My name is Marc Sabatella, and I am one of the developers and chief ambassadors for MuseScore, the world's most popular music notation program.
Whether you are brand new to MuseScore and looking for someone to help you get started, or whether you have been using it a while and are wanting to learn the pro tips to move beyond the basics and take control of your music, this course is for you!
This self-paced course starts with a simple demonstration to jump start your experience, and continues with dozens of lessons covering each and every feature of the program. Along the way I show you everything step by step - how to enter your music and get it looking and sounding just the way you want. And I show you all the shortcuts to get things done most efficiently.
MuseScore is incredibly powerful yet surprisingly easy to use
Yes, it really can be easy, especially with the help of an expert who can show you the way. So let me teach you all the ins and outs of MuseScore:
- Note input
- Editing
- Text
- Articulations and other markings
- Tablature
- Percussion notation
- Ensemble scores and parts
- Page layout
- Educational worksheets
- Playback
- Customizations
- Much more
Parlez-vous français? Check out the French version of this course!
Marc Sabatella
My name is Marc Sabatella, and I am the founder and director of Mastering MuseScore. I am one of the developers and chief ambassadors for MuseScore, the world's most popular music notation software. I have been teaching music online since the dawn of the World Wide Web, and I have been teaching in person for even longer. From the publication of my groundbreaking Jazz Improvisation Primer back in the 1990’s, to my years on the faculty at major music schools, and culminating in this Mastering MuseScore School and Community, I have dedicated most of my life to helping as many musicians as I can.
Listen to what our students say
Thousands of satisfied users have learned MuseScore from this course. Here are comments from just a few of them:
- "As I go through this wonderful course, I'm astonished to learn the incredible amount of things MuseScore is able to do! Wow. I am so grateful I found it. Marc, you are an extraordinary teacher and presenter! Your language is precise, clear, and descriptive. Thank you for this fantastic resource for musicians!!" - Christopher B.
- "Such a great tutorial to a great software. I was struggling as to invest time in what music software. After the few lessons, I have confident that I am making the rigth choice. Many thanks for putting the tutorial together and the efforts of the team which developed this software." - Peter L.
- "I use MuseScore daily and figured I’d give the course a try (the price was too low to pass up). It’s great – I’ve picked up a bunch of time-saving tricks and learned about some features I never knew existed. I’ve just been poking around at particular topics of interest but little by little I’m sure I’ll watch the whole thing. Thanks for this great resource!" - Jeff L.
- "After muddling my way through a score on my own, what a relief to learn how easy it is when you know the right way! Your instruction is very clear and I am thrilled to be participating." - Ruth P.
- "This is my first time scoring music, and I completed the song following your instructions. I feel excited and thank you from the bottom of my heart." - Christopher M.
- "Just have to say these lessons are terrific! Great job!" - Alex N.
Course format
There are more than ten hours of video content in all, divided into over one hundred easily understood lessons, allowing you choose your own path. Spend as much time as you like on the basics, pick and choose the lessons that interest you most, or go through it all in order - the course is as flexible as the program itself. In addition, there are real-world demonstrations and exercises as well areas for discussion where you can engage with other students and with the instructor.
Scroll down to see the full curriculum, and check out some of the free previews!
Community
Mastering MuseScore is proud to offer its own Community site as a free resource for our students. There, you can engage and collaborate with other like-minded musicians and learn together. Comment on course materials, ask questions, post your own music, give feedback to others, and watch the free weekly MuseScore Café and Music Master Class live streams - the Community is an amazing value all by itself!
Course curriculum
- Note Entry Basics (1:57)
- Notes (4:18)
- Accidentals (6:23)
- Chords (2:02)
- Ties (2:52)
- Rests (3:09)
- Piano Keyboard and MIDI Input (3:24)
- Tuplets (6:22)
- Multiple Voices (3:44)
- Grace Notes (5:49)
- Cross-Staff Notation (1:57)
- Alternative Note Input Methods (4:16)
- Customization - Stems, Beams, and Noteheads (8:57)
- Customization - Note Style and Properties (18:04)
- Customization - Note Input (5:33)
- Demonstration - Short Piano Score (18:21)
- Exercise
- Discussion
- Editing Basics (4:06)
- Page Navigation (8:56)
- Cursor Navigation (4:05)
- Making Selections (8:30)
- Making Changes - Note Input Mode (5:02)
- Making Changes - Normal Mode (11:21)
- Making Changes - All Selections (5:25)
- Inserting and Deleting Notes (2:33)
- Copy, Cut, and Paste (7:24)
- Transposing Music (5:36)
- Exploding and Imploding Music (3:18)
- Editing with Multiple Voices (6:28)
- Automatic Placement (7:23)
- Customization - Manual Adjustments (8:52)
- Discussion
- Text Basics (5:14)
- Customization - Text Style and Properties (5:10)
- Staff and System Text (7:01)
- Tempo (6:21)
- Rehearsal Marks (3:09)
- Frame Text (7:07)
- Lyrics (6:57)
- Chord Symbols (5:43)
- Customization - Chord Symbols (18:38)
- Roman Numeral Analysis (6:26)
- Fingering (5:11)
- Header and Footer (6:00)
- Discussion
- Palette and Symbol Basics (7:35)
- Lines (6:33)
- Repeat Barlines and Voltas (6:32)
- Repeat Text (4:12)
- Measure and Beat Repeats (6:04)
- Dynamics (2:44)
- Customization - Dynamics (16:18)
- Articulations and Ornaments (7:05)
- Slurs (3:24)
- Tremolo and Rolls (3:43)
- Arpeggios, Glissando, and Bends (5:44)
- Fretboard Diagrams (4:48)
- Symbols and Graphics (4:51)
- Palette Search and Navigation (2:50)
- Customization - Element Style and Properties (8:27)
- Discussion
Check out our other great courses
MuseScore is a fantastic tool for writing music. But knowing how to work the tool isn't all there is to creating music. I have been teaching music online for longer than just about anyone. So why not let me help you learn music as well?