Our Story
Built by a musician,
for musicians.
QuickStave exists because professional notation software shouldn’t be locked to a single device, hidden behind a subscription wall, or require a manual to produce beautiful results.
How It Started
I was on a train. I wanted to check a Sibelius score I’d written and make a small change — on my phone. I couldn’t. The best scoring software in the world simply wasn’t designed to move between devices.
The more I thought about it, the bigger the problem became. I want to share a link to a piece I’ve written and have it beautifully notated on any screen — so singers don’t need to print it out. I want to make an edit in real time and have every performer see it instantly. I want band members to annotate their own view of a score, and the band leader to push changes to the whole ensemble.
None of that existed. So I started building it.
— John Quick, Founder
About the Founder
Composer, singer, musician — and software developer for over 25 years.
John Quick has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology. As a working composer and performer, he understands the demands of notation from the inside. As a software engineer with more than two decades of experience, he knows how to build tools that are fast, reliable, and a pleasure to use. QuickStave is where those two worlds meet.
What We Believe
Speed and Beauty Come First
Scores should be professionally rendered by default, without fiddly manual adjustments. Open a URL, start writing, and get publication-quality output immediately.
Music Goes Where You Go
Your work should move seamlessly between devices — phone, tablet, laptop, lab computer. Share a link and it just works, on any screen.
Fair, Respectful Pricing
It shouldn’t cost more just because it’s a web service. A lifetime option should mean a lifetime. No one should use QuickStave with a sense of guilt because they’ve blown the budget.
Real-Time Collaboration
Edit a score and everyone sees the change instantly. Band leaders push updates to the whole ensemble. Singers read from their phone instead of carrying paper.
Try it for yourself
No download. No credit card. Just open the editor and start writing music.