Tech: Harmony Assistant evaluation

Subject: Tech: Harmony Assistant evaluation
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Aug 08 - 08:00 AM

The Harmony Assistant music software by Myriad has been mentioned in passing in a few threads over the years. I've been using it for several months now, and thought I'd post a few words about it's capabilities in case anyone else is interested in trying it.

I much prefer to learn acoustic session tunes from other musicians than from printed sources. However, when I've heard a new tune that I like at a session, I usually go away with just the name in my head - and might have a month to wait before I hear it again. I can check the tune title in
TheSession and, if I'm lucky, up will come both music notation and abc notation for it. Here's where Harmony Assistant comes in really useful. The program is capable of importing and exporting files in a huge range of formats, including abc and tab. So, I can copy the abc text and paste it into a new Harmony Assistant file. If I've set the new file format as a guitar score and tab, the abc is converted instantly into musical notation and tablature - which can then also be audibly played by the software. I can also write in chords below the notation; the software can generate weird chords from single lines, but it's better at generating proper chords from multiple harmony lines.

Very versatile templates allow me to create scores/tablatures for alternative tuning, using a capo, and for instruments such as mountain dulcimer, banj, etc. And, when I've finished the score/tab, I can set the appropriate instrument in the software and produce an mp3 file (very MIDI sounding).

It's not bad value for around $75 euros - possibly the same in £USD - but I have two criticisms of it. The technical manual help is so-so, and the software - sometimes quite complex - is not always intuitive. The other factor is that it's written by a French software house and the English used is sometimes a little odd. So, a deal of experimentation and trial and error is occasionally necessary to get something just as you want it. I also don't know how it compares with "lite" versions of more heavyweight programs such as Sibelius.

Anyway, just a few words on my experience and use of the software, which is available on Mac and Windows platforms - and I'd be interested to hear from others who use it.

Subject: RE: Tech: Harmony Assistant evaluation
From: DMcG
Date: 14 Aug 08 - 09:12 AM

I use Harmony Assistant as my main music tool, although I have a number of others with similar capabilities. I don't have access to full versions of Sibelius or Finale.

I would go along with much of the above. The manual doesn't always cover functionality terribly well: for example they introduced a feature fairly recently so that scores supported multiple views, but it didn't seem to be covered in the documentation anywhere.

Where the product does score well, though, is customer support. Over the years I've sent them maybe half a dozen bug fixes or enhancement requests and they have always responded by email within a day or so, and often these have been incorporated in a release within a month or so. I can only think of one, off-hand, that they rejected and that was to do with the ABC format where what they produce for triplets etc is technically correct but rather obscure; so obscure that some of the other ABC utilities can't cope.

Subject: RE: Tech: Harmony Assistant evaluation
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Aug 08 - 09:19 AM

Thanks for the info. That's most useful. I've never tried the customer support - but I'll certainly check them out if I get a problem I can't sort myself. I use a Mac, by the way.