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