![]() The minimum system requirements for notation software will vary from Pentium I to Pentium II computers. Note: there is a recent breakthrough in this area: Music XML is a file transfer third-party product ( that shares proprietary data files with major sequencing and notation software applications, such as Sibelius and Finale. Finale Guitar and PrintMusic! 2004 read SmartScore, Encore and Rhapsody files. ![]() Play Music, for example, reads Encore and MusicTime files. But, there are some products that can read third-party music notation applications. For example, articulations, text, lyrics, and tempo markings and titles will generally not be read and imported in the Standard MIDI File format.Ĭonsequently, there definitely will be editing required to incorporate everything from the original file via the Standard MIDI file transfer. Reading Standard MIDI files may be convenient from other notation products, but be aware that all their content may not be transferred and read by another application. And transferring and reading proprietary data files in other music notation applications is not going to be thorough. In general, music notation applications use their own proprietary file format. Importing music notation files from other music notation applications is also not going to be a popular feature. Don’t let its name confuse you Finale Guitar is a good all-purpose music notation program for any music educator and is also the most powerful music notation product selling under $100. Finale Guitar is outstanding and thorough for under $100. MakeMusic’s Finale Guitar also offers a version of SmartScore 2.0 by Musitek, which is a very good software application, though one version older than the version found in PrintMusic! 2004. MakeMusic’s PrintMusic! 2004 offers a “lite” version of SmartScore 3.1, which is one of the leading music-scanning products available. Music scanning applications are common for professional-level music notation applications, while only four products under $100 incorporate it. The number of staves for products under $100 can vary from 1 to 24 staves while professional products can have 64 or unlimited numbers of staves in their scores. There are some realistic differences between a professional music notation product with a retail listing of $500 or more and an entry-level notation product under $100. In addition, there may be some excellent third-party books offering tutorial instruction, such as PrintMusic Primer and NotePad Primer published by Back Beat Books ( and Finale Power, published by Muska & Lipman ( Entry Level vs. Video tutorials may also be included and incorporated within the help section of the program. Namely, are there clear and simple tutorials for mastering how the program works in a step-by-step manner? Tutorials usually are found in the help section of the product or in the user’s manual. The ability to work with a full score and then extract and print out parts is fundamental for music educators in their teaching environment.Īnother important feature is how simple the product is to learn. Unless you can extract and print out individual parts, the music notation application is severely limited for music education purposes. The foremost key feature is the ability to automatically extract and transpose parts from a full score. While there are many features inherent in music notation products, there are several key features that you need to pay attention to or you may be purchasing a product designed more for the hobbyist rather than the music educator. Please Click Here to Support SBO Magazine! We hope you continue to remain healthy during this most strenuous of times. We at School Band & Orchestra wish nothing but the best for you, your school, your family and co-workers. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. It is with the utmost sincerity we ask you to consider supporting our efforts here with a small donation which will allow our staff the ability to keep these interesting stories about your chosen career coming to you in a consistent and timely basis. However, we would like your consideration in these difficult times to help support our efforts here at School Band & Orchestra to keep our information flowing and to provide you with a continuous stream of current and vital information when you need it the most. We have been proud to bring School Band & Orchestra for free for more than two decades and we will continue to provide you with free subscriptions during the pandemic. We certainly understand times are tough for you, as it is for us. It is a strange and trying time for all of us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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