Sheet music in words, bar by bar
Talking Scores writes out sheet music in words, for blind and partially sighted musicians. Read each bar with a screen reader, a braille display or large text, and play any bar to hear it.
Open a MusicXML file: a file ending in .musicxml, .xml or .mxl, up to 10 MB. Your file stays on this site and is not shared.
No file yet? Find a free score, or open an example: a song with chord symbols, a Bach piano prelude or a Bach chorale in four parts.
Where to find a MusicXML file
Many score websites let you download a score as a MusicXML file.
- MuseScore.com has the most scores. Open a score, choose Download, then MusicXML. A free account is needed, and some scores need a paid plan.
- Find a score on this site has over 2,000 free scores that open here directly: piano pieces, songs, string quartets and Bach chorales.
- CPDL has choral music. Look for MusicXML in the list of files for each edition.
If you write music in a program such as MuseScore, Sibelius or Dorico, choose File, then Export, then MusicXML.
A free program such as Audiveris can turn a PDF into MusicXML. It can misread some notes, so the talking score may not match the printed page.
What a talking score includes
Each bar is written out in words: its notes, rests, rhythms, dynamics and repeats. You choose how it is worded. You can play any bars or the whole score, and download the talking score as a web page, plain text or braille.
It cannot open a PDF, a photo or a scan. Lyrics, chord symbols and figured bass are included only when the file has them.