Document settings contains options and settings applying to a score.   At the top of the Play screen, tap the cogwheel Cogwheel or pull down the horizontal bar just below the song title.

Title – you can type a title for your song here.  If it is a PDF, the name of the PDF will appear here by default

Composer – if you add a name here you will be able to search by composer in the Documents screen

Status – this tells you the processing status of your score.  If it indicates that there is a problem, try tapping the rescan button

Rescan – to the right of the Status is a circular recycle icon.  This rotates to show when scanning is in progress.  You can rescan the music at any time by tapping this icon

Dynamic range – this tells PlayScore 2 how much to vary the volume according to markings like f, p, crescendos, diminuendos, accents etc.  If you slide it to the right you will hear the full dynamic range in the music.  All the way to the left causes the music to be played without dynamics

Play repeats – this tells PlayScore 2 to observe repeat markings in the music.  NB when you capture a page of music with the camera, PlayScore 2 plays the page through once so you can check the photo.  This initial play-through plays without repeats.  If the photo wasn’t perfect you can swipe left to recapture.

Note that this does not affect MusicXML export which always reflects any repeats

Auto transposition – turn this on to set transpositions appropriately for transposing instruments in mixed-instrument scores.  For example, if your piece is for clarinet and piano, and the clarinet is in Bb, auto-transposition will make the clarinet part play at the pitch a clarinet would have done.  See Transposing instruments and transposition for more information

Split staves – turn this on if you want to separate parts printed two to a staff.  It allows you to set the volume for upstem and downstem parts separately

Swing/inégales – turn this on if you would like to hear the music in swing style, or French baroque inégales.

This video shows the use of the Swing feature with French baroque music in inégales style.

Jazz fonts (beta) – Some modern scores use music fonts designed to look handwritten.  These fonts are called Jazz fonts and have not traditionally been supported by music scanners.  The Jazz font feature aims to improve results for these scores.

Jazz fonts is a beta feature which means that it is still in development.  Please let us know if you have found it helpful, or if you haven’t, and please send us any problem score.

Varying bar lengths (iOS and Windows only) – Most music begins with a time signature setting the time for the music.  After the time signature all the measures have the same length until the time signature changes.  Certain kinds of score have measures which vary in length.  This is known as polymetric music and can be found in some church music, as well as elsewhere.

Lyrics and Text, D.S./D.C. – This setting causes PlayScore to recognise text as well as music.  Text is needed mostly in the context of MusicXML export:

  • Song lyrics
  • Other text such as instrument names
  • Directions such as Allegro, or con espressivo.
  • Chord names such as Am or G7

Lyrics and Text, D.S./D.C. is also needed if you want the following to be acted on in playback:

  • D.S., D.C., Fine, and symbols such as codaand segno
  • Multi-measure rests
  • Scores such as vocal scores in compressed format.  Compressed scores are scores that miss out voices or instruments that aren’t playing for a while.  For example if the altos are silent for a few bars the score might not show their staff.  It will reappear once they come back.

For PlayScore to keep track and join up the right staves it helps if it can read the instrument names. 

Bar numbers – bar numbers are added to the score at the beginning of each system.   Bar numbers are counted from the first bar of the music in the document.

MusicXML page layout – normally when you export music using MusicXML to notation editors such as MuseScore and Dorico the music will be laid out as the notation program decides is appropriate for the page size and other settings.  This is similar to the way an editor renders text: it reflows to fit the page.  However if you want the layout to follow system and page breaks in the original music then set MusicXML page layout.

Pedal scroll – this allows you do set up an page turning Pedal.  To use AIRTURN you will first need to connect using Bluetooth.  For more information, see the instructions that came with your AIRTURN pedal.