enter the notes.

[NumberNile]

This method of entering with the keyboard (haven't tried with a MIDI controller) doesn't allow for chords, whenever I try to enter more than one note on top of another, the new note erases the previous one.

[katiesw1]

@NumberNile To enter chords, you need to hold down Shift while you type the letter name ie. enter one note, then hold down Shift while you type the letter name of the next note to build the chord.

[RhythmLover001]

How to make 8 Demisemi quavers in a slur ?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@RhythmLover001 The easiest way is to select the first demisemiquaver, hold shift down and select the 8th demisemiquaver (you should have a blue box around all of them) and then press S.

[RhythmLover001]

erm how to put musical directions in muse score? such as crescendo , legato and others.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@RhythmLover001 Select a note and then press L. The Dynamics window will open. Crescendo and legato are at the bottom of the window.

[EddyMorino]

When I change a note to sharp, the pitch changes, but a sharp symbol isn't added. Should this be happening and if so, how do I change it?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@EddyMorino Not sure why that's happening for you. The sharp sign appears when I add one in my score. Make sure you're using the latest version of MuseScore and if you still have the problem, head to the MuseScore forums and post your question there.

[EddyMorino]

@MuseScoreHowTo It managed to fix itself somehow. I'm not sure how, exactly, but it did.

[mradaChris]

Too fast! I gave up as she as she sailed through this!

[misterchocolatebear]

how do i do pizzicato?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@misterchocolatebear Select a note in the string part, go to Create > Text > Staff Text. A cursor will appear above the note and you can type the word pizz

[galo643]

wath

[gfootball16]

hi, how do you slow down the speed in which the piece plays at?

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@gfootball16 The best way is to add a tempo marking at the beginning of the score. Select the first note or rest and then go to Create > Text > Tempo. Choose a suitable slow tempo and click OK. The score will now playback at the new tempo

[numanuma20]

Will this work for percusion instruments such as drums?

[bernardmmarx]

i cant get mine to do triplets, can you help?

[rjdotorg]

Hi,

Is it possible to change rhythmic values after they have been inputted?

[katiesw1]

@rjdotorg You can select a note or a rest and then choose the new rhythmic value using the buttons on the toolbar at the top.

[MuseScoreHowTo]

@rjdotorg Yes that's possible. Select the note and click on the preferred rhythmic value by mouse or keyboard.

[VolksWagon537]

Excuse Me, How do Change the Language in Mine? the language it is now is Spanish, But I Want in English, please tell me how.

[katiesw1]

@VolksWagon537 You can change the language in MuseScore's Preferences window. Go to the General tab - there's a drop-down menu of language options on the right side.

[VolksWagon537]

@katiesw1 Thank You

[Samueluvseat]

It all works great for me...

[PhinnyCobbler]

Its also not playing the notes as I enter them, even though in preferences it says it does.

[PhinnyCobbler]

I dont get it, every time I add a note, it adds a rest, and I can't get rid of the rest. This is annoying

[HawkBuzz]

@PhinnyCobbler Same here, I try to delete by pressing delete, but there's no delete option. There's only copy, paste, and cut.

[katiesw1]

@PhinnyCobbler MuseScore will always make each bar add up to the value in the time signautre. So if you have a score in 4/4 and you put a crotchet at the beginning of the bar, MuseScore will give you rests that add up to 3 beats to make up the remainder of the bar. If you don't want a rest, just change it to a note.

[Foxtrott112]

Thanx a million. I was stuck on the Alt+Number explanation in the PDF.

Obviously for older versions of MuseScore. Keep up the good work!