I saw Gordon's MuseScore post and didn't want to make it drift off-topic so soon so I'm starting this one.
I'm using an old computer because it has Encore on it. My new computers don't have DVD drives, and yes, I know I can get one inexpensively. Encore is so old it comes on a DVD. Thus, my new computers don't have Encore.
I figure it might be easier to download MuseScore.
So I went to their site to look at tutorials, and sadly, they all say "Video Not Available". I sent feedback, and was contacted quickly, and the result is the rep will inform the proper people.
So my question is this: Is it very easy to create a head chart with MuseScore. One line, treble clef only, with melody and chord symbols.
I suspect it is, but without seeing the tutorials, I thought I'd ask before I download.
If you have experience with Encore, is it as quick or quicker. I don't want to waste a lot of time making a chart.
I don't use Musescore to create scores, so I can't answer your direct question, but I do use it on occasion to print scores and parts. The new font of Musescore 4 is terrific.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
We're learning a standard for a customer that comes in every week, "Near You". I just did the chart on the old computer, I'll take a screenshot, make a .tif file so I can use it on stage.
Not a difficult song by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be a waste of brain space to memorize it. We have over 650 songs now, and the ones we play often are memorized. Others are partially memorized, so an occasional little glance ad the chart or lyrics is all I need. Then there are those we don't play frequently. They will probably never get memorized.
I'm using BiaB to make the backing track, with a hybrid style I made from two PG Music styles (Classy and a simple jazz style—I don't recall which one). I'll export it, tweak it, and make an mp3 out of it for use on stage.
The customer requested it, says it was her and her husband's special song, so they will be surprised and pleased when we play it for them.
So my question is this: Is it very easy to create a head chart with MuseScore. One line, treble clef only, with melody and chord symbols.
Hi Bob, Yes. When you start a new score you get offered some choices. In MuseScore 4 select the tab "Create From Template", then Jazz, then Jazz Lead Sheet.
In MuseScore 3 when you select a new score, fill in what you want of the title-etc., click [Next] and again select Jazz->Jazz Lead Sheet.
When I first started I bought Marc Sabatella's "Mastering MuseScore" book, but that seems to vanished and he now does on-line courses. at a rather higher price that I probably wouldn't now pay. It had some good tips and shortcuts, but whether there are enough to justify the cost is quite another matter.
Shortcut things I use most: In the layout palette there are newline and new-page icons. Drag to bar or select a bar and click. Barlines ditto. Chords: select a note and Ctrl-K. tab advances a bar, space advances a beat or not in context. Section marks: select a note and then Ctrl-M Entering notes: 'n' to start or stop, digit selects length until changed, a thru g insert a note usually in contect Ctrl-Up or Ctrl-Down to move by octave, up or down to move by semitone. '0' inserts a rest, '+' adds a tied note, '.' makes the note dotted, Ctrl-3 converts the next note to a triplet.
Most or all things in the palettes can be dragged and dropped or select-and-clicked.
Theres a symbol like [<->] in the layout that inserts a spacer before a bar. I often use it to push my 2nd bars to the right.
Most of the rest is probably fairly intuitive/obvious.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Based on Gordon Scott's remarks above I looked to see if I could find copies for sale of Marc Sabatella's "Mastering MuseScore" book. The last edition was 2015 and it covers. MuseScore version 2.1. It is available new and used. The used book links I'm providing below are from trusted sources I have purchased used books from.
Based on Gordon Scott's remarks above I looked to see if I could find copies for sale of Marc Sabatella's "Mastering MuseScore" book.
As you say, it's about 2.1 and things have moved a lot, but looking briefly through my copy I think there may well still be good value in it. I do remember having several "I didn't know you could do that!" moments.
OK, I just looked through and found an example, though I'm not sure I'd personally ever want it: Mid bar barlines/repeats ... and it still works much the same in Musescore 4.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Does v4.0.1 accept BiaB files? I thought I read that it didn't.
I've just tried it (right-click->open-with) on Linux and both V3 and V4 open an .MGU file OK, though the format I get is very odd ... four whole-notes to the bar, all notes are whole notes. Note pitches appear correct, key signature is correct, tempo appears ignored, bars seem to have both notes and rests. Whether that is usable I'm not sure. It seems to me like a lot of cleaning up.
It is marked as "experimental".
Addendum ... V3 seems to get most chord-names OK, though it's confused with slash chords. V4 gets the chord-names wrong. Both versions have also crashed shortly after opening the .MGU, so it's clearly all rather fragile yet.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 02/27/2305:05 AM.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
I usually just save XML then open that in Musescore and never seem to have any issues. Even when it says file is corrupted, it still opens and is fine.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
Can I suggest you go right to v4.0.1. The sounds and graphics are sooooo much better than v3.
That's what I plan on.
I've downloaded, but haven't had a chance to make a full hard drive image, which I always do before I install anything.
Also, I'm trying to get this "Near You" song out by tomorrow, and spent most of the day with an important errand that was 1 1/2 hours away and another 1.5 back. It turned out well though, so it was worth it.
And while I was down in Boca Raton, there is this great baby back rib place that I have a hard time passing without stopping, and well, it was only another 15 minutes down the road
I've got the chart finished (in Encore)
The MIDI file done, including the usual piano figure. I didn't really like the BiaB-generated drum part for this song, so I kept parts of it, and played my own. Sometimes the older BiaB drum parts are too quantized for my personal tastes. (Drums were my first instrument, so I'm picky about them.)
I'm going to play wind synth, muted trumpet patch, and try to sound a bit like Sweets Edison. Something like what he did with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. It probably won't stay that way for long, if I know me, but it's a good starting point. I fooled around with it last night, and it's an easy progression to improvise over.
The couple that likes it usually come in on Wednesday, and we haven't told them we were learning it, so it'll be a nice surprise for them. She said it was "their song."
A good bartender knows their drinks, and a good musician knows their songs.
Follow up. I haven't installed MuseScore yet, waiting for a day off.
Then I'll climb the learning curve, which I don't expect to be very steep, and say "goodbye" to my old friend Encore.
We played "Near You" for the couple who said it was "their song" and the wife come up and gave us a very emotional "Thank you". That paid back the efforts to learn it, plus create the chart and backing track tenfold.
The place was packed, to overflow. And there were about 40 people in the tables with umbrellas outside, in the sand. People came and hugged us on the way out, are regular audience members are like extended family to us.
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
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And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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