Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog

Subject: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Susan of DT
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:00 AM

If this has been covered already, I apologize - it is hard to know what the thread title might have been - and please point me to the old thread.

I am looking for a program that would:
1) Read a music score with a melody line only (in most cases) and play it
2) Could transpose it
3) Could print it in the new key
4) Would run on Windows 7
5) Does not cost a fortune

Does such a program exist?

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:08 AM

I have a very good program which runs on my Mac - and runs on Windows - called Harmony Assistant (by the French company Myriad Software). Cost me about £50 and is a kind of junior version of Sibelius. You can input notes, print the score, transpose, and import/export from a huge variety of musical formats such as midi, abc, etc.

Myriad Software

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Mooh
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:17 AM

I'm happily using Finale PrintMusic, but Finale has other similar software.

www.finalemusic.com

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: DMcG
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:17 AM

I'd second Harmony Assistant, but be aware the program to read a music score is a separate product. I have both and, like text OCR document readers, I generally find that it is faster to retype the text or music than sort out the mistakes in a scanned version. Not that OMER is poor, it's simply that OCR of any kind is difficult and I suspect reading music is even trickier than text because there are things available in text - like checking against a dictionary - that don't really correspond to anything in music.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:19 AM

I generally find that it is faster to retype the text or music than sort out the mistakes in a scanned version.

Seconded.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: andrew e
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:51 AM

Finale is good,[I have the full Finale] but as others have said, scanning doesn't work too well and it's best to enter all the notes.

Does take a bit of learning though. There's a good forum for asking questions.

I create mostly SATB choir scores.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Tangledwood
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 04:52 PM

Melody Assistant is a less complex version of Harmony Assistant and serves me well. I don't know if it's available for Windows7. I agree with the previous comments regarding OCR. Some pdf scores can be imported, with a plug in, but it depends on what software was used to create them. In some cases, as with OCR, it's quicker to type a single line than to correct misinterpretations.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: IvanB
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 04:52 PM

If by "reading" you mean scanning in the music from a printed copy, then I second the suggestions for entering the notes yourself unless you have one of the high end music scanner programs. I have Finale (full) and Smartscore (also full) and get few enough scanning errors that I figure it's far faster to scan than enter most music myself. But all this is at a pretty hefty cost, so it doesn't meet your criterion #4, Susan.

Once you've entered the notes, there are many low cost programs that can accomplish your other wishes. NoteWorthy, which a number of Mudcatters (including myself) use is one, but there are a number of others as well.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Tootler
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 07:16 PM

Noteworthy Composer.

Very easy to learn and is more capable than first appears. It meets all your criteria as I interpret them. It has a somewhat quirky interface which some don't like but you soon get used to it. It's interface does have it's advantages for multi part scores, though.

I've been using it since the late 90's and it originally cost me $40US (About 24GBP at the then current exchange rate). Twelve years or so later and it still only costs $49US. Noteworthy has served me well over the years and I have recommended it to others who have subsequently bought it. Excellent value for money.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: JohnB
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 11:27 PM

I have just the the free download version of noteworthy for the bits of stuff I have done. Give it a try.
JohnB

Subject: RE: Tech: Music score reading/writing/playing prog
From: Susan of DT
Date: 17 Dec 10 - 06:07 AM

Thanx, all. I am examining the websites of these programs and pondering.