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Export MusicXML
MusicXML is how notation programs exchange scores. Export one from SimpleNotation and open it in MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, Finale or Logic with the notes, tab and markings in place.
How to export MusicXML
- Write your score in the editor, or import a Guitar Pro, MusicXML or MIDI file.
- When it is ready, open the ⋯ menu at the top right of the editor and choose Export → MusicXML. You can also press Ctrl+K (⌘K on a Mac) and type “export”.
- A .musicxml file downloads. Open it from the other program’s File → Open or Import menu.
What the file keeps
- Every instrument, with notes spelled as written, up to four voices, ties, tuplets and grace notes
- Tab: strings and frets, the tuning and the capo
- Hammer-ons and pull-offs, slides, bends, harmonics, vibrato, palm mute and let ring
- Chord symbols and chord diagrams, lyrics, text, dynamics and hairpins, articulations
- Time and key signatures, clefs, repeats and endings, sections and tempo marks
What it leaves out
- Sounds are saved as a General MIDI instrument name; the receiving program picks its own sounds
- Each program draws tab and effects in its own way, so the result looks different from SimpleNotation even when the data is the same
Convert Guitar Pro to MusicXML
Few free tools convert Guitar Pro files to MusicXML. Import a .gp, .gp5 or .gpx file into SimpleNotation and export MusicXML: the tab, tuning and techniques come along. It works the other way round too: import MusicXML and export Guitar Pro.
MusicXML or MIDI?
MusicXML describes the written score: spelling, voices, tab, lyrics, chord symbols and layout hints. MIDI describes only what is played: which keys, when and how hard. Use MusicXML to keep working on the score in another notation program, and MIDI to drive instruments in a DAW.
Questions
Which version of MusicXML is it?
MusicXML 4.0, as an uncompressed .musicxml file that MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, Finale and most other notation programs open.
Does the guitar tab come through?
Yes. Strings, frets, tuning and capo are part of the MusicXML file. Programs that show tab, such as MuseScore, rebuild the tab staff from them.
Can I convert Guitar Pro to MusicXML for free?
Yes. Import the Guitar Pro file into SimpleNotation and export MusicXML. It runs in your browser and costs nothing.
Other export formats
All exports are free and need no account. Compare every format.