Help & guides
Short, task-shaped how-tos for getting things done in QuickStave.
Adding and managing instruments
Ctrl+I opens the Instruments panel to add, remove, reorder, and configure every instrument in the score.
Adding and removing measures
F8 I inserts a measure before the current one; Ctrl+Delete deletes the current measure or selection.
Adding dynamics and hairpins
Dynamic marks (pp through fff, sfz, and more) are a direct one-key toggle; hairpins and text crescendos are spanners that stretch across a passage.
Adding slurs
A slur phrases together notes of different pitches, using the same select-then-shortcut spanner mechanic as hairpins and lines.
Articulations, fermatas, and breath marks
Staccato, accent, and the rest of the F3 direct-toggle cluster apply with one keypress — no end point to pick, unlike a spanner.
Barlines and repeat signs
A repeat pair needs both ends set independently — a begin-repeat on the measure that starts it, a repeat-end on the measure that ends it.
Changing clef mid-score
A clef change is a normal, fully-supported mid-score edit — the new clef stays active on that staff from that point forward until the next explicit change.
Changing time and key signature
F8 T opens the time signature picker and F8 K opens the key signature circle of fifths — both apply from the selected measure forward.
Creating spanners — hairpins, slurs, and lines
Select a start note and press a spanner's shortcut — a range applies it immediately, a single note lets you pick the end point with a live preview.
Creating tuplets
Select the first note of the group and press F1 P, then a digit from duplet through nonuplet — or dial in a custom ratio.
Editing the note before your cursor
After you enter a note, your cursor moves on to the rest that follows — press an accidental, octave, or tie key without moving back, and it edits the note you just entered instead of doing nothing.
Entering notes
Add notes by selecting a beat and pressing a duration key — every shortcut is printed on the button.
Selecting notes and ranges
Your cursor is already a selection — extend it to a range with Shift, a whole measure at a time with Ctrl+Shift, or a whole staff with a triple-click.
Sharps, flats, and courtesy accidentals
Required accidentals are computed automatically from the key signature — the F1 K submenu is for overriding a pitch, respelling it enharmonically, or adding a courtesy reminder.