Music Score Manager
Quick Start Guide (Get Started in 5 Minutes)
Welcome to Music Score Manager! This guide walks you step-by-step through setting up, importing your first scores, and being ready to play on stage or in rehearsal in just a few minutes.
At a Glance: The 5 Essential Steps
- Import scores
- Organize tags
- View the score
- Add annotations
- Create a Live Setlist and run it
Step 1: Import Your First Scores
As soon as the app opens, go to the Scores menu (in the navigation bar).
- Tap the
+button located at the top right. - The file picker opens: select one or more sheet music PDF or Image files (JPEG, PNG).
- You have 2 ways to import scores:
- Copy into the application (i.e. local mode) your selected score(s). This is the recommended solution!
- Base yourself on your source file without copying it into the app. This solution is NOT recommended because if files are moved, you will always need external access to your scores. Music Score Manager can easily manage several hundred scores locally.
- In the case of a PDF file:
- The file is immediately integrated into your library.
- A modern window appears with the
🎵 Open scorebutton to play it right away! - In the case of photos or images:
- The application offers to automatically convert them to PDF format.
- If you select multiple photos (e.g. photos of individual pages of a piece), the application offers to merge them into 1 single multi-page PDF score.
- Your score(s) are listed and accessible in the Scores menu: simply click on one to open it.
[!TIP] Storage Advice: By default, the application copies files into its secure local storage. Your scores remain 100% accessible offline, without ever depending on the Internet or a Cloud network.
Step 2: Organize Your Library with Tags
To find your pieces instantly among hundreds of scores:
- You can create your own tags with their custom color via the Settings > Score Settings > Organization > Manage Tag List menu: assign a classification and a color so you can assign it to your scores. A score can of course have multiple tags!
- To assign one or more tags to a score, edit it: in Scores, tap the three little dots
⋮on a score, then chooseEdit. - Assign one or more color tags that you created previously (e.g. Vocals, Piano, Jazz, Christmas Concert, Rehearsal). You can define lots of features for your score. Don't forget to save!
- Use the search bar at the top to filter instantly by Title, Composer, or by tapping one or more Tags.
Step 3: Use the Score Viewer
Simply tap a score in the list to launch the Full-Screen Viewer.
- Turning Pages:
-
Swipe: Swipe the right third of the screen to go forward (next page), the left third to go backward (previous page).
-
Wireless Foot Pedal: Pair your Bluetooth pedal (AirTurn, PageFlip, Donner, etc.). Page turns work directly without prior configuration!
-
Show / Hide Controls:
- Double-tap the center of the screen to show the quick actions menu.
- Tap the bottom of the screen to show the annotations menu.
- On this same page it is possible to display the metronome (it will be at the top right, fixed), an audio player (top left, draggable), and in the case of a Setlist run, the progression status (top center).
- Exit the current score: go to the central menu (double-tap) and choose "Back to Home".
Step 4: Annotate the Score (Pencil, Highlighter, Text & Stickers)
In score reading mode, tap the bottom of the screen to deploy the toolbox:
- 🖌️ Highlighter (Stabilo): Highlight measures with translucent colors (yellow, green, pink, blue, orange) in fine or wide strokes.
- ✎ Pencil: Write freehand annotations, fingerings, drawings, or slurs (size and color of your choice).
- T Text: Insert readable text notes directly onto the staff.
- ❏ Musical Stickers: Access over 100 symbols classified by category (Dynamics p, f, crescendo, breaths, fingerings, repeats D.C., Coda...). Drag them where you want on the score or double-click for them to position above the staff. By going to the Settings > Annotation Settings menu, you can create your Favorite Stickers which you will find in the stickers/Favorites annotations.
- ↩ Undo / ↪ Redo: Undo or redo your changes at any time.
- Any annotation can be deleted or moved.
[!TIP] Locking: For safety, a small padlock prevents accidental manipulation errors with annotations. In green, modifications are allowed. A closed bar or a padlock in red prevents any modification.
Step 5: Create a Setlist for a Rehearsal or Concert
Stop searching for your sheets one by one between pieces on stage: prepare your program!
- Go to the Setlists tab.
- Tap
+at the top right, give it a name (e.g. Electro Concert at the Castle) and confirm. - Tap
+ Addto pick your pieces from your library. - Reorganize the order of songs simply by drag and drop.
- For any modifications, don't forget to save!
- Tap one of your scores in this list to start your concert at that spot, or go to the Setlists tab and click on the concert you want: the viewer opens on the first piece. At the end of the last page of the score, it automatically moves to the next piece according to the Setlist settings you selected!
- The setlist drawer lets you view upcoming pieces at any time (top center).
Step 6: Practical Built-in Tools (Metronome & Audio Player)
Directly from the score viewer (or in score editing):
- Built-in Metronome:
- Adjust tempo (BPM).
- Choose between a discrete sound or a flashing visual signal without sound (ideal in concert).
- Accompanying Audio Player:
- Link an audio file (MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC) to a score to rehearse with the backing track or demo.
- Control playback (Play / Pause, return to beginning) directly from the score viewer.
and many others...
In the Tools tab you will find numerous utilities to help you:
- Sharing between musicians: Use the Wi-Fi Direct P2P menu to transmit a complete setlist with annotations to a person or even to your fellow musicians backstage, very quickly, even without an Internet connection!
- Import files (which already include annotations that you or someone else exported to you).
- Duplicate management, practical when you have several hundred scores.
- Backups.
- Assembly and internal organization of your scores (you can redefine the orientation and order of your PDF pages!).
In the Settings tab you will find plenty of customization options for the application across all menus.
Learn More
To discover all the advanced features (PDF assembly, metadata editing, fine-tuning of MIDI foot controllers, automatic backups), and many other details, check out the Full Guide.