MuseScore

Just like any kind of document, sheet music can be composed more efficiently on a computer, than on a piece of paper. The first reason is that you don't have to use an eraser or get a new piece of paper when you make a mistake. Besides the fact that it places any musical symbol at your disposal, MuseScore offers many more advantages. It allows you to make any modifications on the fly, play your composition, save it as a document or as a sound file and more. You can get this application for free, regardless if you are a Mac, Windows or Linux user.

Apart from musical annotations knowledge, you don't need any special skills to use this application. The user interface resembles a word processor, but instead of typing on a blank page, you have to insert notes and other symbols in a series of staves. Frequently used symbols, like notes and key signatures can be found on a toolbar and you only need to select one and click on a stave to insert it. Additionally, you have to switch to a note input mode, before inserting anything, which is particularly useful, to prevent from inserting notes by mistake.

The bulk of the annotation symbols are neatly categorized in a series of collapsible menus, on the left side of the interface. You can insert them by double clicking or by dragging and dropping them over a stave. It is also possible to drop symbols over existing ones, to replace them. When your composition starts to take shape, you may hit the Play button, located on a toolbar, to hear your composition.

Compositions are played using MIDI sounds. Furthermore, you can insert various instruments and hear your composition exactly the way you imagine it. As previously mentioned, compositions can be saved in various formats, like graphical ones, such as PDF or PNG or sound formats, such as WAV or MIDI. It is also possible to import music, in MIDI or MusicXML format, as well as project files from third party applications.