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Latest reply from DC

(9 posts) (4 people)

Free Notation Software

Posted 2 years ago by DC

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DC said 2 years ago

Hello all!

New to the forum but a huge fan of the site. Thanks!!

I've done some searching for free notation software (being the starving musician that we all are!)and came up with 2 applications that are free and have some decent features.

They are Forte (http://www.forte-notation.eu/en/index.htm) and MuseScore (http://www.musescore.org/)

MuseScore is a free cross platform WYSIWYG music notation program, licenced under GNU GPL and Forte is called "Freeware".

I've been using both for a couple of weeks and am finding MuseScore to be somewhat more intuitive and easier to work with that Forte.

Any folks out there using either one of these 2 programs? What are your thoughts?

Thanks!
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sfz541 said 2 years ago

Begin saving up for Sibelius or Finale (Sibelius is my favorite) immediately if you plan to do much with your own notation. I haven't used either of the mentioned programs but I know from what I've heard that none of the available free notation programs remotely compare to Sibelius and Finale. Seriously, start putting away $50 or $100 a month and go get some top quality. The experience is so great, believe me. Demos are available on both sites. Did I mention Sibelius is the jam?
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David J. Hahn said 2 years ago

Hey DC - welcome to the forums. I've seen you in the comments before and been to your site.

I have to agree with sfz541, although I'll admit I haven't taken a look at the two programs you mention. I'm personally partial to Finale, even though it has a steep learning curve at the beginning. I just upgraded to Finale 2010 and I'm happy with it.

Among other reasons, it's nice to have the industry standard software because other players can email you charts. I get Finale files from collaborators all the time.

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DC said 2 years ago

I hear exactly what both of you are saying. In the graphics industry, Photoshop is the standard. I wouldn't use anything else for photo retouching and manipulation.

As for the future purchase of either Sibelius or Finale, I'll be debating that decision when the time comes. But until then, my current need (and financial status) outweighs any major purchases. (I'm at least able to put some charts and arrangements together for my upcoming Christmas shows...)

As far as "getting my feet wet", I think that the free notation software is a perfect opportunity to not only make the transition from hand transcribing but to sharpen my notating skills. At this time, for me, it's a key issue...

Thank you!
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Joe Stone said 2 years ago

Both Finale and Sibelius have versions that are less expensive and less featured. It might be worth taking a look to see if something is in your price range that meets your needs.
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David J. Hahn said 2 years ago

Speaking of Finale, I want to say that I just upgraded to Finale 2010 and I really think it's a significant improvement over 2009. There have been a number of upgrades that I thought were a total waste of money (2009), but they finally did some good stuff with this one. Kudos to MakeMusic (finally).

Sorry to sidetrack the thread.

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DC said 2 years ago

This is the dialog I was looking for!!

Any thoughts on Finale NotePad?
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sfz541 said 2 years ago

Ever had one of those naps where you slept just enough to make you mad? That's kind of like what Finale NotePad is like. You can write music with it, but you'll probably be better off with the free software you're using. It's intentionally very limited (and annoying) in it's available features. NotePad's only purpose is to make you want Finale, the free software you're using wants you to write music and be happy with the outcome, between NotePad and your current software, put your ten dollars in the bank towards top quality software.
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DC said 2 years ago

Yes, I agree. I spent some time reading through the Finale website specs and MuseScore does many more features than NotePad. (Come on, lyrics for only one verse? You guys can do better than that...)

For now, MuseScore will do the job for me until I can spring for the higher end stuff.

I'm getting a lot done with what I have and I guess that's the most important thing in this situation.