MuseScore

Exactly one month ago we introduced OpenScore to the MuseScore community, and one week ago we announced it to the world at FOSDEM, Europe’s largest open source software conference. OpenScore is a new initiative to digitise public domain music ... [More] , including the works of the great classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach.Introducing OpenScore at FOSDEM 2017Getting involvedOpenScore is only possible with your help. We would be extremely grateful if as many people as possible could back the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live in a month or two, or work with us to produce the OpenScore transcriptions. We really want OpenScore to be a success, so to help galvanise the community we will be offering rewards to those who choose to take part. Kickstarter backers will be able to have a say in which pieces get transcribed, and transcribers will be rewarded with PRO membership of MuseScore.com.If you are interested in taking part then you can sign-up to register your interest here: Kickstarter backers: https://musescore.org/openscore Transcribers: https://musescore.org/openscore-transcribe Answers to questionsThe first blog post generated a huge number of comments and questions about OpenScore, and so I will try my best to respond to them here.Which pieces will be transcribed for OpenScore?The initial transcription effort will concentrate on a specific set of pieces selected by the Kickstarter backers, with a few additional pieces that we think will be of greatest interest to the general public and the wider music community. At some point we would like to expand OpenScore to all public domain music, but this depends on the success of the initial campaign.When can we start transcribing?The transcription effort will begin in earnest once the Kickstarter has been successfully funded and the pieces selected. However, we are currently in the process of creating demonstration scores to show to potential backers, so if you sign up now then there might be something for you to do before the Kickstarter.How can I submit transcriptions to OpenScore?Many of you were keen to know about the process for submitting transcriptions. We don’t currently have the resources to check all scores being uploaded to MuseScore.com, so for the time being we will be approaching individual users with pages for them to transcribe.Can I submit transcriptions I have already done?You can tell us about any existing transcriptions when you sign up, but we can’t promise to be able to check all of them immediately. We will contact you individually if we think your existing transcription will be of interest to the Kickstarter backers. Other transcriptions may be considered at a later date.What is the goal for OpenScore transcriptions?The goal of OpenScore is not to produce the ultimate critical (or “urtext”) editions, nor is it to produce a beautiful engraving. Instead, the goal for OpenScore is to produce digital editions that are semantically accurate transcriptions of the original public domain editions, which will be fine for the vast majority of users. Furthermore, the OpenScore editions will provide a starting point for creators and arrangers to produce ultimate editions of their own. We will refresh the OpenScore editions with each MuseScore release to take advantage of improvements to MuseScore’s layout rules.How will the Braille scores be produced?We are partnering with RNIB to get advice about Braille and MSN notation, and we invite Braille readers in the community to offer their feedback on the Braille we produce. (Our advisors at RNIB mentioned that reading the Braille can even be a valuable way of spotting mistakes in the MusicXML that would otherwise go unnoticed.)For more questions, join the conversation on musescore.org.  [Less]

Welcome to March’s edition of “MuseScorer of the month.” This is your chance to get to know one of MuseScore.com’s many brilliant members each month of 2017 (and, perhaps, beyond). We’re featuring a wide variety of composers and types of music in ... [More] this series; last month, we introduced you to MuseScorer MishaCloud. This month, meet professional composer Arthur Breur! How did you discover MuseScore? I found MuseScore in 2012 while I was looking around for sheet music software. I’d previously used Finale products and was pretty sure I would have to go that route, but I was curious to see what else was out there before committing to a purchase. MuseScore was therefore a huge and very pleasant surprise. It was easy to use and had every feature I could imagine needing—my goal being to get all of my music converted to sheet music. I was really amazed when I discovered the online community connected to the software, and the ability to upload music to share. One of my earliest memories of the community is seeing a nocturne by Sepehr Keyhani and being completely floored by how amazing a composer he was. I feel very lucky to be a part of a community that has connected me to so many great composers, including Quinn Mason, Florian Krüger, Gerry Busch, Luca Allegranza, and so many more that I know I would never get them all if I tried. What motivates you to compose? My favorite MuseScore story is about my ragtime piece, “The George Takei Rag.” In January 2013 I had been trying to come up with a theme or an inspiration for my third ragtime composition and was drawing a blank. One morning that month, I was scrolling through Twitter after listening to some of the great new (original) ragtime pieces that have been shared on MuseScore, so the idea of naming my own rag was floating in my mind when I saw a funny tweet by George Takei. Right then, all the tumblers clicked in place. I’d had the great opportunity to interview Mr. Takei by phone in 2009, and he has led quite an impressive life—including not just being one of the original actors on Star Trek, but also being interned as a child in a US concentration camp just because his family was Japanese American, and later success as an Internet celebrity and outspoken activist for progressive causes. So here was my inspiration for the next ragtime! What is your typical composing workflow like? For me, the name of a piece has extra importance. I have a sort of signature technique to come up with melodies, and that is to use the letters of a word or name to create a set of notes that work as the seed of a melody. I just keep going up the alphabet after A-G, so each letter of the alphabet gets matched to a note in the scale. So trying to think of a name wouldn’t just inspire the sound and style, but more importantly it would also be the beginning of the melody. This is what I did with George Takei’s name to form the beginning of the George Takei Rag. What have you shared on MuseScore.com that you’re most proud of? I have a few uploads that I’m particularly fond of, either just as compositions or because there’s a story behind posting them. The George Takei Rag is the most notorious, since I completed it on his birthday, tweeted him a happy birthday wish with the link to the sheet music on MuseScore, and then he retweeted the link to the music. (Needless to say, my stats on MuseScore showed a huge spike that next day, and as an added bit of fun MuseScore shared the story in this blog, shortly after that.) But the next exciting thing is getting Dance of the Monsters Under the Bed ready for the Tualatin Valley Symphony to perform in their April concert. So yeah, I’m a MuseScore fan. A bit. ;) Dance of the Monsters Under the Bed - Arranged for Tualatin Valley Symphony - Final by arthurbreur Watch for our next MuseScorer of the month in April! [Less]

Welcome to March’s edition of “MuseScorer of the month.” This is your chance to get to know one of MuseScore.com’s many brilliant members each month of 2017 (and, perhaps, beyond). We’re featuring a wide variety of composers and types of music in ... [More] this series; last month, we introduced you to MuseScorer MishaCloud. This month, meet professional composer Arthur Breur! How did you discover MuseScore? I found MuseScore in 2012 while I was looking around for sheet music software. I’d previously used Finale products and was pretty sure I would have to go that route, but I was curious to see what else was out there before committing to a purchase. MuseScore was therefore a huge and very pleasant surprise. It was easy to use and had every feature I could imagine needing—my goal being to get all of my music converted to sheet music. I was really amazed when I discovered the online community connected to the software, and the ability to upload music to share. One of my earliest memories of the community is seeing a nocturne by Sepehr Keyhani and being completely floored by how amazing a composer he was. I feel very lucky to be a part of a community that has connected me to so many great composers, including Quinn Mason, Florian Krüger, Gerry Busch, Luca Allegranza, and so many more that I know I would never get them all if I tried. What motivates you to compose? My favorite MuseScore story is about my ragtime piece, “The George Takei Rag.” In January 2013 I had been trying to come up with a theme or an inspiration for my third ragtime composition and was drawing a blank. One morning that month, I was scrolling through Twitter after listening to some of the great new (original) ragtime pieces that have been shared on MuseScore, so the idea of naming my own rag was floating in my mind when I saw a funny tweet by George Takei. Right then, all the tumblers clicked in place. I’d had the great opportunity to interview Mr. Takei by phone in 2009, and he has led quite an impressive life—including not just being one of the original actors on Star Trek, but also being interned as a child in a US concentration camp just because his family was Japanese American, and later success as an Internet celebrity and outspoken activist for progressive causes. So here was my inspiration for the next ragtime! What is your typical composing workflow like? For me, the name of a piece has extra importance. I have a sort of signature technique to come up with melodies, and that is to use the letters of a word or name to create a set of notes that work as the seed of a melody. I just keep going up the alphabet after A-G, so each letter of the alphabet gets matched to a note in the scale. So trying to think of a name wouldn’t just inspire the sound and style, but more importantly it would also be the beginning of the melody. This is what I did with George Takei’s name to form the beginning of the George Takei Rag. What have you shared on MuseScore.com that you’re most proud of? I have a few uploads that I’m particularly fond of, either just as compositions or because there’s a story behind posting them. The George Takei Rag is the most notorious, since I completed it on his birthday, tweeted him a happy birthday wish with the link to the sheet music on MuseScore, and then he retweeted the link to the music. (Needless to say, my stats on MuseScore showed a huge spike that next day, and as an added bit of fun MuseScore shared the story in this blog, shortly after that.) But the next exciting thing is getting Dance of the Monsters Under the Bed ready for the Tualatin Valley Symphony to perform in their April concert. So yeah, I’m a MuseScore fan. A bit. ;) Dance of the Monsters Under the Bed - Arranged for Tualatin Valley Symphony - Final by arthurbreur Watch for our next MuseScorer of the month in April! [Less]

MuseScore is part of Google Summer of Code 2017 (GSoC)! If you are a student and you have aspirations to help improve the open source MuseScore notation software during the summertime, this is a unique opportunity to work together with the MuseScore ... [More] developers and get paid for it. Learn how GSoC works and read through the student manual. If you are considering applying, we have a list of ideas you can choose from. We'd love if you apply with your own idea. Don’t hesitate to contact the potential mentors from the ideas list or contact us via IRC (#musescore on freenode.net), via the developer mailing list. We also have a document listing the Steps Toward a Successful Application, make sure to read it! Don't let yourself be scared off by the knowledge prerequisites. You don’t need to be an expert in all domains, and there is some time for learning within the GSoC period. However, familiarity with Qt/C++ and interest in music and music notation will be helpful. If you still have doubts, read Am I good Enough? [Less]

Exactly one month ago we introduced OpenScore to the MuseScore community, and one week ago we announced it to the world at FOSDEM, Europe’s largest open source software conference. OpenScore is a new initiative to digitise public domain music ... [More] , including the works of the great classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Introducing OpenScore at FOSDEM 2017 Getting involved OpenScore is only possible with your help. We would be extremely grateful if as many people as possible could back the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live in a month or two, or work with us to produce the OpenScore transcriptions. We really want OpenScore to be a success, so to help galvanise the community we will be offering rewards to those who choose to take part. Kickstarter backers will be able to have a say in which pieces get transcribed, and transcribers will be rewarded with PRO membership of MuseScore.com. If you are interested in taking part then you can sign-up to register your interest here: Kickstarter backers: https://musescore.org/openscore Transcribers: https://musescore.org/openscore-transcribe Answers to questions The first blog post generated a huge number of comments and questions about OpenScore, and so I will try my best to respond to them here. Which pieces will be transcribed for OpenScore? The initial transcription effort will concentrate on a specific set of pieces selected by the Kickstarter backers, with a few additional pieces that we think will be of greatest interest to the general public and the wider music community. At some point we would like to expand OpenScore to all public domain music, but this depends on the success of the initial campaign. When can we start transcribing? The transcription effort will begin in earnest once the Kickstarter has been successfully funded and the pieces selected. However, we are currently in the process of creating demonstration scores to show to potential backers, so if you sign up now then there might be something for you to do before the Kickstarter. How can I submit transcriptions to OpenScore? Many of you were keen to know about the process for submitting transcriptions. We don’t currently have the resources to check all scores being uploaded to MuseScore.com, so for the time being we will be approaching individual users with pages for them to transcribe. Can I submit transcriptions I have already done? You can tell us about any existing transcriptions when you sign up, but we can’t promise to be able to check all of them immediately. We will contact you individually if we think your existing transcription will be of interest to the Kickstarter backers. Other transcriptions may be considered at a later date. What is the goal for OpenScore transcriptions? The goal of OpenScore is not to produce the ultimate critical (or “urtext”) editions, nor is it to produce a beautiful engraving. Instead, the goal for OpenScore is to produce digital editions that are semantically accurate transcriptions of the original public domain editions, which will be fine for the vast majority of users. Furthermore, the OpenScore editions will provide a starting point for creators and arrangers to produce ultimate editions of their own. We will refresh the OpenScore editions with each MuseScore release to take advantage of improvements to MuseScore’s layout rules. How will the Braille scores be produced? We are partnering with RNIB to get advice about Braille and MSN notation, and we invite Braille readers in the community to offer their feedback on the Braille we produce. (Our advisors at RNIB mentioned that reading the Braille can even be a valuable way of spotting mistakes in the MusicXML that would otherwise go unnoticed.) The conversion from MusicXML to Braille will be done with the open source Music21 toolkit. The Music21 developer assures us that, with the exception of piano scores (for which Braille conversion is notoriously difficult) the output will be correct and perfectly readable, though it may not take advantage of all the repeat markings and abbreviations that are available in Braille notation. We expect that the mere existence of OpenScore’s Braille and MSN scores will raise awareness of accessibility needs and create demand for better conversion tools, thereby driving their open-source development. Again, we will be sure to refresh the OpenScore Braille files to take advantage of these improvements as they arrive. Previous Section Next Introducing OpenScore shoogle's blog [Less]

Exactly one month ago we introduced OpenScore to the MuseScore community, and one week ago we announced it to the world at FOSDEM, Europe’s largest open source software conference. OpenScore is a new initiative to digitise public domain music ... [More] , including the works of the great classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Introducing OpenScore at FOSDEM 2017 Getting involved OpenScore is only possible with your help. We would be extremely grateful if as many people as possible could back the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live in a month or two, or work with us to produce the OpenScore transcriptions. We really want OpenScore to be a success, so to help galvanise the community we will be offering rewards to those who choose to take part. Kickstarter backers will be able to have a say in which pieces get transcribed, and transcribers will be rewarded with PRO membership of MuseScore.com. If you are interested in taking part then you can sign-up to register your interest here: Kickstarter backers: https://musescore.org/openscore Transcribers: https://musescore.org/openscore-transcribe Answers to questions The first blog post generated a huge number of comments and questions about OpenScore, and so I will try my best to respond to them here. Which pieces will be transcribed for OpenScore? The initial transcription effort will concentrate on a specific set of pieces selected by the Kickstarter backers, with a few additional pieces that we think will be of greatest interest to the general public and the wider music community. At some point we would like to expand OpenScore to all public domain music, but this depends on the success of the initial campaign. When can we start transcribing? The transcription effort will begin in earnest once the Kickstarter has been successfully funded and the pieces selected. However, we are currently in the process of creating demonstration scores to show to potential backers, so if you sign up now then there might be something for you to do before the Kickstarter. How can I submit transcriptions to OpenScore? Many of you were keen to know about the process for submitting transcriptions. We don’t currently have the resources to check all scores being uploaded to MuseScore.com, so for the time being we will be approaching individual users with pages for them to transcribe. Can I submit transcriptions I have already done? You can tell us about any existing transcriptions when you sign up, but we can’t promise to be able to check all of them immediately. We will contact you individually if we think your existing transcription will be of interest to the Kickstarter backers. Other transcriptions may be considered at a later date. What is the goal for OpenScore transcriptions? The goal of OpenScore is not to produce the ultimate critical (or “urtext”) editions, nor is it to produce a beautiful engraving. Instead, the goal for OpenScore is to produce digital editions that are semantically accurate transcriptions of the original public domain editions, which will be fine for the vast majority of users. Furthermore, the OpenScore editions will provide a starting point for creators and arrangers to produce ultimate editions of their own. We will refresh the OpenScore editions with each MuseScore release to take advantage of improvements to MuseScore’s layout rules. How will the Braille scores be produced? We are partnering with RNIB to get advice about Braille and MSN notation, and we invite Braille readers in the community to offer their feedback on the Braille we produce. (Our advisors at RNIB mentioned that reading the Braille can even be a valuable way of spotting mistakes in the MusicXML that would otherwise go unnoticed.) The conversion from MusicXML to Braille will be done with the open source Music21 toolkit. The Music21 developer assures us that, with the exception of piano scores (for which Braille conversion is notoriously difficult) the output will be correct and perfectly readable, though it may not take advantage of all the repeat markings and abbreviations that are available in Braille notation. We expect that the mere existence of OpenScore’s Braille and MSN scores will raise awareness of accessibility needs and create demand for better conversion tools, thereby driving their open-source development. Again, we will be sure to refresh the OpenScore Braille files to take advantage of these improvements as they arrive. Previous Section Next Introducing OpenScore shoogle's blog [Less]

Exactly one month ago we introduced OpenScore to the MuseScore community, and one week ago we announced it to the world at FOSDEM, Europe’s largest open source software conference. OpenScore is a new initiative to digitise public domain music ... [More] , including the works of the great classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Introducing OpenScore at FOSDEM 2017 Getting involved OpenScore is only possible with your help. We would be extremely grateful if as many people as possible could back the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live in a month or two, or work with us to produce the OpenScore transcriptions. We really want OpenScore to be a success, so to help galvanise the community we will be offering rewards to those who choose to take part. Kickstarter backers will be able to have a say in which pieces get transcribed, and transcribers will be rewarded with PRO membership of MuseScore.com. If you are interested in taking part then you can sign-up to register your interest here: Kickstarter backers: https://musescore.org/openscore Transcribers: https://musescore.org/openscore-transcribe Answers to questions The first blog post generated a huge number of comments and questions about OpenScore, and so I will try my best to respond to them here. Which pieces will be transcribed for OpenScore? The initial transcription effort will concentrate on a specific set of pieces selected by the Kickstarter backers, with a few additional pieces that we think will be of greatest interest to the general public and the wider music community. At some point we would like to expand OpenScore to all public domain music, but this depends on the success of the initial campaign. When can we start transcribing? The transcription effort will begin in earnest once the Kickstarter has been successfully funded and the pieces selected. However, we are currently in the process of creating demonstration scores to show to potential backers, so if you sign up now then there might be something for you to do before the Kickstarter. How can I submit transcriptions to OpenScore? Many of you were keen to know about the process for submitting transcriptions. We don’t currently have the resources to check all scores being uploaded to MuseScore.com, so for the time being we will be approaching individual users with pages for them to transcribe. Can I submit transcriptions I have already done? You can tell us about any existing transcriptions when you sign up, but we can’t promise to be able to check all of them immediately. We will contact you individually if we think your existing transcription will be of interest to the Kickstarter backers. Other transcriptions may be considered at a later date. What is the goal for OpenScore transcriptions? The goal of OpenScore is not to produce the ultimate critical (or “urtext”) editions, nor is it to produce a beautiful engraving. Instead, the goal for OpenScore is to produce digital editions that are semantically accurate transcriptions of the original public domain editions, which will be fine for the vast majority of users. Furthermore, the OpenScore editions will provide a starting point for creators and arrangers to produce ultimate editions of their own. We will refresh the OpenScore editions with each MuseScore release to take advantage of improvements to MuseScore’s layout rules. How will the Braille scores be produced? We are partnering with RNIB to get advice about Braille and MSN notation, and we invite Braille readers in the community to offer their feedback on the Braille we produce. (Our advisors at RNIB mentioned that reading the Braille can even be a valuable way of spotting mistakes in the MusicXML that would otherwise go unnoticed.) The conversion from MusicXML to Braille will be done with the open source Music21 toolkit. The Music21 developer assures us that, with the exception of piano scores (for which Braille conversion is notoriously difficult) the output will be correct and perfectly readable, though it may not take advantage of all the repeat markings and abbreviations that are available in Braille notation. We expect that the mere existence of OpenScore’s Braille and MSN scores will raise awareness of accessibility needs and create demand for better conversion tools, thereby driving their open-source development. Again, we will be sure to refresh the OpenScore Braille files to take advantage of these improvements as they arrive. Read on OpenScore blog: https://www.openscore.cc/blog/join-the-transcription-effort Previous Section Next Introducing OpenScore shoogle's blog OpenScore: Happy Birthday Gabriel Fauré! [Less]

Exactly one month ago we introduced OpenScore to the MuseScore community, and one week ago we announced it to the world at FOSDEM, Europe’s largest open source software conference. OpenScore is a new initiative to digitise public domain music ... [More] , including the works of the great classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Introducing OpenScore at FOSDEM 2017 Getting involved OpenScore is only possible with your help. We would be extremely grateful if as many people as possible could back the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live in a month or two, or work with us to produce the OpenScore transcriptions. We really want OpenScore to be a success, so to help galvanise the community we will be offering rewards to those who choose to take part. Kickstarter backers will be able to have a say in which pieces get transcribed, and transcribers will be rewarded with PRO membership of MuseScore.com. If you are interested in taking part then you can sign-up to register your interest here: Kickstarter backers: https://musescore.org/openscore Transcribers: https://musescore.org/openscore-transcribe Answers to questions The first blog post generated a huge number of comments and questions about OpenScore, and so I will try my best to respond to them here. Which pieces will be transcribed for OpenScore? The initial transcription effort will concentrate on a specific set of pieces selected by the Kickstarter backers, with a few additional pieces that we think will be of greatest interest to the general public and the wider music community. At some point we would like to expand OpenScore to all public domain music, but this depends on the success of the initial campaign. When can we start transcribing? The transcription effort will begin in earnest once the Kickstarter has been successfully funded and the pieces selected. However, we are currently in the process of creating demonstration scores to show to potential backers, so if you sign up now then there might be something for you to do before the Kickstarter. How can I submit transcriptions to OpenScore? Many of you were keen to know about the process for submitting transcriptions. We don’t currently have the resources to check all scores being uploaded to MuseScore.com, so for the time being we will be approaching individual users with pages for them to transcribe. Can I submit transcriptions I have already done? You can tell us about any existing transcriptions when you sign up, but we can’t promise to be able to check all of them immediately. We will contact you individually if we think your existing transcription will be of interest to the Kickstarter backers. Other transcriptions may be considered at a later date. What is the goal for OpenScore transcriptions? The goal of OpenScore is not to produce the ultimate critical (or “urtext”) editions, nor is it to produce a beautiful engraving. Instead, the goal for OpenScore is to produce digital editions that are semantically accurate transcriptions of the original public domain editions, which will be fine for the vast majority of users. Furthermore, the OpenScore editions will provide a starting point for creators and arrangers to produce ultimate editions of their own. We will refresh the OpenScore editions with each MuseScore release to take advantage of improvements to MuseScore’s layout rules. How will the Braille scores be produced? We are partnering with RNIB to get advice about Braille and MSN notation, and we invite Braille readers in the community to offer their feedback on the Braille we produce. (Our advisors at RNIB mentioned that reading the Braille can even be a valuable way of spotting mistakes in the MusicXML that would otherwise go unnoticed.) The conversion from MusicXML to Braille will be done with the open source Music21 toolkit. The Music21 developer assures us that, with the exception of piano scores (for which Braille conversion is notoriously difficult) the output will be correct and perfectly readable, though it may not take advantage of all the repeat markings and abbreviations that are available in Braille notation. We expect that the mere existence of OpenScore’s Braille and MSN scores will raise awareness of accessibility needs and create demand for better conversion tools, thereby driving their open-source development. Again, we will be sure to refresh the OpenScore Braille files to take advantage of these improvements as they arrive. Previous Section Next Introducing OpenScore shoogle's blog OpenScore: Happy Birthday Gabriel Fauré! [Less]

Welcome to February’s edition of “MuseScorer of the month.” This is your chance to get to know one of MuseScore.com’s many brilliant members each month of 2017 (and, perhaps, beyond). We’re featuring a wide variety of composers and types of music in ... [More] this series; in January, we introduced you to MuseScorer Timothy K Hamilton. This month, meet Misha Buila, aka MishaCloud!How did you discover MuseScore?In circa 2015 I wanted to write music. The problem with that, however, was that I never had so much as learned an instrument beyond a couple months of piano lessons, much less had any idea how people actually made music. So I chose a keyword, composition, and Googled, figuring I could find some magic software to help me. I downloaded a couple free ones, and MuseScore happened to be the first in which I could figure out how to add a quarter note. Using everything I remembered from my short time taking piano lessons, I immediately began making some truly awful music. I like to think I’ve gotten better since then, though. ;)What motivates you to compose?This is painfully cliche, but I love music. But I bore easy. So when I want to hear something new, I do one of two things: make it myself, or check the site. Little makes me happier than when a new musician makes something awesome. Honestly, my favorite part of MuseScore is being able to support beginning composers with praise and criticism. Relatedly, the idea that my music might inspire other people make beautiful things has also kept me going a number of times.What is your typical composing workflow like?I am an imitator. Essentially what that works down to is that I take a song I like, usually one that’s stuck in my head, and try to make something like it. Depending on what I liked in the song, I’ll start with either chords or melody on the piano. When I get something I like, I’ll write down in MuseScore and then start arranging. That means extending the melody, adding harmony, the like. After I get things solidly in place, I enter a phase best described as manic, and get the last two thirds of the song done in 6 hours. If I get stuck, I go back to the piano. And repeat.What have you shared on MuseScore.com that you’re most proud of?I hesitate to say I’m proud of it, because it’s not remotely close to completion, but probably the coolest thing I’ve posted is my Tree of Olivia project. It’s sort of a narrative concept album. It’s set on an organic farm in midwestern United States, and tells the story of a teenager’s childhood imaginary friend that comes back to haunt him. I’m honestly not sure whether too many people can stand this particular brand of music, because it’s nothing like normal, but here’s the first part.Tree of Olivia Pt. 0 by MishaCloudWatch for our next MuseScorer of the month in March! [Less]

Welcome to February’s edition of “MuseScorer of the month.” This is your chance to get to know one of MuseScore.com’s many brilliant members each month of 2017 (and, perhaps, beyond). We’re featuring a wide variety of composers and types of music in ... [More] this series; in January, we introduced you to MuseScorer Timothy K Hamilton. This month, meet Misha Buila, aka MishaCloud!How did you discover MuseScore?In circa 2015 I wanted to write music. The problem with that, however, was that I never had so much as learned an instrument beyond a couple months of piano lessons, much less had any idea how people actually made music. So I chose a keyword, composition, and Googled, figuring I could find some magic software to help me. I downloaded a couple free ones, and MuseScore happened to be the first in which I could figure out how to add a quarter note. Using everything I remembered from my short time taking piano lessons, I immediately began making some truly awful music. I like to think I’ve gotten better since then, though. ;)What motivates you to compose?This is painfully cliche, but I love music. But I bore easy. So when I want to hear something new, I do one of two things: make it myself, or check the site. Little makes me happier than when a new musician makes something awesome. Honestly, my favorite part of MuseScore is being able to support beginning composers with praise and criticism. Relatedly, the idea that my music might inspire other people make beautiful things has also kept me going a number of times.What is your typical composing workflow like?I am an imitator. Essentially what that works down to is that I take a song I like, usually one that’s stuck in my head, and try to make something like it. Depending on what I liked in the song, I’ll start with either chords or melody on the piano. When I get something I like, I’ll write down in MuseScore and then start arranging. That means extending the melody, adding harmony, the like. After I get things solidly in place, I enter a phase best described as manic, and get the last two thirds of the song done in 6 hours. If I get stuck, I go back to the piano. And repeat.What have you shared on MuseScore.com that you’re most proud of?I hesitate to say I’m proud of it, because it’s not remotely close to completion, but probably the coolest thing I’ve posted is my Tree of Olivia project. It’s sort of a narrative concept album. It’s set on an organic farm in midwestern United States, and tells the story of a teenager’s childhood imaginary friend that comes back to haunt him. I’m honestly not sure whether too many people can stand this particular brand of music, because it’s nothing like normal, but here’s the first part.Tree of Olivia Pt. 0 by MishaCloudWatch for our next MuseScorer of the month in March! [Less]