Instant MuseScore: Learn to create beautiful scores and quality sheet music with this popular, free music composition software

54 Pages·2013·2.654 MB·English

by  Maxwell Shinn

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Instant MuseScore
Learn to create beautiful scores and quality sheet music
with this popular, free music composition software
Maxwell Shinn
BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
www.it-ebooks.info
Instant MuseScore
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First published: August 2013
Production Reference: 1240813
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.
ISBN 978-1-78355-936-7
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Credits
Author Project Coordinator
Maxwell Shinn Amey Sawant
Reviewer Proofreader
Nicolas Froment Maria Gould
Acquisition Editor Production Coordinator
Pramila Balan Nilesh R. Mohite
Commissioning Editor Cover Work
Sruthi Kutty Nilesh R. Mohite
Technical Editor Cover Image
Shali Sasidharan Disha Haria
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About the Author
Maxwell Shinn is a composer currently located in the Minneapolis region. He first discovered
MuseScore in 2009, and shortly thereafter began using it as his exclusive music notation
software package. Later, he began contributing to the community by compiling the GNU/Linux
nightly builds. Max has composed two full length musicals in MuseScore, as well as works for
orchestra, concert band, chamber ensemble, instrumental solo, and others.
Additionally, Max is known for releasing his works to the public, allowing for unlimited
performance, recording, and even modification under the Creative Commons BY-SA license.
These works are available for download from his website, www.MaxShinnPotential.com.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family and friends for their love and support. Thank you to Nicolas
Froment and Mary Finta for reviewing the drafts of this work, and to Clarence Lehman for his
guidance in the early stages of this process.
I would also especially like to thank my music composition mentor Carol Barnett, without whom
I would likely not be composing today. Her patience, kindness, and enthusiasm throughout the
years I studied with her have changed me both inside and outside the concert hall.
Additionally, thank you to Werner Schweer and many other MuseScore contributors who have
given their time and talents to produce such a wonderful piece of software.
Finally, I thank you, the reader, for actually reading the acknowledgments section full of people
who you don't know.
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About the Reviewer
Nicolas Froment (@lasconic) is a software developer and drummer from Toulouse, France.
For the past 10 years he has been working on several music notation related software projects.
As a free software proponent, Nicolas started contributing to MuseScore in 2008 and quickly
became one of the main developers. In 2010, he founded the MuseScore company with Thomas
Bonte, and Werner Schweer, the lead developer of MuseScore. He serves as MuseScore's CTO
and manages the MuseScore contributor community.
Nicolas wrote and translated a large part of MuseScore official documentation into French.
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Table of Contents
Instant MuseScore 1
So, what is MuseScore? 3
Installation 5
Windows 5
Step 1 – downloading MuseScore 5
Step 2 – running the installer 5
Mac OS X 6
Step 1 – downloading MuseScore 6
Step 2 – installing it on your computer 6
GNU/Linux 6
Step 1 – installing MuseScore through your package manager 6
And that's it 6
Quick start – creating your first score 7
Step 1 – navigating the interface 7
Step 2 – creating a score 8
Step 3 – entering notes 9
Inserting triplets 11
Inserting ties 11
Copying and pasting 12
Inserting and deleting measures 13
Step 4 – playing back your music 14
Step 5 – printing and exporting your music 15
Top 5 features you need to know about 16
Articulations and dynamics 16
Single-note articulations 16
Dynamics 17
Hairpins, slurs, ottava brackets, and pedal markings 19
Text 20
General text 20
Tempo markings 22
Chord symbols 23
Lyrics 24
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