New tutorial for older MuseScore (music notation app)

[Jess L.]

I made a video tutorial showing how I use an older Windows version of the free open-source music-score app MuseScore to write music, including chords, lyrics, transposing to new keys, etc. I wish I'd had something like this when I was first learning the app, would have made it a lot easier for me to learn (I'm a slow learner nowadays). Anyone out there still struggling to figure out MuseScore 1.x might find this video helpful, although I guess they have a new version 2 now which I haven't tried yet, don't know how much different it is.


(or direct link)

I like to use MuseScore for writing down fiddle tunes, mandolin tunes, simple songs, and piano arrangements with lyrics and chords.

When I find sheetmusic in some weird key such as Ab, I just write it all out note-for-note into MuseScore and then let MuseScore transpose the whole thing (including the chords) into a more mandolin-friendly key. The cool thing there is that you can easily and quickly try different keys to see which one seems easier to play on mandolin.

[Jess L.]

My curiosity got the better of me and I just tried MuseScore 2.0.2, first impressions are that (for basic stuff anyway) it's quite similar to the version 1.x that's shown in my video... except it looks like version 2 fixed some minor irritations that the older version had. So, if version 2 is better, that's cool. I'm going to make an updated video for version 2, will post it when it's completed.

[HonketyHank]

While I left MuseScore in favor of TablEdit, there are certainly features of MuseScore that I miss. My most recent example being TablEdit's inability to transpose chord names when the score is transposed. MuseScore does it nicely. I think it is too bad that MuseScore has not caught on any better than it has. Your video does a valuable service for those who find the $59 for TablEdit a bit rich.

[Jess L.]

... I left MuseScore in favor of TablEdit, ...

Yeah I did that for a while too, but I ended up needing some of the MuseScore features after all, so now I have both. Neither one of them does everything I need, but using both of them I can get by.

For the MuseScore stuff though, I think I'm going to just keep on using old version 1.x for as long as possible, because the new version 2.0.2's blue notes (for selected notes) are too hard on my eyes, wrong contrast or something, literally hurts to look at them. Whereas the old version 1.x has gold-colored selected notes that are easy on the eyes, easy to distinguish from other notes, and easy to read. Near as I can tell, I could be wrong, but it seems that in version 2.0.2 the developers removed the option to customize the colors via the prefs... I don't know why they would remove a useful feature.

[John Kelly]

JL277z, thanks for the work on MuseScore and for reminding me about it as a great program. I have just downloaded version 2.0.2 and am getting back to grips with it, having tried it very briefly a long time ago and not get very far. Your tutorial material has been a great help, so thanks again.

[RonEllison]

I was recently able to upgrade from version 1.? to version 2.whatever. I used to use Sibelius when I had Windows but since switching to Linux, Oh Happy day!, I have used Musescore. Quite a few of Musescore's functions work like Sibelius. Ctrl + K for chords is one and Ctrl + L for lyrics is another. Even better, version 2 allows Guitar tablature. Sadly it does not seem to do mandolin tablature. That doesn't bother me as I am happy to use standard notation but others might want to ask for this. One of the really good features I found with version 2 was the online manual. All questions I found with version 2 were answered with this.

[Jess L.]

... Even better, version 2 allows Guitar tablature. Sadly it does not seem to do mandolin tablature. ...

I suspect there *might* be a way to coax Version 2 into doing mandolin tab, maybe something with modifying the strings/tuning on ukulele tab or something, I started out to experiment with that a week or so ago but before I had time to see if I could get anywhere with it, I got distracted with other stuff and haven't got back to it yet. Will look into it more later if I can remember. But yeah you're right, it would be better if it was built in.

[StuartE]

It is possible to create a mandolin tab in Muse 2.0, even a linked tab. Create a new score-->Choose instrument-->Change the drop down menu from the default "Common Instruments" to "All Instruments"-->Select plucked instruments-->Select (add) Mandolin-->in the right hand window select Mandolin and in the middle panel click Add Linked Staff

Similar approach works for other mando-family instruments. Mandola, Alto Mandola, Tenor Mandola, Mandocello. No Mandobass, though. Mandola utilizes the alto clef, AM and TM uses treble 8vb. The difference between AM and TM is just the name.

Note that there are various options in tableture, e.g. 4 or 5 string.

[Jess L.]

It is possible to create a mandolin tab in Muse 2.0, even a linked tab. Create a new score-->Choose instrument-->Change the drop down menu from the default "Common Instruments" to "All Instruments"-->Select plucked instruments-->Select (add) Mandolin-->in the right hand window select Mandolin and in the middle panel click Add Linked Staff ...

StuartE, thank you!!! I can't believe how much I struggled with this looking for workarounds yesterday before I read your post (I should've read the forums first), I did actually find a complicated workaround, but your "All Instruments" method is much much better! I didn't even notice there was that option, I probably never would have found it because I wasn't looking in the right places. Thank you thank you thank you!! I made a super-quick video showing your technique with the Linked Staff, so that both the standard notation and the tab fill in together:


(I have my copy of MuseScore 2.0.2 set to the dark interface with a custom shaded paper background because it's easier on my eyes, whereas the default setting is lighter, but all the menus and buttons are in the same place.)

The nice thing about the optional Linked staffs is that it makes MuseScore useful in the same way that TablEdit is, in that a person can write either the tab or the notation or alternate back and forth, and the other notes on the other staff will automatically appear. So it ought to be helpful for people who don't read music but they've found a book of fiddle tunes or something, just enter in the standard-notation notes and the tab will automatically appear. And vice-versa. Also great to be able to provide both tab and notation when transcribing tunes, I'd been doing that in TablEdit but for tunes with gobs of lyrics etc I think MuseScore might be easier to use (although I'll keep using both apps, they both have their own advantages). Good to have options.

Anyway, thanks again Stuart!

[StuartE]

Glad I could help. Yeah, the shift from common to all instruments is easy to overlook.

IMO, MuseScore should be a very useful tool for everyone wishing to improve their mandolin playing or other instrument. It should also be great for groups.

[Jess L.]

... IMO, MuseScore should be a very useful tool for everyone wishing to improve their mandolin playing or other instrument. It should also be great for groups.

Agree.

[Jess L.]

Finally! I made a new video tutorial for the most current version of MuseScore, version 2.1. There are some significant differences between the old-vs-new MuseScore. The new MuseScore is a lot easier to use.

The new video covers the basics: notes, chords, lyrics, transposing, copy/paste bars, etc. Also shows how to change standard notation into mandolin TAB (at 14:10-17:55 in video) as well as guitar tab in first position (18:22-21:55) after transposing down an octave (that way you don't get fiddle-tune tabs with 15th-fret notes etc). That technique is handy for tenor guitar & octave mandolin stuff too.


(or direct link)

Yes, MuseScore 2.1 does tab, that was initially the reason I switched to it from the old version 1.x. But now that I've been using version 2.1 for a while, I found that it has other improvements too, that make it easier to use than the older version.

MuseScore 2.1 is still not quite a total replacement for TablEdit, because TablEdit still excels in certain things (such as easy ways to indicate hammers, pull-offs, slides, etc, also TablEdit doesn't have a micro-second lag when doing loops like MuseScore does). Both MuseScore 2 and TablEdit have their respective strengths.

The whole video is a little over 22 minutes long, which is longer than my original goal of about 10 minutes. I did trim out a bunch of stuff that I'd first thought necessary, some of those got shuffled into text blurbs in the last 60 seconds or so of video.

[mobi]

As a free user, is it possible to export from Noteflight and import in to MuseScore?

[Jess L.]

As a free user, is it possible to export from Noteflight and import in to MuseScore?

I'm not familiar with Noteflight, but I see on their website it says that the current free "Noteflight basic" can "export MusicXML and MIDI".

MuseScore 2 can import both of those formats, so theoretically that should work, as far as exporting from Noteflight and importing to MuseScore. Although a quick Google search shows that, at least in previous years, people were having some problems doing that - I don't know if those problems were ever resolved. Might've been related to older versions or something, not sure.

I haven't yet had occasion to work with any MusicXML files, but I *have* briefly experimented with importing some MIDI files (from other apps, not Noteflight) into MuseScore, by simply dragging-and-dropping a MIDI file onto a MuseScore window. The results vary. Sometimes the score looks ok, sometimes it's a mess that needs totally re-written.

That's all I know right now. If I find out anything more I'll post back here.

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MuseScore 2 tutorial