MuseScore vs music21

Struggling to choose between MuseScore and music21? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

MuseScore is a Audio & Music solution with tags like sheet-music, notation, composition, open-source.

It boasts features such as Notation editing, MIDI input, Audio output, MusicXML support, Plugin support, Score sharing and publishing and pros including Free and open source, Intuitive and easy to use interface, Powerful notation and editing capabilities, Supports a wide range of formats, Large library of sounds and instruments, Active community support.

On the other hand, music21 is a Audio & Music product tagged with musicology, analysis, notation, composition, python.

Its standout features include Music notation input and output, Key signature and pitch spelling analysis, Chord identification, Melodic interval analysis, Motivic analysis and searching, Time series analysis and graphing, Lead sheet generation, and it shines with pros like Open source and free, Wide range of analysis features, Support for many music notation formats, Active development community, Integrates with other Python libraries.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

MuseScore

MuseScore

MuseScore is an open source and free music notation software. It allows users to create, edit, listen to and print sheet music. MuseScore can import and export MusicXML and MIDI files.

Categories:
Audio & Music Music Notation
sheet-music notation composition open-source

MuseScore Features

  1. Notation editing
  2. MIDI input
  3. Audio output
  4. MusicXML support
  5. Plugin support
  6. Score sharing and publishing

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Intuitive and easy to use interface

Powerful notation and editing capabilities

Supports a wide range of formats

Large library of sounds and instruments

Active community support

Cons

Limited customization compared to paid options

No native support for audio recording

Fewer specialized tools than professional packages

Can be resource intensive for large scores

music21

music21

music21 is an open-source Python toolkit for computational musicology. It can help analyze, search, and transform musical scores with features like chord identification, key detection, and more. Useful for musicians, musicologists, and researchers.

Categories:
Audio & Music Music Analysis
musicology analysis notation composition python

Music21 Features

  1. Music notation input and output
  2. Key signature and pitch spelling analysis
  3. Chord identification
  4. Melodic interval analysis
  5. Motivic analysis and searching
  6. Time series analysis and graphing
  7. Lead sheet generation

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free

Wide range of analysis features

Support for many music notation formats

Active development community

Integrates with other Python libraries

Cons

Steep learning curve

Limited documentation and examples

Some features are experimental or incomplete

Limited native audio analysis features