Mastering MuseScore

by 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 the Mastering MuseScore School and Community, I have dedicated most of my life to helping as many musicians as I can.

News from Muse Group...

Create your best music Hello! As some of you have already heard, last week the Muse Group (the company that manages the development of MuseScore) acquired Hal Leonard (the largest sheet music publisher in the world). I have no doubt that this is big news, although to be honest I have no real idea what it means right now. Meanwhile, though, you can check out the press release from Muse Group, and this article from the independent blog Scoring Notes, if you want to learn more. This is...

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about 5 hours ago • 2 min read

MuseScore 4.2 "beta" release

Hello! After an enjoyable Thanksgiving break with my family, it's back to music as usual this week! In the Harmony and Chord Progressions course, we are in week 13, looking at common harmonic idioms - sequences of chords that can be used interchangeably as a way of getting from point "A" to point "B". Another highlight is the beta release of MuseScore 4.2, which you'll be hearing more about below. Keep in mind, as a beta, this is for testing purposes - the real release will happen next...

7 days ago • 2 min read

A break for giving thanks

Happy Thanksgiving week! I will be taking a break from my regular live events, but I'll still be checking and participating in the discussions on the community site as I can. Meanwhile, I want to thank all of you for your support over the years, and I hope you enjoy your holiday if you celebrate!In the Harmony and Chord Progressions course, we are in week 12, focusing on analysis of existing compositions using the concepts we have learned thus far. Mastering MuseScore For the ultimate guide...

14 days ago • 1 min read

Brand new key

Hello! Last week my newsletter had a theme of time changes; this week it's key changes. In the Harmony and Chord Progressions course, we are focusing on modulations. And both my tip of the week and theory post are about keys.A heads up regarding next week - it's Thanksgiving and I will be taking a break from my regular live events. But this week is business as usual. Please do remember, though, that in the US, daylight saving time has ended, so for those outside the US (or in states that...

21 days ago • 2 min read

Time changes

Hello! Here in the US, daylight savings ended over the weekend, meaning that if you live outside the US, my live events may be at a different time this week. So be sure to check what time 12:30 PM Eastern is for you. An easy way to do that is to type into a Google search, "what time is 12:30 PM Eastern". It will tell you the local time. Also keep in mind there may be a second change when your own clocks change. For those of you in the US, nothing changes. Meanwhile, in the Harmony and...

28 days ago • 2 min read

Heard but not seen

Hello, and happy Halloween! The seasons are definitely changing here in Colorado - we just had our first snow. Which also reminds me - there is no time change for us this week, but heads up that next week will see the end of daylight savings time in the US. Meanwhile, in the Harmony and Chord Progressions course, we are in week 9, focusing on diminished chords and pedal point. Mastering MuseScore For the ultimate guide to the world's most popular music notation software, see my online...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

The paths to home

Hello! I'm traveling back to Colorado from Florida this week (where I have had a lovely visit with family and friends), but my live events should not be affected. At most, I might be a little late getting to Office Hours. In the Harmony and Chord Progressions course, we are in week 8, continuing our exploration of borrowed chords. This includes the iv and bVII7 chords, which you can consider alternate routes back "home" to the tonic. Our current project involves writing a short original...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Changes in latitudes

Hello! This week in Harmony and Chord Progressions, we are in week 7, beginning our exploration of borrowed chords - including my favorite sound of all time, the minor iv chord used in major keys. A little of this sound goes a long ways - but oh, the places it can take us!Note the time change for Office Hours on Tuesday. I'll be traveling and will be joining from the airport (assuming all goes well). I'll also be broadcasting my live streams from Florida this week. The title of this...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

Colors

Hello! The fall colors - gold, mostly - are starting to dominate here in Colorado. As it happens, I'm also talking about the use of color tones in my "In Theory" segment (see below), and I'll touch on the subject of color in my MuseScore Café as well This week in Harmony and Chord Progressions, we are in week 6, continuing our exploration of secondary dominants. The current project is to harmonize a song using these concepts, and if this is new to you, I think you'll be amazed at the...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

Not quite so simple

Hello, and thanks yet again to everyone who attended the MuseScore 4 Jump Start workshop! If you missed it live, or want to review, just click here for the recording.Meanwhile, in Harmony and Chord Progressions, we are in week 5, starting our investigation of secondary dominants. This is a real turning point in the course, where we really get inside what I consider to be the most important sound in Western harmony. We'll be working on this material over the next two weeks. Mastering...

2 months ago • 2 min read

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