Music Equivalent 0f a Word Processor
GordonP
I'm looking for the music equivalent of a word processor -- an application I
can install on my Windows computer that I can use to write and subsequently
print piano music, using my computer instead of writing it by hand on
manuscript paper.
I envisage an application that presents me with the conventional treble and
bass staffs with the appropriate symbols at the left and enables me to
select a key signature. I expect the program to provide a user-friendly way
to place notes (semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, etc.) on the staff and
to insert bar lines automatically in the appropriate places. I would also
expect the program to provide the capability to insert conventional
accidental symbols as needed, to accept grace notes, and to insert the many
other symbols that occur in printed music. I would be a nice feature if I
could define a chord, and the application would automatically print the
notes for that chord.
I feel sure such an application must exist, but haven't been able to find
one referred to on the Web. It would be nice to find such such an
application that's available for free, but am quite willing to pay a
reasonable amount for an application that works well. All I've found so far
is ways to download and print blank manuscript paper.
I'll appreciate all suggestions.
GordonP
Howard Neil
Look for music publishing programs. There are quite a few of them. I use
Score Writer by Geniesoft:-
--
Howard Neil
Mike Scott
> My first time on this site.
>
> I'm looking for the music equivalent of a word processor -- an application I
> can install on my Windows computer that I can use to write and subsequently
> print piano music, using my computer instead of writing it by hand on
> manuscript paper.
>
>
> I feel sure such an application must exist, but haven't been able to find
> one referred to on the Web. It would be nice to find such such an
> application that's available for free, but am quite willing to pay a
> reasonable amount for an application that works well. All I've found so far
> is ways to download and print blank manuscript paper.
>
> I'll appreciate all suggestions.
>
There are plenty of products around, eg sibelius with its gui at the
expensive end, down to freeware/opensource such as abcm2ps and abcmidi.
There's also lilypond (http://lilypond.org/web/) which is free (gnu
licence) too. And musitex if you're already into text/latex.
Try the freebies first.
For my own part, I used to use musictime, but I've found a gui much
slower than simply typing note names for the abc system. The proprietary
systems also lock you in - I've a number of pieces done in musictime
that aren't accessible any more :-(
--
Mike Scott (unet <at> scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England
ph...@cam.ac.uk
Mike Scott <usen...@spam.stopper.scottsonline.org.uk> writes:
>For my own part, I used to use musictime, but I've found a gui much
>slower than simply typing note names for the abc system.
I'm glad someone else has confirmed what I've always believed. It takes
a while to learn the specific input format for a program that works from
text input, but, once learned, input is faster. So, if you are only ever
going to set one piece, the "start up" cost is too high, but it you are
going to do lots, it's worth learning the notation.
Philip
(whose own software is available, free, at http://www.quercite.com/pmw.html,
but in source form, so you need to be able to compile it).
--
Philip Hazel
Cambridge, England
Mike Scott
> In article <DUgnj.83329$KC3....@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net>,
> Mike Scott <usen...@spam.stopper.scottsonline.org.uk> writes:
>
>> For my own part, I used to use musictime, but I've found a gui much
>> slower than simply typing note names for the abc system.
>
> I'm glad someone else has confirmed what I've always believed. It takes
> a while to learn the specific input format for a program that works from
> text input, but, once learned, input is faster. So, if you are only ever
> going to set one piece, the "start up" cost is too high, but it you are
> going to do lots, it's worth learning the notation.
In practice, I sort-of have both. It's a shameless rip-off of someone
else's idea to which I took a liking, although the implementation is my
own. Because modern processors are so fast, you can afford to run the
formatting program whenever the user stops typing for, say, 200msec. So
I have a split screen gizmo - a notepad-like text entry area, plus a
formatted preview updated in quasi-realtime. Certainly has its problems
as a method, but remarkably useful.
'abc' as a system is quite useful. The notation is open, of course, so
no problem about lock-in to a proprietary system. The authors of both
abcmidi and abcm2ps are very helpful and quite amenable to improvement
suggestions (I bet the same isn't true of the major proprietary
programs!!). The source code is open too, so if you don't like what it
does.........
GordonP
they don't seem satisfactory, look at some of the others. I hope they have a
trial version I can look at before I commit my money.
GordonP
"Mike Scott" <usen...@spam.stopper.scottsonline.org.uk> wrote in message
news:2lnnj.67699$h35....@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
Michael Bednarek
My favourite music notation program (MOZART <http://www.mozart.co.uk/>)
happens to describe itself as "the music processor", so it might fit
your requirements. Its main advantage is the economic method of entering
elements of a musical score: almost everything can be done from the
computer keyboard, without having to resort to more time-consuming mouse
clicks (which are also there for those so inclined).
It is not free, but IMO reasonably priced (~US$160). Most other
commercial notation programs are considerably more expensive. There is a
free fully functional evaluation version available, as well as a free
viewer for musical scores written with the main program.
New versions are released about every 18 months for ~US$55. The author
maintains a lively discussion group which can be accessed as an on-line
forum or as a mailing list
(<http://www.mozart.co.uk/mozartists/mailinglist.htm>).
I thoroughly recommend you try it out:
<http://www.mozart.co.uk/filelibrary/downloads.htm>.
Wikipedia has a list of notation programs (and write-ups about most of
them) at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scorewriters>.
--
Michael Bednarek http://mbednarek.com/ "POST NO BILLS"
GordonP
"Michael Bednarek" <mbATmbed...@BLACKHOLESPAM.NET> wrote in message
news:k18up31ksqoestbeq...@4ax.com...
David Raleigh Arnold
There are Sibelius and Finale. Encore IMO is a poor choice.
I recommend lilypond, which is free. Text based entry is a lot faster
once you have your formatting set up, but that can be a chore. You can
use a front end for lilypond such as noteedit (I forget the name of
its successor) or denemo. I'm not sure which interfaces are for windows.
You have to spend considerable for a good program which fits your
requirements, but the free alternative, lilypond, is much better than the
cheap ones.
You have a dilemma, not a lack. daveA
--
email: darn...@cox.net (put "poisonal" anywhere in subject)
DGT: The very best technical exercises for all guitarists:
http://www.openguitar.com/dynamic.html. Original easy solos at:
http://www.openguitar.com. :::=={_o) David Raleigh Arnold
ph...@cam.ac.uk
Zhang DaWei <fe...@sibianzhe.com> writes:
>I found lilypond not suitable for my own needs some years ago, but
>have now settled upon Mozart (http://www.mozart.co.uk). There is at
>least one other apart from those already mentioned, but I can't at the
>moment recollect it.
Philip's Music Writer (PMW). Of course I'm biased; I wrote it.
http://www.quercite.com/pmw.html
Bernard Hill
<gpad...@earthlink.net> writes
Have a look at Music Publisher, a UK product.
Some audio-visual demonstrations
http://www.muspub.com/avdemos.htm
A non-expiring evaluation copy
http://www.muspub.com/mpdownload.htm
It allows you to put down what you want to see on the paper and does not
impose its own layout or music notation standards. But you will see that
in the demonstrations.
And the support is excellent.
http://www.muspub.com/reviews.htm
Regards
--
Bernard Hill
Braeburn Software
Author of Music Publisher system
Music Software written by musicians for musicians
http://www.braeburn.co.uk
Selkirk, Scotland