# MusicJOT — Music notation w/handwriting > Handwritten music notation with playback and export features. (iPhone/iPad app by Mona Lisa Sound, Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicjot/id1057966726 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Mona Lisa Sound, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/308026484) - Category: Music, Productivity - Price: $49.99 with in-app purchases - Rating: 3.50/5 from 15 App Store ratings · 40 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 484 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2017-01-26 - Data updated: 2026-08-30 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicjot/id1057966726/reviews.md ## What is MusicJOT? MusicJOT is a powerful, easy to use music notation app. Write with your own handwriting and watch MusicJOT render it into beautifully notated music ready for playback. Interact directly, quickly dragging notes around to change their pitch or duration. Included is a full-featured audio playback engine, featuring unlimited tracks and 128 built-in General MIDI instruments. General • Natural Handwriting Recognition • Support for Split Screen mode • Support for Dark Mode • Supports Apple Scribble • Support for chord symbols and fretboards • Export to MusicXML® • Export to MIDI • Export as an image attachment • Staffs limited only by memory • 128 General MIDI sounds • In-app sound library purchaes available • Cut, copy, paste, undo and redo • Paste Special with filters • Two voices per staff • Print to a wireless printer • Definable Regions • Custom beaming with beam breaking and joining • Alternate notes/rests/tools palettes for non-handwriting music entry • Searchable, context-sensitive reference manual • On-line tutorial while working in Split Screen • Auto rehearsal letters/numbers. Navigation • Unlimited view sizes • Scroll, page and presentation views • Live spacing • Go to measure # • Search for specific text • Change music spacing Notes • Drag up/down for pitch • Drag left/right for duration • Double flats to double sharps • Grace notes • Floating rests • Half step transpositions • Octave transpositions • Tuplets • Courtesy accidentals • Cross-staff notes Dynamics • Crescendo, decrescendo • ppp - fff, sfz, fp P Tempos • Tempo text P • Font, size, style • Beats per note duration Articulations & Ornaments • Staccato • Marcato • Accent • Dynamics • Tenuto • Harmonic • Tremolos • Guitar symbols • Left hand pizzicato • Fermata • Up and down bows • Roll chord • Turn P • Mordent • Trill, Trill flat, natural, sharp • Cesura • Breath • Pedal on/off • L.H., R.H. • Roman numerals (I - V) • Numbers (0 - 5) Shapes • Glissando • Bend hat • Dotted line • Solid line • Tie • Slur • Slur Flipping • 8va, 8vb • 15ma, 15mb • Accelerando/Ritardando Lyrics • Free, verse, chorus of unlimited number • Auto flow into score • Duplicate • Find in score • Span notes, group words, melismas • Layers Bars • Normal, double, solid, dotted, final • Repeats (playback enabled) • Show repeat map • Backwards, forwards, 1st and 2nd endings • DC, DS, Del Segno, Coda, Finé Text • Free form text • Placement - above/below staff • Border option for rehearsal letters • Font, size, style Clefs, keys, meters • Change selected only • Change selected to next change • Change selected to end • Mid-measure clef changes • Keys transpose up, down or none • Measure duration clipping • Automatic transpositions Audio • Change tempo, volume, pan, gain, mute and solo • Scrub forwards and backwards • Fretboards and chord symbols playback • Create loops with visual feedback • Playback with or without repeats active • Change any staffs instrument sounds • Add reverb • Set playback range • Dragging notes up or down to change pitch sounds note(s) ## Key features - Natural handwriting recognition - Interactive note editing - Full-featured audio playback - 128 General MIDI instruments - Export to MusicXML and MIDI - Support for chord symbols and fretboards - Print to wireless printer ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: $49.99. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Timbres Of Heaven | $9.99 | one-time | | Dance Organs | $3.99 | one-time | | Various Synths | $2.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 40) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicjot/id1057966726/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Much improved; very good now *2022-04-01, version 2.1* The first release had some issues, but it is obvious a lot of work has gone into this new version. It is pretty straightforward, and music notion with the Apple Pencil works well. The website has some good, short teaching videos. I’ve only used this for a short while, but I’m very pleased with the product now. ### 5/5 — My Thoughts *2022-03-20, version 2.0.4* I'm a beginner so I was nervous about getting enough value from the $49.99 price tag. Feature one is turning my handwritten notes into something recognizable that I can see. Check. Feature two is playing back what I write. Check. Feature three is being able to export what I wrote to other apps/devices in a variety of formats. Check. Support doesn't mind answering my mindless questions about music and the app. Check. I can see - and have read/heard from other users - that there are amazing features that I will be able to use as I grow so this has given me new enthusiasm to write music. Definitely worth the price. Lisallynne Kirk ### 5/5 — A Game Changer for Composing Music *2022-02-28, version 2.0.4* This app is the musical equivalent of the iPhone, in terms of its fundamental power to change the way things are done. Before there were personal computers, I wrote sheet music with a pen or pencil. It was slow going, and if I made a mistake, I would cross it out (messy) or even use “white out” to try to redo it. Software for composing on the computer has made it possible to produce beautiful sheet music, but I find the process to be slow and laborious. Using QWERTY keys, or even a mouse, to pick a note value, pick a time value, and insert the note on the staff, feels more like programming than composing. With MusicJot, I can write music in the ‘normal’ way, using handwriting, and have MusicJot translate my handwriting into professional quality scores. Amazing! I commute by train, and I can use the time to compose with MusicJot and my iPad, listening to what I write through headphones. Later, I can transfer what I wrote to Logic as a MIDI file, and build the composition even further on my desktop computer. The ability to create TABs will be a welcome addition to this program, because so many modern guitar players do not read sheet music. (An old joke – how do you stop a rock guitar player from playing? Put sheet music in front of him.) Of course, version 1.0 of the iPhone didn’t have 3G support or a front-facing camera. I’m very happy to use the app now, and will look forward to new features as they are rolled out. I have been composing and recording music for many years, and along the way a few technologies have been ‘game changers.’ With MIDI, I can “type” a song on a keyboard (musical keyboard or computer keyboard), produce the sound of an endless array of instruments, transpose, speed up, slow down, and “correct” mistakes. With Digital Audio Workstations (Logic, ProTools, etc.), I can record, edit and mix to my heart’s content, in my own home, without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment or on studio time. And now with MusicJot, I can use my handwriting, an iPad and a pen to create musical scores. This is fantastic – highly recommended. UPDATE. Version 2.0 is much more stable and responsive. The first release did used to crash on occasion, which was frustrating. Also the developer has added guitar chord diagrams, and the ability to split a note into two tied notes, which is helpful when inserting chord changes. ### 5/5 — Amazing music notation software *2022-02-28, version 2.0.4* My review is from the perspective of a novice scholar of music notation. I've played guitar for many decades, but virtually always by rote. I recently made up my mind to return to learning music theory through books designed for guitarists. It then occurred to me that it would be nice to have an app for my iPad that enabled and simplified writing musical notation to preserve ideas born during my practice sessions. I found MusicJOT, which greatly exceeded my expectations in that not only can the app turn my chicken scratch notes into professional looking musical notation, but it will play the lines back to me immediately. So even a beginner can benefit from this software. Of course MusicJOT is loaded with tools that are presently beyond my training in music theory to use, but I look forward to learning how to use them effectively as I progress. For those who are already fully fluent in musical notation, this software offers limitless opportunities to realize your ideas in a publishable format. In sum, I highly recommend this product for beginning music theory students, particularly for class assignments, and for advanced musicians alike. This app is by far more the most sophisticated and powerful program I own. ### 5/5 — Great new tool for composers *2022-02-27, version 2.0.4* This app is a great new tool for composers. Anyone serious about having a tool easier to use than the big, expensive palette-driven desktop packages and one you can use on a train or plane should consider this app. This is not a toy, it is a full-featured composing tool for mobile users. The handwriting is magic and although it makes some mistakes, the developers appear extremely committed to continual updates. The interface is clean and easy to understand. The tutorials are clever and explanatory. I have contacted them with questions already and they have been very responsive. All the updates appear to be free. I don’t like getting lured into an app by a cheap price only to find that I have to spend more money just to get the thing doing something useful. Their approach seems more honest to me. I especially like the layers feature, which I’ve never seen before. When you’ve got lots of expressions and dynamics and slurs, it is easier to enter new stuff when you can hide all of that and just see the notes. I also think the palette (non-handwriting) aspect of the app is very well done. Dragging pitches up/down and durations left/right is super easy. They even have a little interval indicator when dragging pitches which is pretty cool. So you can drag a bunch of notes up and you can see how far (intervallic distance) you dragged before you even let go. Never seen that before. They’ve got the right approach to a monstrously difficult genre. ### 5/5 — Far most useful music notation app on iOS *2020-07-06, version 1.3.10* I have been a composer since I was 8 years old and am now 77. I was in a music composition dept for 40 years asa prod of composition. For me, working with a pencil, even on an iPad Pro is organic and natural. I use Dorico 3 now and am amazed at the progress they are making at being comfortable and and transparent; but, sometimes there is nothing quite like a pencil. I have tried several iOS notation programs and they just didn’t work or were clumsy musicJOT is the first program that I feel comfortable with and doesn’t get in the way. I give it a 5 showing faith in their future updates. There are few missing functions that I hope will find their way into the program. As it exists it is more useful for sketching on the iPad Pro then moving to dorico 3 through XML for detailed work than any other program. ### 1/5 — If I could rate it a zero, I would. *2019-09-20, version 1.3.10* Extremely Frustrating app to use. Nothing works the way it should and it crashes constantly. ### 4/5 — 😊 *2019-04-16, version 1.3.6* 出先で使うのに重宝してます。 とてもいい！ 大概のことはこなせます。 細かいバグやフリーズはままありますが、立ち上げ直せば直るし操作に慣れれば大きな問題はありません。 エクスポートしたファイルが何故か一拍ずつ後ろ送りになってたり、楽譜としてみるにはレイアウト崩れてたりということが時々起こるので、そこらへんが安定してくれるといいですね。 あとはとにかくxmlファイルとMIDIファイルのインポートが出来るようになってくれるのを期待します！課金してでもほしい機能です。それが揃えばめちゃくちゃ有能なアプリだと思います😆 ### 1/5 — Mal *2018-09-05, version 1.3.1* Llevo un año con la aplicación y sigue estando del mismo modo... no se puede hacer nada con ella, mala edicion, se cuelga... una estafa ### 2/5 — No drum capabilities *2018-07-25, version 1.3.1* Guess I should have done more research before wasting my money on this. There are pitched percussion options, but no options to write snare drum, bass drum or any other non-pitched percussion. ## Frequently asked questions about MusicJOT ### What can I do with MusicJOT? MusicJOT allows you to write music using your own handwriting, which the app then converts into beautifully notated music. You can interact directly with the score, change note pitches and durations by dragging, and utilize a full-featured audio playback engine with unlimited tracks and 128 General MIDI instruments. ### How does the handwriting recognition work? The app features natural handwriting recognition that transforms your handwritten musical symbols into digital notation. You can then interact with these recognized notes, for example, by dragging them up or down to change pitch and left or right to alter duration. ### What are the export options? MusicJOT offers several export options to share your creations. You can export your scores to MusicXML®, MIDI, or as an image attachment. This allows for compatibility with other music software and easy sharing. ### Is MusicJOT compatible with different devices? The app supports features like Split Screen mode, Dark Mode, and Apple Scribble, indicating good compatibility with modern operating systems. It also allows for printing to a wireless printer, suggesting integration with common printing workflows. ### Are there any additional costs for features? While the app provides core functionality for free, there are in-app sound library purchases available. This freemium model allows users to access basic features without charge and purchase additional sound libraries if desired. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.0.5 — 2025-02-06 New Features * The Settings menu has been rolled into the Actions menu and appears at its top now called, Preferences, while the Transformation button has been moved to where the Settings menu button was. A new Duration/Space toggle button now resides where the transformation button was. * This new Duration/Space toggle button affects what happens when you drag a note horizontally to the right or left. The default behavior increases or decreases the note’s duration as in prior versions. However, when the button is tapped, it changes to Spacing drag. Now dragging a note to the right or left, the note is positionally moved. This is very useful for inserting new notes in between otherwise tightly packed notes. * The Action menu item Reset Manual Positioning, now also resets any extra intra-note spacing added (from above). * The Edit menu for changing barline styles had used the word “Live” whereas the other sections use “Add/Update.” The designation “Live” was ambiguous and so it was removed. Bugs Fixed * Fixed an issue where if you deleted a staff or measures then went into the Transformation Editor, MusicJOT might unexpectedly quit. * Fixed an issue where with 1st and 2nd endings and in audio mode when playing - both endings would play instead of just the 2nd ending (when not using repeats). * The Settings men item, “Delete Last Measure” is fixed. * Fixed an issue that was inadvertently introduced in version 3.0 where you could no longer drag a barline to make extra room at the end of a measure. * The vertical position of rests less than a half note in duration has been corrected from a slightly too high appearance. * The Shift (music) right/left section in the Transformation Editor has been totally written and now correctly shifts for both voices and with any shift amount and with correct note splitting where necessary. * Fixed an issue where rotating the iPad when in the Arrange Editor was not correctly repositioning the right-most row button area used to move into the Master Arrange window. * Fixed an issue where opening the Action menu then tapping outside it to dismiss it, then opening it again very quickly would cause an unexpected quit. * Fixed an issue in all windows that use vertically scrolling tables where the heading area would slightly shift in color when scrolling upwards. * Fixed an issue in the Staff Manager where if you scrolled upwards, the buttons at the top might flutter their positions slightly. * Fixed an issue where the “Update/Add” buttons in each section of the Edit menu were appearing when expanding a section when they shouldn’t have. * Fixed an issue in the Reference Manual, in the Actions page, where some of the referenced links were broken. * Now switching pre-roll switch on/off recalculates necessary window height in the Transformation Editor Master Section. ### 3.0 — 2024-10-31 New Features * You can now flip stems manually via a new Context Sensitive menu option. * A new Reset Flipped Stems has been added to the Action menu. * The help manual for the Action Menu now has added icons for each subject. * Chord text symbols now show the inversion number as a subscript. * A “Render Chord/Fretboard” feature has been added to the context sensitive menu. Selected chords or fretboards can be rendered onto the staff as a chord or arpeggiated notes. * Adds a quick access Help button to eight drop down menus/palettes. * Adds a “Voice Two Color” option to the “Score Settings” dropdown menu. * Adds a new “Colors” panel to “Advanced Settings” now used to set the color for voice two and other events (seen with “Colorize Events” is ON). * Edit Menu section’s icon and text color now changes to indicate when a subsection panel is active or inactive. * Top-right two button panel (Redraw and Zoom Lock) has been reworked and now includes zoom percent with a zoom percent popup chooser. * Improves visual look of slurs and ties that run on to and off of systems in page and print modes. * Dragging out slurs and other shapes in larger scores has been significantly sped up. * Slurs can now be canceled mid-drag by stopping with no target note highlighted. Bugs Fixed * Fixed an issue where if “Show Note Names” in the Display dropdown was ON, then either the audio view or Transformation Editor was opened, the note names would not disappear. * Fixed an issue where chord playback (from chord text) was not working in the Transformation Editor window. * Fixed an issue where if voice 2 was ON then the audio view was opened, the playhead would not appear. * Fixed an issue where inversions in the Chord section of the Edit menu after tapping on Play was not always sounding the correct inversion. * Fixed an issue where the context sensitive menu could have missing items or not scroll properly. * Fixed an issue when determining the MIDI note number when using double flats or double sharps. * Fixed a number of issues regarding the audio settings dropdown menu. * Fixed an issue where under certain circumstances, a double tap on the Apple Pencil when “Play” was set in the shortcuts popup, the entire score would start playing. * Fixed an issue where on rare occasions, trying to load a score unexpectedly quit. * Fixed an issue where fretboard note names were not included in the selected highlight color. * Fixed an issue where it was possible to swipe left or right in presentation view while audio was playing. * Fixed an issue when using the Road Map window to go to the start and end of a repeat set by tapping on a line in the table was off by one measure when scrolling. * Fixed an issue when using the 1st and 2nd taps on a row in the Road Map window. The first tap after opening the window now always scrolls to the first measure of the repeated section while the 2nd tap - to the end. Previously it had sometimes been reversed. * Fixed an issue when the Zoom Lock button was engaged yet under certain circumstances the display would suddenly zoom to 100% and move to the beginning of the score. * Fixed an issue where the temporary zoom percentage that appears while zooming was not re-centering itself after a device orientation change. * Fixed an issue where it was possible to drag a note in Presentation view which should not allow editing. * Fixed an issue where under certain conditions, a slur was not delete-able. ### 2.8 — 2024-06-15 New Features * A new Target Staff feature has been added to the note palette that lets you touch to insert a new note in a staff, but have that note actually be inserted in a staff either above or below. This both speeds up inserting cross-staff notes and/or makes it much easier to add notes that have many ledger lines. * The first measure can now be set as a pickup measure with the ability to either include or exclude in measure numbering. * Lyric choruses are now italicized to differentiate them from verses. * Lyrics can now be positioned above the staff set up in the Staff Manager. * Road Map window now updates live making changes such as inserting/deleting measures, or adding/changing repeats. * Removed measure number at the start of system one in Page View as this is more conventional. * A more intuit way to cancel the inserting of new notes has been added, Advanced Settings: Cancel When Exceeds Staff Midlines. * When dragging to insert a new note and after moving into the cancel note area (exceeding number of ledger lines or beyond staff midlines), you can now simply drag back to the legal area without having to start over with a new touch. * When inserting a note that has been dragged into the cancel note area (above/below the staff), the note is now dimmed to indicate that. * A new insertion line that moves as you drag a new inserted note appears vertically between the outer lines of the staff which is helpful (especially when in multiple ledger line territory) to see exactly where the new note will be inserted. * A new cancel new note mode (when trying to insert a note too far above/below the staff) has been added to Advanced Settings: Sliding Palette. Bugs Fixed * Fixes an issue where the display dropdown, “Previous” was not cycling through all staffs to highlight illegal measures. * Fixed an issue where meters with a wide numerical denominator was too close to the previous clef or key signature. * General speed increase. * Some Settings menu items have been reworded to better reflect their function. * Regions can now be extended or moved by dragging their handles in page view. * Fixed an issue where if you didn’t tab out of the End Measure text field in the Transformation Editor’s main view when entering the Action Editor, you didn’t get the updated range. * Fixed an issue where an unexpected quit would occur if you tried to drag a slur from a voice which was not the current voice. * Fixed an issue where the display dropdown window was not closing when the Edit Menu window, audio view, or handwriting was opened. * Fixed an issue where if you were trying to insert a note using the note palette and were in pitch sliding mode and went out of bounds (above/below staff) then immediately went into non-pitch sliding mode, you couldn’t place a note. * Fixed an issue where if you were inserting a note in non-pitch sliding mode and toggled to a rest and had the audio on, dragging the rest still sounded audio. * Fixed an issue where playback was not starting from the current playhead position but rather, always from the beginning. * Fixed an issue where the visibly topmost system of any page in presentation view was not getting a measure number shown. ### 2.7 — 2024-01-16 New Features * Snap to user defined grid for perfectly aligning expressions and other elements. * Ledger lines have been completely reworked. Now they correctly switch between wide and normal ledger widths when encountering note head collisions. * A new preference in the options menu allows the context sensitive menu to appear at the top instead of the bottom. * New context sensitive menu: Hide [selected] Rests. * New action menu item: Reset Hidden Rests. * New display dropdown item to show hidden rests plus a hidden rests count. * New display dropdown: previous/next buttons move to successive illegal measures. * New progress spinner to a tapped library browser score to indicate activity when loading scores. * New collision detection between voices 1 and 2 have been addressed. * Consecutive hairpins now have a small space between ends avoids run-together. * After rendering handwriting, the measure width now remains static making it easier to start a new measure. * Respacing score after handwriting rendering is now under user control with a new top-right Respace button. * Existing shapes (slurs, hairpins, etc.) now drag out continuously live. * Dragging shapes (slurs, hairpins, etc.) with their handles are now easier to attach to nearest note. * Guitar bends and glissandi now can only be connected to consecutive notes. * Ottava expressions are now initially distanced above and below the staff so they don’t get obscured by staff lines. * 8ba/15ba now defaults to under the staff. * Mode (Major, minor) has been added to the MusicXML export. * New pickup measures can be designated to any measure. * New action menu item: Pickup Measures has been added to clear/set. * Zoom lock button is now hidden during handwriting. Bugs Fixed * Fixed an issue where exiting from handwriting was not always restoring two finger scrolling. * Fixed an issue where rests could get “transposed” during a transposition operation. This would become evident when toggling from a rest to a note. * Fixed an issue where dragging a master staff barline to stretch or shrink a measure on one that previously had this operation performed would jump erratically. * Fixed an issue when dragging staffs: Note Names (from display dropdown) were not keeping their relative distance. * Fixed an issue where a rest might begin or end a beam group. * Fixed an issue where some accidentals in voice 2 were not drawing when first running the app until the voice 2 button was selected. * Fixed an issue where the score browser was unnecessarily slow. * Fixed an issue where dragging out a crescendo or decrescendo, the opening gap was half the width it should have been. * Fixed an issue where scrubbing the playhead in audio mode was not aligning properly to the sounding of notes. * Fixed a prior fix attempt assuring the help arrows in the help overlay would always run ‘underneath’ the help labels was incomplete and now works. * Fixes issue when in scroll view and the score was scrolled upwards, dragging the staffs up or down was not working. * Fixed an issue when selecting the Target popup in the repeats section of the Edit menu might have caused an unexpected quit. * Fixed an issue when from the Action menu, selecting an item’s submenu then exiting by tapping outside the Action menu, then returning to the Action menu, the submenu would not resize properly. * Fixed an issue where if you made a selection thus presenting the Context Sensitive Menu, then going into the audio view, then back out, the context menu was not dismissing even though there were no longer any selections present. * Fixed an issue when dragging staffs up or down where there was a slight jump in staff position from where the drag began. ### 2.6.1 — 2023-09-10 New Features * Voices selector controls are larger now and easier to select. * Help balloons arrows are more translucent making the labels easier to read. * Added an on-screen zoom lock/unlock button for fast access (mimics control in the display dropdown menu). Bugs Fixed * Fixed an issue where the pencil shortcuts action menu was not updating the action menu selected checkmark. * Fixed an issue where pencil shortcuts menu was not appearing for some iPad models. * Fixed an issue where handwriting was not respecting the option, “Edits With Pencil Only (vs finger).” * Illegal bar count in display dropdown now reflects the correct number regardless of its show/hide status. * Illegal bar buttons now correctly displaying the same for voice 1 and voice 2. * Dragging a lyric syllable no longer resets its line positioning. * Long runs of beamed notes with interior short durations better adjusts to maintain minimum distance from note to beams. ## Apps similar to MusicJOT | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [n-Track Studio Pro \| DAW](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/n-track-studio-pro-daw/id1160793386) | 4.6 (300) | $29.90 | Music | | [SWAM Soprano Sax](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swam-soprano-sax/id1458110649) | 3.5 (2) | $19.99 | Music | | [FuncBud Math Sequencer & Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/funcbud-math-sequencer-and-synth/id6502771916) | 4.9 (8) | $5.99 | Music | | [Aria – Music Notation Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aria-music-notation-editor/id6779437781) | 4.9 (15) | Free | Music | | [Patatap](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patatap/id880626868) | 5.0 (22) | $1.99 | Music | | [TuneLab Piano Tuner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunelab-piano-tuner/id335568329) | 4.8 (91) | $299.99 | Music | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*