Brass Band Scoring

Welcome, Steve! Funny you should ask—we've just been working on some brass band templates for inclusion in the next version of MuseScore. In the meantime, here's something for you: https://musescore.org/en/node/53891#comment-339741

Download the file "Full Brass Band.mscz" and put it in your templates folder (see https://musescore.org/en/handbook/create-new-score-0#templates), and the next time you go to set up a score there will be a brass band template available in the New Score Wizard (https://musescore.org/en/handbook/create-new-score-0#select-template).

Alternatively, if you know what instruments you want, you can always create your own ensemble by clicking "Choose Instruments" at that step in the wizard.

Be careful with the setting of Key Signatures when you are using transposing instruments. When you drag a G (one sharp) over to a Bb Cornet, Bb Clarinet or whatever then you are actually dragging a Concert Pitch G.

So, if you have the score set to Concert Pitch ON then you will see one sharp get placed for all instruments but tihs will all change when you switch Concert Pitch off to look at the brass band score as it ought to appear.

If you have Concert Pitch OFF then you will see your one dragged sharp (G) become three sharps for the Bb instruments (A) and four (E) for the Eb ones. And if you have Concert Pitch off and try to drag an F Key Signature (one flat) over to the Soprano cornet (pitched in Eb) then you will see the Soprano gets two sharps (key of D to match the Concert Pitch key of F) and the Solo Cornet gets one sharp (key of G for a Bb instrument to match the Concert Pitch F).

The easiest way I find, is to focus on your own instrument ("badly played Bb cornet" in my case) and set the key according to it and the others will automatically follow.