MuseScore Studio Handbook
Languages (A to F)Languages (G to Z)Main websiteMore
  • MuseScore Studio Handbook
  • About the handbook
    • Editing the Handbook
    • Style guide
    • Using GitBook
  • Introduction
    • Download and installation
    • Create your first score
    • Upgrading to MuseScore Studio 4 from earlier versions
  • Navigation
    • Accessibility
    • The user interface
    • Navigating your score
    • Timeline
    • Braille
  • Basics
    • Setting up your score
    • Entering notes and rests
    • Working with multiple voices
    • Input by duration mode
    • Alternative note input methods
    • Adding and removing measures
    • Selecting elements
    • Editing notes and rests
    • Copy and paste
    • Using the palettes
    • Properties panel
    • Adjusting elements directly
    • Parts
    • Default keyboard shortcuts
  • Notation
    • Instruments, staves, and systems
      • Instruments and system markings
      • Showing staves only where needed
      • Implode and explode
      • Mid-score instrument changes
      • Staff type change
      • Staff/Part properties
      • Brackets
    • Rhythm, meter, and measures
      • Time signatures
      • Stems and flags
      • Beams
      • Regroup rhythms
      • Tuplets
      • Barlines
      • Measure numbering
      • Measure rests and multimeasure rests
      • Pickup and non-metered measures
      • Measure properties
    • Pitch
      • Clefs
      • Key signatures
      • Transposition
      • Octave lines
      • Noteheads
      • Ambitus
      • Respell pitches
    • Expressive markings
      • Articulations
      • Dynamics and hairpins
      • Slurs and ties
      • Laissez vibrer ties
      • Breaths and pauses
      • Ornaments
      • Arpeggios and glissandos
      • Grace notes
      • Tremolos and rolls
      • Other lines
      • Other symbols
    • Repeats
      • Repeat signs
      • Voltas
      • Jumps and markers
      • Items across repeats and jumps
      • Changes and courtesies at repeats and jumps
      • Measure and multi-measure repeats
  • Idiomatic notation
    • Keyboard
      • Pedal
      • Cross-staff notation
      • Accordion notation
    • Guitar
      • Fretboard diagrams
      • Guitar techniques
      • Creating a tablature staff
      • Entering and editing tablature notation
      • Customizing a tablature staff
      • Applying capos
      • Alternate string tunings
      • Guitar bends
    • Harp
    • Percussion
      • Inputting percussion notation
      • Customizing the percussion panel
      • Percussion kit customization
      • Other percussion notation
  • Alternative notation
    • Mensural notation and Mensurstrich
    • Slash notation
    • Custom staff types
  • Text
    • Entering and editing text
    • Formatting text
    • Staff Text, System Text and Expression Text
    • Tempo markings
    • Lyrics
    • Fingering
    • Chord symbols
    • Figured bass
    • Rehearsal marks
    • Header and footer
    • Text blocks
  • Formatting
    • Page layout concepts
    • Positioning of elements
    • Score size and spacing
    • Systems and horizontal spacing
    • Pages and vertical spacing
    • Using frames for additional content
    • Working with images
    • Using sections for multiple movements or songs
  • File management
    • Opening and saving scores
    • File export
    • Working with MusicXML files
    • Backup and recovered files
    • Project properties
    • Publish to MuseScore.com
    • Share on Audio.com
  • Sound and playback
    • Playback controls
    • Mixer
    • SoundFonts
    • Installing MuseSounds
    • Sound flags
    • Swing playback
    • Working with MIDI
    • Working with VST and VSTi
  • Customization
    • Language
    • Appearance
    • Toolbars and windows
    • Templates and styles
    • Palettes
    • Workspaces
    • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Preferences
    • Plugins
  • Support
    • Getting help
    • Revert to factory settings
    • Troubleshooting
  • Appendix
    • Command line usage
    • All keyboard shortcuts
    • Changes for MDL percussion
    • Upgrade from MuseScore 3.x
    • Glossary
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • Overview
  • Similarity and difference between Staff Text and System Text
  • Adding Staff Text to your score
  • Adding expression text to your score
  • Adding System Text to your score
  • Repeating System Text on other staves
  • Properties
  • Swing playback
  • Style

Was this helpful?

Export as PDF
  1. Text

Staff Text, System Text and Expression Text

PreviousFormatting textNextTempo markings

Last updated 1 month ago

Was this helpful?

Overview

Staff Text objects and System Text objects are for indicative purposes listed right below. They can optionally affect Musescore playback, only the section after the attached note or rest is affected.

  • Applying and straight time (staff text and system text only)

  • Applying score and movement titles

  • Other general purpose not covered by other text types only. Different types of text-based objects are not interchangeable, see .

Expression text objects indicate musical expressions and performance indications. They do not affect Musescore playback. To indicate dynamics and create playback at the same time, use . To indicate and affect tempo at the same time, use .

Similarity and difference between Staff Text and System Text

Staff Text and System Text are similar in behavior and function.

  • Both of them attaches to a note or rest.

  • Both of them can be set-up to have effect on audio created by Musescore's Synthesizer, a Staff Text only affects the that that note belongs to, a System Text affects all Musescore Instruments on a score.

  • Staff Texts are hidden along with "Hide empty staves within systems" option (and the sub-option "Don't hide empty staves in first system") under "Style" window : "Score", see .

  • A Staff Text only appears in the that features the Musescore Instrument. A System Text appears on all Musescore Parts.

  • New System Text is positioned above the top staff of each .

Adding Staff Text to your score

  1. Select a note

  2. Use one of the following methods:

    • Press Ctrl+T.

    • From the menu, select Add→Text→Staff Text.

    • Click on the "Staff Text" icon in the Text

  3. Enter the desired text in the bounding box.

Alternatively, drag the "Staff Text" icon onto a note in the score before entering the desired text.

Adding expression text to your score

  1. Select a note

  2. Use one of the following methods:

    • Press Ctrl+E.

    • From the menu, select Add→Text→Expression text.

  3. Enter the desired text in the bounding box.

Alternatively, drag the "Expression text" icon onto a note in the score before entering the desired text.

Adding System Text to your score

  1. Select a note

  2. Use one of the following methods:

    • Press Ctrl+Shift+T.

    • From the menu, select Add→Text→System Text.

  3. Enter the desired text in the bounding box.

Alternatively, drag the "System Text" icon onto a note in the score before entering the desired text.

Repeating System Text on other staves

  • Symphony Orchestra : duplicated and shown above violin.

  • Classical Orchestra : duplicated and shown above violin.

  • SATB + Piano : duplicated and shown above piano.

  • SATB + Organ : duplicated and shown above organ.

  • SATB Closed Score + Piano : duplicated and shown above piano.

  • SATB Closed Score + Organ : duplicated and shown above organ.

Properties

Swing playback

To apply swing:

  1. Right-click on a text object (staff text or system text only)

  2. Select Staff text properties or System text properties

Style

  • Values of the "Style for Staff Text" can be edited in Format→Style→Staff Text.

  • Values of the "Style for Expression text" can be edited in Format→Style→Expression text

  • Values of the "Style for text inside Staff Text" can be edited in Format→Style→Text styles→Staff

  • Values of the "Style for text inside System Text" can be edited in Format→Style→Text styles→System

  • Values of the "Style for text inside Expression" can be edited in Format→Style→Text styles→Expression

Click on the "Expression text" icon in the Text

Click on the "System Text" icon in the Text

New System Text is positioned above the top staff of each . If you need a similar indication on a lower staff, add it to that staff using .

have an additional feature. When you create a System Text, it is automatically duplicated and shown just above another lower staff. If either instance of the object is edited the content of both is updated. If either one is removed, both are removed. These templates includes:

Edit properties of selected Staff Text, System Text, and Expression Text object(s) in the . Text related settings are covered in chapter.

An Expression Text can be added to a note that already has a Dynamics symbol attached. Doing so snaps it to the dynamics symbols, this behavior and the Properties : Expression: Snap to dynamic property is explained in chapter.

Staff and system text can optionally be used to introduce .

This opens a dialog where you can .

See main chapter .

"Style for text inside Staff Text" is special, see .

swing
Text types
Dynamics symbol object
Tempo markings
Musescore Instrument
Templates and styles
Musescore Part(s)
system (layout concept)
palette
palette
palette
system (layout concept)
Staff Text
Some templates
Properties panel
Formatting text
Dynamics
Swing playback
adjust swing settings
Templates and styles
Formatting text
Staff Text style