Getting started
Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) to search for any command by name. Most features in Nubium are accessible from here.
Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) to search for any command by name. Most features in Nubium are accessible from here.
Type A through G to insert notes. Press R for a rest.
Adjust pitch after entering a note: Alt+Up/Down moves by diatonic step, Shift+Alt+Up/Down by chromatic step, and Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down by octave.
Chords. Hold Shift and press A–G to add a pitch to the note at the cursor, stacking a chord. Click a single notehead to target just that pitch — letters, accidentals, and pitch nudges then only affect that head. Use [ and ] to cycle through the heads of a chord without reaching for the mouse.
Step entry (N) — Insert notes one at a time. The cursor advances after each note.
Insert mode (I) — New notes push existing notes forward instead of overwriting them.
Grace note mode (Shift+G) — Enter grace notes.
Pitch before duration (K) — Toggle whether you set the pitch or the duration first.
Set the note duration with the number keys before or after entering a note:
| Key | Duration |
|---|---|
| 1 | Whole note |
| 2 | Half note |
| 3 | Quarter note |
| 4 | Eighth note |
| 5 | 16th note |
| 6 | 32nd note |
| 7 | 64th note |
| . | Toggle dot |
Press = for sharp and - for flat. Accidentals are applied to the next note you enter or to the currently selected note.
Each measure supports up to four independent voices. Switch voices with Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+4.
Press X in normal mode to toggle cross-staff notation — this renders a note on a different staff than its voice, common in piano scores.
Apply articulations to the selected note:
Shift+> — Accent
Shift+< — Staccato
Shift+_ — Tenuto
U — Fermata
Shift+^ — Marcato
Shift+Alt+R — Trill
Additional articulations (mordent, turn, up-bow, down-bow, open string, stopped, and more) are available via the Command Palette.
Bare-letter shortcuts apply in normal mode (toggle with N). In note entry mode, the same letters insert pitches.
C — Chord symbols. Type any chord (e.g., "Cmaj7", "Dm7b5/A") and press Enter to commit.
L — Lyrics.
D — Dynamics. Choose from pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, sfz, fp.
Ctrl+Shift+T — Tempo marking. Set BPM and optional text (Allegro, Presto, etc.).
Ctrl+T — Time signature. Change the time signature at the current measure.
Ctrl+K — Key signature. Set the key for the current measure and beyond.
R — Rehearsal mark. Add a label (A, B, Intro, Verse, etc.).
S — Slur. Press once to start, again to end.
T — Tie. Toggle a tie on the current note.
Shift+Alt+, — Crescendo. Press once to start, again to end.
Shift+Alt+. — Diminuendo. Press once to start, again to end.
Shift+N — Navigation marks. Segno, coda, D.S., D.C., volta brackets.
Ctrl+M — Insert a new measure after the current one.
Ctrl+Backspace — Delete the current measure.
B — Set barline type: single, double, final, repeat start, repeat end, or repeat both. Repeat ends can take a play count (× N).
Use the Command Palette to toggle a measure as a pickup (anacrusis), or to add system, page, or section breaks. A section break also restarts measure numbering.
Manage parts in the left sidebar. You can add, remove, reorder (drag), solo, mute, and hide parts.
Transposing instruments (like Clarinet in Bb or Alto Sax in Eb) are handled automatically — what you see is the written pitch, and Nubium transposes for playback.
Set repeat barlines with B in normal mode: repeat start, repeat end, or both. Repeat ends can take a play count (× N).
Open the navigation marks popover with Shift+N to add:
Playback follows all navigation marks automatically.
Transpose selected notes or the entire score via the Command Palette. Available intervals:
Space — Play or pause.
Ctrl+. — Stop and return to the beginning.
M — Toggle the metronome.
Shift+I — Toggle count-in (metronome plays one measure before the score starts).
Set the tempo in the BPM field in the toolbar.
Playback uses SoundFont instruments for realistic sound. It follows repeats, D.S., D.C., codas, and volta brackets.
Select measures first, then press Space to loop playback over just the selection.
Press Shift+M to toggle mute on the selected note, chord, or grace note. Muted notes still render (at reduced opacity) but are skipped during playback.
Set the feel via the command palette: Straight (default), Swing, Hard Swing, or Shuffle.
Connect a MIDI keyboard and Nubium will detect it automatically. Play a note to insert it at the current cursor position (step entry). On macOS, Nubium uses a native MIDI bridge for full compatibility.
Ctrl+Shift+1 — Toggle standard notation display.
Ctrl+Shift+2 — Toggle tab notation display.
Ctrl+Shift+3 — Toggle slash notation display.
You can toggle the visibility of specific annotation types (lyrics, chords, dynamics, hairpins, slurs, rehearsal marks, tempo marks) in Settings.
Ctrl+B — Toggle left sidebar. Ctrl+Shift+B — Toggle right sidebar.
Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0 — Zoom in, zoom out, reset zoom.
Shift+? — Open the in-app keyboard shortcut cheat sheet.
Ctrl+N — New score. Ctrl+O — Open a MusicXML file. Ctrl+S — Save.
Ctrl+Shift+H — Browse file history. The number of snapshots is configurable in settings.
MusicXML — compatible with MuseScore, Dorico, Sibelius, Finale, and any other notation app.
PDF — print-ready export of the full score or individual parts.
WAV — render your score to an audio file.
ABC Notation and LilyPond — copy to clipboard via the Command Palette.
Saving to disk is explicit (Ctrl+S). The status bar shows Unsaved when there are unsaved changes. Nubium also keeps automatic crash-recovery snapshots, so if the app closes unexpectedly your score is restored on next launch.
Toggle tab notation with Ctrl+Shift+2 to see fret numbers on a tablature staff. Guitar parts support multiple tunings including Standard, Drop D, Open G, DADGAD, Open D, and Half Step Down.
All available via the Command Palette. Techniques render on both standard notation and tab:
Left/Right — Move cursor through the score.
Up/Down — Switch between parts (in normal mode).
Enter — Jump to the beginning of the score.
Ctrl+G — Go to a specific measure number.
Shift+Left/Right — Extend selection by measure.
Shift+Alt+Left/Right — Extend selection by note.
Copy your selection as ABC notation, LilyPond, or MusicXML via the Command Palette.
Open settings with Ctrl+,. Keyboard shortcuts, display options, input preferences, and more are all configurable.
Nubium's features are built as plugins. Toggle them with Ctrl+Shift+E. Browse and install community plugins from the Community tab in the plugins panel.
Many of Nubium's core features are built as plugins. Open the plugins panel to see what's available and toggle them on or off.
Open with Ctrl+Shift+A. Describe what you want in plain language and the AI edits your score directly — compose melodies, add chord progressions, write bass lines, arrange for multiple parts, transpose, change time signatures, and more. It can also run any command you could run from the command palette.
Supports Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, and Google Gemini. Bring your own API key — get one from your chosen provider and paste it into the AI settings panel, then pick a model. Undo any AI edit with Ctrl+Z.
On Mac, use Cmd in place of Ctrl. All shortcuts can be customized in Settings → Hotkeys.
| A | Insert A |
| B | Insert B |
| C | Insert C |
| D | Insert D |
| E | Insert E |
| F | Insert F |
| G | Insert G |
| R | Insert rest |
| Backspace | Delete note |
| N | Note entry mode |
| I | Insert sub-mode |
| K | Pitch before duration |
| Shift+G | Grace note mode |
| S | Slur |
| T | Tie |
| Shift+M | Mute (suppress playback) |
| X | Toggle cross-staff |
| ] | Next chord head |
| [ | Previous chord head |
| 1 | Whole note |
| 2 | Half note |
| 3 | Quarter note |
| 4 | Eighth note |
| 5 | 16th note |
| 6 | 32nd note |
| 7 | 64th note |
| . | Toggle dot |
| = | Sharp |
| - | Flat |
| ← | Move cursor left |
| → | Move cursor right |
| Alt+↑ | Pitch up (diatonic) |
| Alt+↓ | Pitch down (diatonic) |
| Alt+Shift+↑ | Pitch up (chromatic) |
| Alt+Shift+↓ | Pitch down (chromatic) |
| Ctrl+Alt+↑ | Octave up |
| Ctrl+Alt+↓ | Octave down |
| ↑ | Previous part |
| ↓ | Next part |
| Ctrl+← | Previous measure |
| Ctrl+→ | Next measure |
| ; | Previous measure (alt) |
| ' | Next measure (alt) |
| Enter | Go to beginning |
| Ctrl+G | Go to measure |
| Shift+← | Extend selection left |
| Shift+→ | Extend selection right |
| Alt+Shift+← | Extend note selection left |
| Alt+Shift+→ | Extend note selection right |
| Ctrl+A | Select all |
| Esc | Clear selection |
| Ctrl+C | Copy |
| Ctrl+V | Paste |
| Ctrl+X | Cut |
| Ctrl+1 | Voice 1 |
| Ctrl+2 | Voice 2 |
| Ctrl+3 | Voice 3 |
| Ctrl+4 | Voice 4 |
Bare-letter shortcuts apply in normal mode (toggle with N).
| Alt+Shift+, | Crescendo |
| Alt+Shift+. | Diminuendo |
| C | Chord input |
| L | Lyric input |
| D | Dynamics |
| Ctrl+Shift+T | Tempo marking |
| Ctrl+T | Time signature |
| Ctrl+K | Key signature |
| R | Rehearsal mark |
| B | Barline |
| Shift+N | Navigation marks |
| Shift+> | Accent |
| Shift+< | Staccato |
| Shift+_ | Tenuto |
| U | Fermata |
| Shift+^ | Marcato |
| Alt+Shift+R | Trill |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Ctrl+M | Insert measure |
| Ctrl+Backspace | Delete measure |
| Space | Play / Pause |
| Ctrl+. | Stop playback |
| M | Toggle metronome |
| Shift+I | Toggle count-in |
| Ctrl+N | New score |
| Ctrl+O | Open file |
| Ctrl+S | Save file |
| Ctrl+Shift+H | File history |
| Ctrl+Shift+1 | Toggle standard notation |
| Ctrl+Shift+2 | Toggle tab notation |
| Ctrl+Shift+3 | Toggle slash notation |
| Ctrl+, | Settings |
| Ctrl+B | Toggle left sidebar |
| Ctrl+Shift+B | Toggle right sidebar |
| Ctrl+Shift+P | Command palette |
| Ctrl+Shift+E | Toggle plugins |
| Shift+? | Keyboard shortcuts |
| Ctrl+= | Zoom in |
| Ctrl+- | Zoom out |
| Ctrl+0 | Reset zoom |
| Ctrl+Shift+A | Toggle AI Chat |
Spot something missing or wrong in this guide? Let us know.
Nubium is open source and welcomes contributions — from bug fixes to new plugins.