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01. Create a Musical Incipit

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Anna Kijas edited this page Feb 9, 2023 · 24 revisions

In progress

We are going to use MuseScore (open-source notation software).

  1. Open MuseScore and create a new score
  • Enter in the score information:
    • Title of the composition
    • Composer
    • Lyricist, if this is a vocal piece (if known)
  • Choose a template file:
    • Look at the score. Is it for solo piano, voice and piano, multiple instruments?
    • For solo piano works, include both clefs. For voice and piano, you can choose the voice melody line, unless it would be clearer to transcribe voice and piano together
    • For other instrumentation, identify the clef or instrument from which you’ll be transcribing
  • Choose the key signature:
    • Look at the score and identify the key signature at the beginning of the piece
  • Choose the time signature:
    • Look at the score and identify the time signature at the beginning of the piece
  • Enter in the number of measures, 5 or 6 will work. You can always add more in the score
    • Select done
    • If your composition has multiple movements or pieces, you will need to create a new score for each one

Important Note: you should use the default font (Freeserif) in order for the content to export exactly as you inputted it in MuseScore. If you don’t then the placement of text or other elements may appear differently. Scroll down to the “helpful tips” section to see how you can change the font. If you are using MuseScore version 3.6 - you will need to download this style file (FreeSerif.mss) and load it in your MuseScore software, so it applies the correct font.

"MuseScore does not embed text fonts in saved or exported native format files. If you want your MuseScore file to be viewed by other MuseScore users, make sure you are using the built-in FreeSerif or FreeSans font families for your text, or a font that the other parties have installed too. If a system does not have the fonts specified in your original file, MuseScore will use a fallback option, which may cause your score to appear differently.” Details are here: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/file-formats#musicxml.

  1. Enter the music notation of each piece for the first few measures on a single staff.
  • If there are rests in the beginning of the piece, even for an entire measure, include this.
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