Edit musical scores on the move with Musescore Portable

Editing musical scores on a computer can offer lots of benefits such as transposing for instruments in keys other than C (my beloved clarinet for example is in Bb) or playing back what you have written to check for mistakes. Musescore is an open-source alternative to expensive programs such as Sibelius and this is a portable version that can be installed to a USB key.

Installation is simple and can be done in one of two ways. Either run this download and select a folder or install it as part of the Portable Apps menu. In the latter case, click on Options in the Portable Apps menu and then Install a New App. The rest of the installation process is the same but the folder location is set automatically.

The Musescore interface includes tools for all kinds of musical notation including drums and chord charts. A bar at the bottom of the screen shows the entire score so you can click and drag around the piece.

Note entry can be done with the mouse or keyboard. Musescore Portable can also import a variety of musical notation formats including MusicXML and Standard MIDI files.

There is a built-in synthesiser so it can play the music back. It is often easier to hear mistakes than spot them so this is a very useful tool.