The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
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<strong>To</strong>day, thanks to computer technology, a lot of this notation process can be automated.<br />
<strong>Music</strong> notation software, available for both Windows and Macintosh<br />
operating systems, enables you to create a complete piece of music—including<br />
full orchestral scores—from your computer keyboard. <strong>The</strong> result is a professionallooking<br />
piece of music, complete with proper note spacing and notation marks.<br />
All music notation programs let you enter notes on the page with either your<br />
mouse or computer keyboard. All you have to do is click a position on the<br />
staff, and a note appears.<br />
Many of these programs also let you connect a MIDI keyboard and input<br />
music directly from the keyboard to your computer. <strong>The</strong> notation program<br />
translates the notes you play on the keyboard into corresponding notes on a<br />
staff. You can then fine-tune the music onscreen as necessary.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are all different types of music notation programs, although they all perform<br />
the same basic functions. Some programs let you include more parts than<br />
others, though, and some include more professional notation features. So when<br />
you’re shopping for a music notation program, here are some things to look for:<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> number of individual staves (instrumental and voice) you can create<br />
for a piece of music.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> quality of the printed music. (Look especially for proper note spacing,<br />
full extension of note stems, and the automatic avoidance of note collisions,<br />
in which a note or marking from one staff overlaps a similar note<br />
or marking on another staff.)<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> capability to extract individual parts from a score.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> capability to automatically transpose parts.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> capability to include lyrics.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> capability to include guitar tabs.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> capability to write in standard percussion notation.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> inclusion of advanced notation markings and the flexibility to place<br />
them wherever you want in the score.<br />
◆ <strong>The</strong> capability to create notation based on MIDI keyboard input.<br />
<strong>The</strong> two most popular music notation programs today are Finale (www.codamusic.<br />
com) and Sibelius (www.sibelius.com). Both programs work in similar fashion,<br />
and both cost around $600 for the full package. Fortunately for cost-conscious<br />
or outright starving musicians, both programs are also available in lower-priced<br />
and/or student versions, so you can get similar (but not identical) functionality<br />
at a bargain price. (Finale even offers a free version, called Finale Notepad, that<br />
you can download from their website.)<br />
Chapter 19: Lead Sheets and Scores<br />
253<br />
Definition<br />
MIDI stands for<br />
musical instrument digital<br />
interface, and is a computer<br />
protocol for passing<br />
audio information digitally<br />
from one electronic device<br />
to another.