Published on MuseScore.org

Transposition

    Transposition is the act of raising or lowering the pitch of a selection of notes by the same interval. You can choose to transpose notes either manually or by using the Transpose dialog.

    Manual transposition

    1. Select the notes that you wish to transpose;
    2. Use any of the following options:
      • To transpose chromatically (i.e. one semitone at a time): Press ↑ or ↓. Repeat as required.
      • To transpose diatonically (i.e. one scale degree at a time): Press Alt+Shift+↑ or ↓. Repeat as required.
      • To transpose by an octave: Press Ctrl+↑ or ↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑ or ↓).

    Automatic transposition

    MuseScore's Transpose dialog gives you more options for transposing notes.

    Transpose Dialog

    Note: By default this dialog opens from the Tools menu, but you can also choose to open it using a keyboard shortcut (see Preferences).

    Transpose Chromatically

    To Key

    To transpose notes up or down to the desired key:

    1. Select the notes you want to transpose; no selection equals "select all.".
    2. From the menu bar, choose Tools → Transpose….
    3. Tick "Transpose Chromatically" and "To key".
    4. Tick/untick "Transpose key signature" and "Transpose chord symbols" if required
    5. Tick one of "Closest", "Up" or "Down" and select a destination key signature from the drop-down menu.
    6. Click OK.
    By Interval

    To transpose selected notes up or down in semitone increments:

    1. Select the notes you want to transpose; no selection equals "select all".
    2. From the menu bar, choose Tools → Transpose….
    3. Tick "Transpose Chromatically" and "By Interval".
    4. Tick/untick "Transpose key signature" and "Transpose chord symbols" if required.
    5. Tick "Up" or "Down"; and select a transposition interval from the drop-down menu.
    6. Click OK.

    Transpose Diatonically

    To transpose selected notes up or down by a diatonic interval:

    1. Select the notes you want to transpose; no selection equals "select all".
    2. From the menu bar, choose Tools → Transpose….
    3. Tick "Transpose Diatonically".
    4. Tick/untick "Keep degree alteration" and "Transpose chord symbols" if required.
    5. Tick "Up" or "Down;" and select a transposition interval from the drop-down menu.
    6. Click OK.

    Options

    Two options are available for both Chromatic and Diatonic transposition mode in the options area:

    Transposing instruments

    Transposing instruments, such as the B-flat trumpet or E-flat alto sax, sound lower, or higher than their written pitch. MuseScore has a number of features to facilitate the scoring of these instruments.

    Concert pitch

    MuseScore's default viewing mode shows the musical notation in written pitch, but you can choose to display the score in concert pitch instead. In the latter mode, the musical notation of all instruments matches the actual pitches that you hear on playback.

    You should ensure that the Concert pitch button is OFF before printing the main score or any parts.

    Change staff transposition

    Instrument transpositions are already set up in MuseScore. However, if you want a rare instrument or transposition that is not available in MuseScore, you may need to edit the instrument transposition manually.

    1. Right-click an empty part of the instrument staff and select Staff/Part Properties….
    2. At the bottom of the window, select the interval of transposition, any octave shifts, and whether the interval is "Up" (sounds higher than written) or "Down" (sounds lower than written).

    You can also use the Change Instrument… button in the Staff/Part Properties window to automatically change the transposition to that of a different standard instrument.