John,

You did a nice job explaining this--I am so glad that you did it, rather than someone who didn't know what they were talking about.

One point that I will add, and that is thatwhen you venture into music notation and composition you are stepping into several realms that exist quite independently of the others, each with it's own learning curve--

First is the art of MIDI sequencing, which basically is the production of sequenced,synthesizer-generated music files,--

Second is the craft of music copying--that it, the scribing of notes on the staff--

Third is the art of music transcription, that is, taking musical ideas, either out of your own playing or the playing of others and representing them in notation--

Fourth is the art of musical arrangement, which is the creation of playable musical pieces, for one or more instruments and or voices, based on an existing melody-

Fifth is the skill of computer music notation, which is the mastery of a given computer program that utilizes all of the above.

You can do each or all of any of the first four, without having a clue about the last one, but you can't do the last one without at least a passing understanding of the first four--

For instance, if you can't write out a musical idea by hand on manuscript paper, how are you going to know if you notation program has transcribed it correctly? And how are you going to correct it? If you don't know some basic things about music composition, how are you going to a write a MIDI file with bass, melody and harmony parts? And if you don't know some basic music theory, how are you going to decide what chords should go on a lead sheet?

I am not saying that it is impossible to go into all this with nothing more than a Pentium, a program, and a can-do attitude, but it is a high dive into cold, deep water, and you should be prepared to thrash frantically for quite a while--