How to use WSCO

Getting Started

To start a new exercise, specify the number of lines in your composition, its key signature, etc., and click Create score. (You will be able to add and delete measures while editing your score.)

If you have already started a composition and want to resume work on it, you may upload a musicxml file.

Clicking Create Score or Upload will switch to the Edit pane:

Edit Pane

Entering notes

To add notes, mouse over the staff where you want to position a note, then click to add the note to the staff.

To enter notes or rests of a different duration, select the button on the toolbar with your desired note value, or use the shortcut keys 1 (𝅘𝅥), 2 (𝅗𝅥), 4 (𝅝), or 6 (𝅝⸳). Resume mousing over the staff and clicking to add notes.

To replace a previously entered note, mouse over the old note at the desired new pitch, then click to place the new note.

When a note is selected, you can use the buttons in the toolbar to modify the note. You can also use the shortcut keys. To change the pitch of the note with shortcuts, use ↑ and ↓ to move it up and down by step, or Ctrl (⌘) + ↑ and Ctrl (⌘) + ↓ to move by octave. To add accidentals to the note, use - (♭), = (♮), or + (♯).

Entering tied notes for fourth species

You can tie two existing notes together with the tie button in Change Notes mode. However, you can also enter tied notes directly in Add Notes mode by placing a half rest in the first bar and then adding whole notes, which will tie themselves across the bar line.

Changing notes and measures

When you are done adding notes, click the Change Notes button to enable further editing, or use the keyboard shortcut N to toggle between modes.

In Change Notes mode, you can click on an existing note to select it, or hold Shift and click to select multiple notes. Click on the staff space to select a whole measure.

Now, you can use buttons or shortcuts to delete, move up/down, or change the accidentals of the selected notes. You can also tie or untie two selected notes with the tie button ( ).

To delete measures, select the measure you would like to delete, or select a note within the measure(s). Then, press the delete measure button ( ), or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl (⌘) + Del or Ctrl (⌘) + Backspace. To add a measure before an existing measure, select that measure and press the insert measure left button ( ), or use Ins. To add a measure after the selected measure, press the add measure right button ( ), or use Ctrl (⌘) + B.

To tie two notes together, select both notes and then click the tie button ( ).

To return to adding notes, click the Add Notes button.

Evaluate Pane

At any point, you can evaluate the syntax or voice-leading of your composition. Click the Evaluate button below the score.

Now click the appropriate evaluate button. After the evaluation finishes, scroll down, and you should see a report of the results.

If you think the evaluator has not inferred the correct key for your composition, you may override its inference by entering values for Select a Key Step, Key Modifer, and Mode. Then, click one of the "Evaluate line" buttons (Evaluate upper line, Evalute bass line, etc.).

If you are composing harmonic counterpoint, you should check the "Harmonic species" box and specify the starting measures of the predominant harmony (if any) and the dominant harmony before evaluating.

At any point, you can save your work by downloading a MusicXML version of your score.

Interpret Pane

If your composition is finished, you can move to the interpretation pane to add annotations such as slurs, parentheses, ties, and rule labels. Click the Interpret button below the score. When you are finished with the interpretation, type in your name and the appropriate name for the exercise; then click the Download PDF button. Either email the pdf to your instructor or print it out to submit in class.

All Hotkeys