PlayScore2 needs hi-end camera - Play music from scores

Be aware that many budget smartphones may not have cameras with sufficient quality for PlayScore.

Utilize photos, images, and PDF scores to play various music types. Capture music using your camera or upload images and PDFs. The PlayScore 2 sheet music reader will reproduce the music for you, scrolling through each section and measure of the song.

Free Trials

Currently, we are unable to provide free trials due to technical limitations. However, we offer hassle-free refunds within a week of subscription if you reach out to us.

PlayScore allows you to play music pages captured via the camera without any ads. Subscriptions are available for access to PDF scores and MusicXML files.

To ensure optimal performance, PlayScore 2 requires a high-quality camera or images. You can test it on your device for free. (If outcomes are unsatisfactory or if you're prompted to subscribe, reattempt under better lighting conditions and with proper focus.)

• Control volume, instrument, and transposition for each individual staff

• Accompany yourself during singing or while playing an instrument - PlayScore 2 even provides a count-in!

• Playback features a smart metronome that recognizes time signatures

• Generate playable score documents that can be accessed across various devices

• Export comprehensive MusicXML notation to score editors like Sibelius, MuseScore, and Dorico, including lyrics, chord symbols, dynamics, articulation and more

PlayScore 2 is capable of reading and playing various music formats directly from sheets†, such as:

• Songs

• Piano, organ, guitar

• Hymns

• Solos and sonatas

• Chamber, band, and orchestral works

Choirs and ensembles - Are you learning a new piece? Create a playable score so that each member can focus on their part individually or distinct from others.

• Choose from 23 premium instruments per staff

• Adjust tempo (even mid-performance)

• Tap anywhere to initiate playback, or swipe with a finger to establish a loop

• Assign different instruments to each staff

• Mute or adjust the volume for each staff or part if there are two parts per staff

• Perform songs in any key

• Customizable multi-measure count-in and metronome settings

* Swing playback option

• Adjustable dynamic range settings

• Include bar numbers

PlayScore 2 is the perfect tool for reading sheet music and facilitates the creation of multi-page playable scores:

• Rearrange, recapture, or delete pages as needed

• Select specific page ranges within a PDF

• Crop and mask sections of music

• Search and categorize by title or composer

Employing advanced Optical Music Recognition (OMR) techniques, PlayScore 2 elevates the process of scanning sheet music to a new standard.

Subscriptions

Even without a subscription, you can:

• Interact with any playable score in PlayScore

• Play single pages of music from photographs

• Create and distribute single-page playable documents

For PlayScore 2 Productivity subscription:

• Generate and perform multi-staff, multi-page scores captured with your camera or imported as images

• Share your documents for playback by others who do not need a subscription to access them.

• Engage interactively with scores, accommodate transposing instruments, and export MIDI files

For PlayScore 2 Professional subscription:

• Develop playable score documents from PDF scores accessible to all users (using the free version of PlayScore 2)

• Export any score as MIDI and MusicXML, including comprehensive notation and text

Offered in both 1-month and 12-month auto-renewing subscriptions.

Please note: Distributing copyrighted music without permission from the copyright holder is against the law.

The PlayScore 2 sheet music application recognizes a majority of musical notation.

† Refer to the online help for exceptions.

PlayScore 2 Review: The Revolutionary Sheet Music Companion for Modern Musicians

PlayScore 2 isn’t just an optical music recognition tool—it’s a paradigm shift in how musicians interact with printed scores, transforming static pages into dynamic, interactive performances. As a pianist who frequently rehearses with ensembles, this app dissolved years of frustration: simply photographing a complex orchestral excerpt or a scribbled jazz chart, and having PlayScore flawlessly reproduce articulations, dynamics, and even swing rhythms felt like magic. What truly impressed me was its deep interactivity—muting my piano staff to practice alongside the woodwind section, adding a custom count-in, or instantly transposing a vocal part to suit a singer’s range during rehearsal saved invaluable time. Exporting to MusicXML for further editing in MuseScore worked seamlessly, preserving every expression marking. While camera quality matters (my older tablet struggled under dim light, but my smartphone excelled), the accuracy with well-lit, focused scores rivals human precision.

The staff-specific controls empower nuanced rehearsals: adjusting balance between voices in a choir piece or isolating a violin line in chamber music reveals layers often lost in traditional playback. Though the subscription model requires investment, PlayScore 2 Professional unlocks indispensable features like multi-page PDF imports and collaborative score sharing—making it an essential tool for educators and performers alike. For sight-reading practice, audition preparation, or breathing life into dusty archives, PlayScore 2 bridges the gap between paper and performance with astonishing intelligence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Addressed in the Review:

"Will it accurately read messy/handwritten scores?" Performs remarkably with printed scores under good lighting; complex handwritten notations may require manual tweaks (see online help for limitations).

"How useful are the individual staff controls?" Essential for practice—mute/instrument/transpose per staff, adjust dynamics, and rehearse parts in isolation.

"Can I collaborate or share scores easily?" Yes! Create shareable playable documents (recipients need free app only), ideal for ensembles/students without subscriptions.

"Is camera quality a dealbreaker?" Critical for reliability. Test with free photo-based single-page scans first; blurry/low-res images cause errors.

"How does the MusicXML export compare to manual notation?" Exports articulations, lyrics, and dynamics with high fidelity to editors like Dorico or Sibelius, saving hours of re-inputting.

"Can I practice with it for live performances?" Absolutely. Real-time tempo adjustment, looping sections, and count-in metronome make it ideal for personal rehearsal.

"What’s the difference between Productivity & Pro subscriptions?" Productivity handles camera/image multi-page scores; Pro adds PDF imports and advanced MusicXML exports with full notation/text.

"Why no free trial? How trustworthy are refunds?" Policy offers no-questions refunds within a week if results are unsatisfactory—test thoroughly upon subscribing.

"Does it recognize complex notations (e.g., cadenzas, extended techniques)?" Handles standard notation brilliantly; consult online help for edge cases like extreme graphical scores.

"Is it suitable for educators?" A game-changer: create transposable parts, demonstrate phrasing, or export exercises tailored to student instruments.