Notation software

[SOLR]

Hi,
Is there a notation/tab software that can be filled on line or directly from the computer ?

I know about guitar pro Guitar Pro - Tab Editor Software for Guitar, Bass, Drum, Piano and more... but that's a bit over the top for the students....

Free would be nice too.

And by the same token , I stumbled upon a software that could identify the notes of a recorded track being played but have since forgotten what it was and can't seem to find now...any ideas?

Thank you

S

[grahambop]

Musescore is free to download and use, and is excellent.

I have stopped using Finale (it was an older version and would have cost lots to upgrade) and now use Musescore instead, in fact I prefer it.

Finale had a stupid bug where you tie a note and any accidentals would not be automatically carried over to the second note if it is in another bar. It still looks ok and prints ok, but the playback and midi output is incorrect (second note was pitched incorrectly). Very annoying since it’s easy to miss and I use the midi output quite a lot. I was considering upgrading Finale but it seems they still have this bug, so no way.

Musescore does this correctly.

[grahambop]

I don’t know much about your last point, but there’s an overview of some possibilities here:

Just a moment...

[SOLR]

I don’t know much about your last point, but there’s an overview of some possibilities here:

Just a moment...

Thx grahambop, giving musescore a whirl right now ..found the other one: AnthemScore - Automatic Music Transcription Software but not free....

Regards,

S

[grahambop]

Best free transcription software:

[SOLR]

Thx but my "software" is seriously outdated



S

[grahambop]

Only improves if you use it!

Transcribing is a great way to develop your ears. Being able to hear chords and notes well is an essential skill for anyone who wants to play jazz, I think.

[grahambop]

Reading up on these automatic transcription programs, I get the impression that they work best with basic piano recordings that are exactly tuned to 440 and so on. Once you move away from that, errors creep in and so you would have to use your ears anyway to fix the mistakes. (If your ears are no good, how will you know whether the transcription is correct?)

If you were to throw a typical jazz recording at them, I don’t know what you would get out, would be interesting to know.

If they worked really well, I must admit I would be tempted to use one. I have done enough transcribing in my lifetime and my ears are pretty good by now, of course I can transcribe things myself but nevertheless it would be handy to quickly grab some new stuff and save a lot of time getting it down. But I’m reluctant to spend money on something that doesn’t work well enough.

[st.bede]

Musescore is a great program.

[micklerd]

Dorico is my "go to" notation software. They have a free version (Dorico SE) aimed at students (SE = student edition) that's limited to two voices/instruments. Even with that limitation, it is still full-featured and quite powerful. Dorico's biggest advantage over other notation software is the ability to accurately notate directly into Dorico as you play a MIDI keyboard (at mark 6:02 in the video below).

[SOLR]

Dorico is my "go to" notation software. They have a free version (Dorico SE) aimed at students (SE = student edition) that's limited to two voices/instruments. Even with that limitation, it is still full-featured and quite powerful. Dorico's biggest advantage over other notation software is the ability to accurately notate directly into Dorico as you play a MIDI keyboard (at mark 6:02 in the video below).

Thx for the suggestion , after the interminable installation pattern in typical steinberg fashion,I like it very much, so far....

S

[Roberoo]

Best free transcription software:

I use my ears and write things out by hand. I find the software too fiddley and I spend far too much time as a slave to electronic devices. Admittedly, some are not enthralled by my chicken scratch.

[Liarspoker]

+1 for Musescore

For transcribing use Transcribe! by Seventh String. You can slow down, loop etc but you have to use your ear. Start with something very easy if you must. I started with the right hand of relaxing piano pieces ( which might be why I like transcribing piano pieces now ).

[grahambop]

I’m old school, I used to transcribe using a reel-to-reel tape deck played back at half speed. Everything sounded like mud.

[rpjazzguitar]

+1 for Musescore.

I used G7 (a dumbed down version of Sibelius) before and prefer Musescore. I've done lead sheets and octet arrangements. The interface makes it possible to go fast enough that I can notate while I compose without getting bogged down in the data entry. I don't mean to say that it flies along, but it's good enough. I understand that it's possible to enter the parts from a midi kb, but I haven't tried that. I'm typing and clicking.

I did one tune where I wrote out a bass line for the entire tune (each chorus different, with the whole thing unrolled). Then I exported the bass line to Reaper for a covid-style band recording. Same thing for a couple of percussion parts. After trying, unsuccessfully, to get bassist to nail the tune, I ended up using the Musescore/Reaper bass part, and some of the percussion, in the final version, which was played on the radio. I don't think anybody noticed -- the sound was in the ballpark and the part wasn't repetitive because I wrote it all out.