Getting Started with QuickScore Elite

Piano music

Tutorials  How To  Manual  MIDI and Audio

It is possible to write piano music using one track displayed on two staves, or using two tracks, one with a treble clef, and one with a bass clef.

To use a single track displayed on two staves, start a new file and in the Track Sheet, set the Staff to Treble/Bass. The advantage of working like this is that cross-staff beaming is possible. The advantage of using two tracks is that it may be easier to associate notes with staves. If parts will not be crossing from one staff to the other, this may be a simpler way of working.

To get started quickly from scratch, select the Piano template. This will automatically create two tracks, one with a treble clef, and one with a bass clef. Alternately, you can start with an arrangement from an existing MIDI file, MusicXML file or QuickScore file.

In the Track sheet you can quickly enter the key signature, time signature, beat and tempo.

Enter notes using the mouse, the built-in virtual keyboard, a MIDI keyboard, MIDI guitar or breath controller, or any other controller attached to your computer.

Piano music often makes use of several independent voices at once. In QuickScore you select voices for note entry using the Voice palette in the main control area of the Score Editor. You can also easily assign notes to voices at any time after they are entered.

Enter key signature and time signature changes at any point in your composition. Hold down the control key and right click in the bar where you want the key or time signature change to take place, enter the new key signature or time signature and click Apply.

Change from bass to treble clef or vice versa by selecting a clef from the clefs palette and putting it wherever you want it. The music automatically adjusts to reflect the change.

Put in slurs and tuplet markings simply by control-clicking two notes and applying a slur or tuplet mark.

Add articulations such as dots, martele, mordents, trills or turns that stay attached to notes and play as well.

Add tempo and dynamic markings using symbols from the symbols palette.

When entering fingering numbers, it is possible to switch at will between them as you enter them. This lets you put in fingerings for your entire piece in a single step. Do this by pressing the left or right arrow keys while you have the left mouse button down as you enter the number.

Add titles, composer credits, headers and footers using Display>Titles>Score.