MuseScore allows you to enter music notation in a number of ways, and to switch easily between different input devices and input modes.

After exiting the New Score Wizard, your new score will consist of a series of measures filled with measure rests:

As you enter notes in a measure, the measure rests are changed to appropriate rests to fill the remainder of the measure.

MuseScore allows for multiple rhythms to be entered on the same beat by using Voices

Basic note entry (Step-time)

This section introduces you to the basics of entering notes and rests from a computer keyboard . For specific details about percussion, see also Drum notation.

Step 1. Select a starting position

Select a starting position for note input by clicking on a note or rest, or selecting a measure, with the mouse. If you don't select a starting point, the cursor automatically defaults to the beginning of the score when you enter Note Input mode ("Step 2" below).

Step 2. Enter Note Input mode

To enter Note Input mode, use either of the following options:

• Click on the "N" button (on the extreme left of the Note Input toolbar).
• Press N on your computer keyboard.

To exit Note Input mode, use any of the following options:

• Press N.
• Press Esc.
• Click on the toolbar "N" button.

Step 3. Select a duration

Still in Note Input mode, select a note duration using either of the following:

• Click on a corresponding note icon in the Note Input toolbar (directly above the document window).
• Enter the keyboard shortcut for that duration (see below).

Note: If you need to enter a tuplet, see Tuplet.

Step 4. Enter the note or rest

• To enter a note pitch from A–G, simply click on the corresponding letter on your computer keyboard.
• To enter a rest, press 0 (zero).

This method of entry also works if you are not in Note Input mode—as long as you have a note/rest selected, or the score is newly-created (in which case note entry will default to the beginning).

Note: Note input in MuseScore overwrites existing notes or restsin a measure. If you need to insert notes you can make room for them by moving a section of the score using the copy and paste command. You can also insert new measures at any point (see Measure operations: Insert).

Input devices

In addition to the computer keyboard, you can also enter notes and rests using a mouse, MIDI keyboard or the Virtual Piano Keyboard.

Computer keyboard

This section expands on Basic note entry (above) and covers the full range of commands available for entering notes/rests from the computer keyboard.

Note duration

The shortcuts for selecting note duration are as follows:

• 1: 64th (hemidemisemiquaver)
• 2: 32nd (demisemiquaver)
• 3: 16th (semiquaver)
• 4: Eighth (quaver)
• 5: Quarter (crotchet)
• 6: Half (minim)
• 7: Whole (semibreve)
• 8: Double whole (breve)
• 9: Longa
• .: A period (dot) changes the selected duration into a dotted note/rest

Enter notes/rests

You can enter a note by typing the corresponding letter on your keyboard. Thus, typing C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C gives you:

Note: When you enter a note using the keyboard, MuseScore places it closest to the previous note entered (above or below).

To enter a rest, type "0" (zero). Thus, typing C D 0 E results in:

Note: The duration selected in the toolbar applies to both notes and rests.

If you want to entera dotted note, press . (period/full stop) after selecting the duration.

For example, typing 5 . C 4 D E F G A gives you:

Note: You will need to use more than one voice if the staff part is polyphonic.

Move notes up/down

To move a note up or down by a semitone:

• Press the ↑or ↓ arrow.

To move a note up or down diatonically:

• Press Alt+Shift+↑ or Alt+Shift+↓.

To move a note up or down by one octave:

• Press Ctrl+↑ (Mac: ⌘+↑) or Ctrl+↓ (Mac: ⌘+↓).

Add accidentals

When a note is moved up or down with an arrow key (see above), any accidental required is automatically generated by the program. Accidentals can also be added manually—seeAccidentals.

Chords

If you want to add a chord note above your previous entry:

• Press and hold Shift, then enter a note from A to G.

Thus, typing C, D, Shift + F, Shift + A, E, F results in:

To add a note at a specific interval above or below one or more notes:

1. Ensure that one or more notes are selected;
2. Use one of the following options:
   • From the menu, select Notes→Add Interval... and chose an interval from the list;
   • Press Alt+1-9 for intervals above (intervals below are also possible by adding relevant shortcuts to the list in Preferences).

Note: To create chords with notes of different durations, you will need to use more than one Voice.

Keyboard shortcuts

Here is a list of useful editing shortcuts available in Note Input mode:

• ↑ (Up): Increase the pitch of a note by a semitone (uses ♯).
• ↓ (Down): Decrease the pitch of a note by a semitone (uses ♭).
• Alt+1-9: Add interval (unison to ninth) above current note
• J: Change note up or down to enharmonic note (alters the spelling in both concert pitch and transposed modes). See Accidentals
• Ctrl+J (Mac Cmd+J): Change note up or down to enharmonic (alters the spelling only in the current mode). See Accidentals
• Alt+Shift+↑: Increase the pitch of a note using key signature
• Alt+Shift+↓: Decrease the pitch of a note using key signature
• R: Repeat the last entered note
• Q: Halve the duration of the last entered note
• W: Double the duration of the last entered note
• Shift+Q (as of version 2.1): Decrease duration by a dot (for example, a dotted quarter note/crotchet becomes a quarter note/crotchet and a quarter note/crotchet becomes a dotted eighth note/quaver).
• Shift+W (as of version 2.1): Increase duration by a dot (for example an eighth note/quaver becomes a dotted eighth note/quaver and a dotted eighth note/quaver becomes a quarter note/crotchet).
• Backspace: Undo last entered note
• Shift+←: Exchange last entered note with the note before it (repeat to keep moving note earlier)
• Shift+→: Exchange note moved with Shift+← with the note that follows it
• X: Flip direction of note stem (can be reset to Auto position in Inspector)
• Shift+X: Move note head to opposite side of stem (can be reset to Auto position in Inspector)

Mouse

It's easy to enter notes with the mouse, but it is not the fastest way to enter lots of notes.

Just select the duration from the toolbar and click on the score to add the pitch. If you hover the cursor over the score in Note Input Mode it will show you a preview of the note or rest you are about to add.

MIDI keyboard

You can also insert pitches using a MIDI keyboard.

1. Connect your MIDI keyboard to the computer and switch the former on
2. Start MuseScore (this must be done after the keyboard is switched on)
3. Create a new score
4. Click the rest (selecting it) in measure 1 to indicate where you want note input to begin
5. Press N to enter note input mode
6. Select a note duration such as 5 for quarter notes (crotchets), as described above
7. Press a note on your MIDI keyboard.

The pitch should be added to your score.

Note: The MIDI keyboard enters one note or chord at a time. This mode of note input (often called "step-time entry") is fast and reliable. Beginning with version 2.1 MuseScore introduced a limited real time entry mode, in which the musican plays a passage and MuseScore tries to produce the notation.

If you have multiple MIDI devices connected to your computer, you may need to inform MuseScore which is the MIDI keyboard. Go to Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...). In the preferences dialog, click on the I/O tab and select your device under the section labeled "PortAudio".

Virtual Piano Keyboard

You can also input notes using the on-screen piano keyboard.

• To toggle the display on and off: Press P (or select View→Piano).
• To resize the keyboard: Hold down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) and move the mouse scroll wheel up/down.

The method of note entry is similar to that for a midi keyboard. First, ensure that you are in note input mode. To enter a single note, simply click on the appropriate piano key. To enter a chord, make sure that a note in the score is selected, press and hold Shift, then click on a piano key (in versions before 2.1, use Ctrl (Mac: Cmd)). Repeat as required.

Input modes

In addition to the existing Step-time and Repitch modes, three more input modes have been added in MuseScore 2.1 (see links below). All can be accessed by clicking the smallarrow next to the "N" button on the left of the Note Input toolbar.

• Step-time (default): The default mode of note entry. See Basic note entry (above).
• Repitch: Replace pitches without changing rhythms.
• Rhythm: Enter durations with a single click or keypress.
• Real-time (automatic): Perform the piece at a fixed tempo indicated by a metronome beat.
• Real-time (manual): Perform the piece while tapping a key or pedal to set the beat.

Coloring of notes out of an instrument's range

Notes within the playable range of an instrument or voice part appear black, while those extending beyond the normal range of an instrument are marked red. For some instruments, the range depends on the skill of the musician. For these instruments, notes outside the range of an early amateur appear dark yellow, and notes outside the typical range of a professional appear red.

The colors are informational and appear on the computer screen, but not on printed copies. You can disable note colors from the menu: select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...), click on the "Note Input" tab, and unmark "Color notes outside of usable pitch range".

Small notes/small noteheads

1. Select the note(s) you want in small size.
2. Check the "Small" checkbox in the Inspector. The one in the Note section is used to only change the size of the individual notehead; the one in the Chord section will change the note head, stem, beam, and flag sizes all together.

By default, the small size is 70% of the normal size. You can change that setting in Style → General→Sizes.

Change notes or rests already entered

Change duration

To change the length of a single note or rest:

1. Make sure you are not in note input mode (press Esc to exit) and have no other notes selected.
2. Click on the note or rest and use the duration shortcuts listed above, or the duration icons in the toolbar, to change it to the duration of your choice.

Increasing the duration will overwrite the notes or rests that follow it; decreasing the duration will add rests between it and the notes or rests following.

For example, to change three sixteenth rests into a single dotted eighth rest:

1. Click on the first sixteenth rest.
2. Hit 4 to turn it into an eighth rest.
3. Hit . to turn it into a dotted eighth rest.

As the duration increases, it overwrites the other two sixteenth rests following it.

Change pitch

To change the pitch of a single note:

1. Make sure that you're not in note input mode and that you have no other notes selected.
2. Select the desired note and use any of the following methods:
   • Drag the notehead up or down with the mouse;
   • Press the the keyboard arrows: ↑ (Up) or ↓ (down);
   • Type a new note letter name (A…G). Use Ctrl+↓ or Ctrl+↑ to correct the octave, if necessary (Mac: Cmd+↓ or Cmd+↑).

To change the enharmonic spelling of a note, select it and use the J command. For more information, see Accidentals.

To change the pitches of a passage of music by a constant interval, you can use Transposition.

To change the pitches of a passage of music to a different melody, while keeping the rhythm unchanged, use Re-pitch mode.

If your score contains a lot of misspelled accidentals, you might try the Respell Pitches command (see Accidentals: Respell pitches).

Change rest to note and vice versa

To change a rest to a note of the same duration:

1. Make sure you are not in note input mode (press Esc to exit).
2. Select the rest.
3. Enter the desired pitch by entering a note letter, A–G.

To change a note to a rest of the same duration:

1. Make sure you are not in note input mode (press Esc to exit).
2. Select the note.
3. Press 0 (Zero).

Note properties

• To adjust the horizontal position of a note/chord: see Offsetting notes.
• To edit note properties in general (spacing, offset, size, color, notehead direction, playback etc.): see Inspector and object properties.
• To adjust the layout of all notes in the score: see Layout and formatting, especially the sections about notes, accidentals and tuplets.

Selection modes