Essential Tips to Get Started with MusEdit

Even if you don't read the manual in detail (but you should! MusEdit can do a lot of things you probably won't discover by trial and error) at least be aware of these very useful tips (page numbers in the manual are shown for reference):

1) There are four useful resources you can use to learn how to use MusEdit:

• This website provides an introduction and lots of tips, suggestions, and other information for a new user and an experienced MusEdit user. Go to Contents for a list of resources available on this site.
• On this site (and on the installation CD) you will find three web pages with slide shows about
  What MusEdit is For         What MusEdit Can Do        How To Use MusEdit
  To view these on the CD, hold down the Shift key and insert the CD into your CD drive. When the CD stops spinning let go of the Shift key, then use Explorer to view the files on the CD, then click on the web page you want to view - MusEdit - How To Use It will give a quick start to MusEdit.
• The "Getting Started" section of the manual (pg. 19) provides a starting example
• "Creating Musical Scores" (pg. 221) provides very detailed examples for entering a variety of different scores.
• Several Tutorial files in the Samples folder provide interactive instructions and examples which you can practice while actually running MusEdit.

2) Moving around and selecting: Even if you are very mouse oriented, keep in mind that it's often easier to use the Up/Down/Left/Right arrow keys to move around, especially within staff lines. (Pg 47) and holding Shift while hitting an Up/Down/Left/Right arrow key provides an easy and precise way to select chords and whole lines. (Pg 50, 51)

3) Moving up and down: Hold Ctrl while hitting Up/Down arrow keys to move from line to line within the document. When this button is up arrow keys always move from line to line and you don't have to hold Ctrl, when it's down arrow keys move within the staff. (Pg 47)

4) Notes and Symbols can be entered in three different ways! (See pg. 74 )
The first item on the Options menu ("Use Arrow Cursor") and/or the status of the "Arrow" button on the Symbols Toolbox ( ) determines how symbols are entered:

• If the Arrow Button is UP () or Options | Use Arrow Cursor is UNchecked the cursor takes on the shape of the last symbol clicked in the toolbox and notes and symbols are entered by clicking the cursor symbol at the desired location ("plopping" the symbol where you want).
• If the button is DOWN () or Options | Use Arrow Cursor is checked, the cursor looks like an arrow and symbols can be entered by clicking on the symbols toolbox. With this style of entry you click the cusror where you want to enter a symbol, then click on the toolbox to enter the symbol you click on. It is often easiest to use the keyboard's arrow keys to move the insertion spot and then click on the symbols toolbox to enter symbols.
• Or you can enter a symbol by hitting the symbol's keyboard character (shown in toolbox title bar). This method can be used at any time, regardless of the status of the Arrow button. With this method people tend to use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move around the staff. After a little experience with MusEdit this soon becomes the easiest way to enter music because it feels like you are simply "typing" the notation.

5) Removing a symbol: Place the blinking insertion symbol immediately to the right of the symbol to be removed, then hit Shift + backspace. If you want to remove just one symbol somewhere within a chord don't hold Shift, just hit backspace. (Pg 91)

6) Refreshing the screen: Hit (Ctrl+R) any time something seems to have disappeared when it shouldn't have, or something is still visible after you think it should be gone, or small things like ledger lines are left over when they should be gone. (Pg 45)

7) Learn how to enter symbols with the keyboard: You will soon discover that learning a few keyboard codes (such as 'q' for up stem quarter note, or 'Q' for down stem quarter note) will let you enter symbols quickly without always having to click the mouse on the symbols toolbox. The symbol codes are always shown in the symbols toolbox title bar. (Pg 74)

8) Learn how to use 'Insertion Shortcuts': Hitting Ctrl+1, or 2, or 3... will instantly copy and insert the first, or second, or third... chord immediately to the left of the blinking insertion symbol no matter how complicated it is. Similarly Ctrl+Shift+1, 2... will copy a previous cluster of joined notes, and Alt+1, 2... will copy a preceding bar (measure) of symbols. These shortcuts can often be used to save a lot of symbol entry. (Pg 111)

9) Notes can be shifted up and down by placing the insertion symbol immediately to the left of the note, then hitting Alt+Up/Down arrow key. If you select a chord or a series of notes or chords all the notes within the selection will move up and down. This helps for making small adjustments. (Pg 102)

10) To enter two digit Tab fingering numbers, enter the first digit (1 or 2), then hit left arrow to reposition the caret just to the left of the first digit, then enter the second digit. This will produce a two digit number: (This is described on pgs. 22 and 117 of the manual)

example:

11) Use File|Print Options To set up margins, page numbering, printout size, and other details of printing for any individual document. Use Use File|Print Preview to see how it will look before printing it out. (Pg 201).

12) MusEdit supports "Drag and Drop", so you can open any MusEdit (*.med) or text (*.txt), or other text documents (such as *.tab, *.pro, *.crd) by simply dragging the icon for the desired document onto the MusEdit icon or onto the open MusEdit window. Settings in File|Set Preferences|Text Files control details of how MusEdit handles text files. (Pg. 25, 207-209)

13) Notice the File | Set Preferences menu option... Use this to set permanent preferences so every time you start MusEdit it begins with all the options which you prefer (things such as whether to use "Symbol Cursor" or "Arrow Cursor" mode, initial staff length, fonts for tab fingering, staff text phrases, and a lot more) (Pg. 28-36, and accompanying sheet)

14) Check the "Troubleshooting" Section for answers to some common questions and solutions to common problems. (Pg. 259)

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