ManyStaff Notation Editor
Write real sheet music in your browser — one staff, a piano grand staff or a choir score, with lyrics, chord symbols and dynamics. Hear it, print it, export it.
How to type music, and keyboard shortcuts
| Notes and rests | |
|---|---|
C D E F G A B | Note letters, with an octave number: C4 is middle C. Without a number, octave 4. |
C#4 Bb3 Fn5 F##4 | Sharp, flat, natural, double sharp (bb double flat). A note with no sign follows the key signature. |
w h q e s t | Lengths: semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, demisemiquaver — e.g. G4h. No letter means a crotchet. |
C4q. C4q.. | Dotted, double-dotted. |
[C4E4G4]h | A chord. |
Rq Re Rm | Rests; Rm fills a whole bar in any time signature. |
C4h~ C4q | A tie. |
(C4 D4 E4) | A slur. |
{C4e D4e E4e} | A triplet. 5{…}, 6{…}, 7{…} for other tuplets. |
C4' C4> C4_ C4^ | Staccato, accent, tenuto, fermata. |
| Marks, bars and changes | |
|---|---|
"Am7" | A chord symbol over the next note. |
"^Allegro" "_dolce" | Text above or below the next note. |
!p !mf !ff !sfz | Dynamics. |
!< !> !end | Crescendo and diminuendo hairpins; each ends at the next dynamic or at !end. |
| || |] | Bar line, double bar, final bar. |
|: :| :|: | Repeats. |
[1 [2 | First and second endings, at the start of a bar. |
K:D K:Bbm T:3/4 Q:80 | Key, time and tempo changes. |
| Lyrics | Twin-kle splits a word into syllables, _ holds a syllable over the next note, * skips a note. |
| Keys, with the staff selected | |
|---|---|
| A–G · Shift+letter | Add a note (in the octave nearest the last one) · add it to the selected chord. |
| R · | · Enter | Rest · bar line · new line. |
| 1 2 4 8 6 · . | Whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth · dot. |
| # - = | Sharp, flat, natural. |
| ↑ ↓ | Step up or down; with Shift an octave, with Alt a semitone. Or drag the note. |
| ← → · Shift | Move the selection · stretch it over more notes. Ctrl+↑/↓ moves to another staff. |
| T S 3 | Tie, slur, triplet. |
| ' > _ ^ | Staccato, accent, tenuto, fermata. |
| K · L | Type a chord symbol · type lyrics (Space or - moves to the next note). |
| Space · Del · Esc | Play from the selection · delete · deselect. |
| Ctrl+C X V · A | Copy, cut, paste · select the whole staff. |
| Ctrl+Z · Ctrl+Y | Undo · redo. |
Write, hear and share sheet music — free, in your browser
The ManyHand Staff Notation Editor engraves real sheet music as you write it. Choose a clef (treble, bass, alto, tenor or the tenor-voice treble 8vb), a key and a time signature, and put notes on the staff by clicking, by pressing letter keys, by playing the on-screen piano or a MIDI keyboard, or by typing a short text notation. Write for one instrument, or set up a piano grand staff, voice and piano, or a four-part choir; notes that sound together line up across the staves.
Everything you would expect on a printed page is there: ties, slurs, triplets and other tuplets, staccato, accent, tenuto and fermata, dynamics from ppp to fff with crescendo and diminuendo hairpins, chord symbols above the staff, lyrics with several verses under it, repeats with first and second endings, and key, time and tempo changes part way through. Accidentals are printed the way engravers print them — once per bar — beams follow the time signature, and bars fill each line evenly.
Press Play to hear the score on a modelled piano, with repeats played out, dynamics and articulations heard, an optional metronome and count-in, and the chord symbols played underneath. Then print it, save a PDF, a PNG or an SVG, a MIDI file for your DAW, or a MusicXML file to keep working in MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale or Dorico — and open MusicXML from those programs here. A share link carries the whole score, with no account and no server.
How to write sheet music here
- Set up the score. Type a title, pick the key, time signature and tempo. For piano or choir music, open Staves and choose a layout.
- Choose a note length in the Notes tab — or press 1 2 4 8 6 — and add a dot or an accidental if you need one.
- Put notes on the staff. Click where the note goes, or press A–G; with Auto bar lines on, each bar closes when it is full and a note that runs over is tied into the next bar.
- Fix anything by selecting a note: drag it or press ↑ ↓ to change its pitch, a number key to change its length, Del to remove it. Shift+→ selects several notes for a slur, a hairpin, a triplet or a transposition.
- Add words and chords. Type the lyrics in the Lyrics box (
Hap-py birth-day) or press L on a note and type under the staff; press K on a note for a chord symbol. - Listen with Play, then print, export or share. Your work is saved on this device as you go.
Tips
- A short first bar is read as a pickup (anacrusis), so it is not marked as an error and is numbered bar 0.
- A bar shaded red has too many or too few beats; the number above it says by how much.
- In the text, a note with no sharp or flat follows the key signature: in G major,
F4is F♯ andFn4is F natural. The staff then shows each accidental once per bar. - For a song with a tune and piano, choose Voice and piano, write the tune and lyrics on the top staff and the accompaniment below.
- Moving a song to a comfortable key? Transpose moves the notes, the key signature and the chord symbols together.
Prefer Indian notation? Try the Sargam Notation Writer. Learn scales with the raga player, play the online piano, or let the chord player voice a progression for you.
How do I write notes on the staff?
Pick a note length, then click the staff where the note should go, or press the letter keys A to G with the staff selected. You can also play the on-screen piano or a MIDI keyboard, or type notes into the text box, such as C4q E4 G4 | C5h. Every way of entering notes stays in step with the others.
Can I write piano music with a treble and bass staff?
Yes. Open the Staves tab and choose Piano (grand staff), Voice and piano, or Choir (SATB), or add staves one at a time. Each staff has its own clef and its own notes, and bars line up across them.
Can I add lyrics and chord symbols?
Yes. Type the words in the Lyrics box with hyphens between syllables and they fall one syllable per note, skipping rests and tied notes; each line of the box is another verse. For a chord symbol, select a note and press K, or type it in quotes before the note, such as "Am7" A4.
Will it open in MuseScore, Sibelius or Finale?
Yes — export MusicXML and open the file in any of them. You can also open MusicXML (.musicxml, .xml or compressed .mxl) here; each staff keeps its first voice.
Does playback follow the repeats and dynamics?
Yes. Repeats and first and second endings are played out in order, dynamics and hairpins change how loudly notes are struck, staccato notes are short, slurred notes join, and a fermata holds.
Is my work saved?
Yes. The score is saved in this browser as you work, so refreshing the page brings it back. Use Share link to open it on another device, or export MusicXML to keep a file.
Is it free?
Yes — completely free, no sign-up, no download and no watermark.
More music tools: Sargam Notation · Piano · Chord Player · Metronome · All tools