To make a score in MuseScore 4, press Ctrl+N (or File → New), choose a template or the instruments and click Done; then select a measure, press N and type the notes with the letters A–G.
This tutorial shows how to create a score in MuseScore 4 quickly and easily. If you are a beginner, it is a good starting point to get to know the program.
🚀 Methods to create a score
In MuseScore 4 there are four ways to create a score:
- Clicking the “New score” button.
- Pressing the bottom “New” button.
- From the “File” → “New” menu.
- Using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N.
Any of them takes you to the score creation screen.
🎻 Instrument selection
When you create a new score, there are two options:
- Select a predefined template.
- Manually choose the instruments.
This example uses a template from the “General” category, the “Treble Clef” option, and then “Done”.
🎵 Entering notes in MuseScore
To enter notes in the score, follow these steps:
- Click on the measure where you want to enter the notes.
- Enable Note Input mode with the “pencil” icon or by pressing the “N” key.
- By default, the “Quarter note” duration will be selected. You can change the duration from the “Note input toolbar” or by using the 1 to 9 numbers on the keyboard.
- To enter notes with the keyboard, use the letters from A to G following Anglo-Saxon notation (A = La, B = Si, C = Do, etc.).
🔗 Adding elements like slurs
The “Palettes panel” lets you add graphic elements such as slurs, dynamics, or articulations. To add a slur:
- Select the first note.
- Hold down the “Shift” key and click the last note of the slur.
- From the “Articulations” tab, click “Slur”.
⚙️ Customization with the “Properties” tab
In MuseScore 4, the “Properties” tab lets you change many score parameters. For MuseScore 3 users, this feature was known as the “Inspector”.
Depending on the selected element (note, measure, slur), the “Properties” menu changes to offer specific settings.
💾 Saving and exporting scores
To save your score:
- Go to “File” → “Save As”.
- Choose whether you want to save it to the cloud or on your computer.
- The default format is .mscz, compatible with MuseScore 3 and 4 (although scores created in MuseScore 4 cannot be opened in MuseScore 3).
To export to other formats:
- Go to “File” → “Export”.
- Select the desired format (PDF, MP3, image, etc.).
- Click “Export” and save the file on your computer.
🔄 Keep MuseScore up to date
It is recommended to keep the program up to date to benefit from new features and bug fixes.
- From “Edit” → “Preferences”, enable the option “Check for a new version of MuseScore”.
- You can also check manually via “Help” → “Check for updates”.
🎹 Differences between MuseScore 3 and MuseScore 4
Some key differences between the two versions:
- In MuseScore 4, the “Start Center” is gone.
- The “little pencil” icon for entering notes is now called “Note Input mode”.
- The MuseScore 3 “Inspector” has been replaced by the “Properties” panel in MuseScore 4.
- In MuseScore 3, the slurs option is found in the “Lines” tab.
🎯 Conclusion
This tutorial has covered the basics of creating a score in MuseScore, entering notes, adding graphic elements, and saving and exporting your work.
The next lesson explains MuseScore’s interface and its main menus in depth.