Hello! As I announced last week, and as you've probably heard elsewhere (perhaps even from the automatic update check facility within MuseScore 3), MuseScore 4 is officially released! If you had trouble downloading it while thousands of others were trying the same and overwhelming the server, it should be better now. And remember that MuseScore 3 & 4 can coexist on your computer, so I encourage you to give it a shot - download from the main MuseScore website.

Meanwhile, my Mastering MuseScore 4 online course is available as well. With dozens of lessons comprising hours of video already up and much more on the way, plus discussion and chat spaces, and live events starting in January, there is no better way to learn MuseScore! I'm still running early bird pricing for a little while longer, but that special deal will end soon, so I encourage you to enroll now if you haven't already!

As I mentioned earlier, I'll be taking this week and next off from most of my regular live events, except there will be a special Christmas edition of the Music Master Class this week.

If I don't talk to you before then, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas, Hannukah, or whatever holidays you might be celebrating!

Tip of the Week

If you're just installing MuseScore and trying to find your way around, you might be having trouble locating some controls you're accustomed to using. Here are the top things to know about what has changed:

• The zoom, concert pitch, and continuous view controls have moved to the bottom right in the status bar.
• The Inspector is renamed to Properties and is now found in the left sidebar along with the Palettes panel.
• A new Instruments panel also shares this left sidebar. Combined with the Parts dialog you access via a button on the main toolbar, this represents a new and more flexible way of working with instruments, staves, and parts.
• If you start playback by selecting a measure instead of a note or other element, it will solo that staff. It's a nice feature but does take getting used to. Tip: if you press Esc before pressing Space to play, it will deselect the measure and thus allow full playback, and it will still remember the measure you selected.
• Assuming you have installed the new Muse Sounds orchestral library, it will be used by default for the instruments it supports unless you set it otherwise in View / Playback setup. You can see the sounds listed - and make changes if desired - in the Mixer, which you can now access via a button on the main toolbar.

Way too much to talk about in a newsletter, but luckily, I have my course Mastering MuseScore 4 to cover the rest!

Music Master Class

We'll meet online at the usual time for a fun and informal celebration to enjoy some holiday music together!

In Theory

If you've followed me for any length of time, you've heard me go on and on about the use of borrowed chords - minor iv and half-diminished iiø7 - in major keys. There are those who call these the "Christmas chords", because of their prominent use in a number of well-known songs, most particularly Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You". I'm not sure, but I think that line of thinking started with this video & accompanying article. But actually, one of the most notable occurrences of this chord in Christmas-themed music goes back just a little bit further. I have isolated the passage in question. The chords in the first four bars go I-iv-I-I, and then it repeats:

And yes, this is yet another excuse for me to plug MuseScore 4 and the new Muse Sounds orchestral library!