Klarinet Archive - Posting 000382.txt from 2004/03

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@------.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Smart Music
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 16:26:18 -0500

Walter,

As I understand it, the "subscription" fee provides you with a key that
unlocks the accompaniments, all of which are on the CD. I imagine more are
being added by MakeMusic all the time, and I guess in some way the fee
permits you to download the new ones.

Finale 2004 has a utility that allows you to save a piece as a SmartMusic
accompaniment, but as I understand it they don't have the ability to
"follow" the soloist's tempo (which may not be such a bad thing with
students, who often need to learn to keep a tempo steady before they start
to bend it). You don't need a subscription to create and use those. So, I
guess it follows that you can use the program with students using your own
Finale-created accompaniment files without a subscription.

A friend of mine who is using SmartMusic quite heavily with his students is
head-over-heels in love with it as a teaching tool. They've added a number
of features to Version 8.x that weren't in the original (which, I think, was
actually Version 6 or thereabout). It LOOKS like it has great potential so
long as fooling with the technology doesn't distract the student and
interfere with his/her ability to concentrate on playing her/his instrument.

I don't know anything about moving a .wav *to* either Finale or SmartMusic.
Finale 2004 (and Sibelius 3) will create a .wav so that music composed in
the notation program can be written directly to a CD (useful for making
demos, practice CDs, etc.).

Karl

> -----Original Message-----
> From: GrabnerWG@------.com [mailto:GrabnerWG@------.com]
> Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 2:38 PM
> To: klarinet@------.org
> Subject: [kl] Smart Music
>
>
> A number of years ago, I was given a copy of Smart Music and a couple of
> diskettes with accompaniments on them. Poulenc, Bernstein, a few
> others. I used it
> a little bit then put it away.
>
> Since then I have started doing a lot more private teaching, and
> I realize
> the need for students to hear and practice with the
> accompaniments. Thus I have
> a renewed interest in Smart Music and accompaniments of CD, etc.
>
> Since I was active with Smart Music, they have changed their way of doing
> business from buying software and accompaniments to a
> subscription basis. Now
> they are asking for a $90 yearly subscription.
>
> Have any of you used this "subscription" service? Is it good,
> better, worse.
> I am reluctant to plunk down a hunk of cash until I understand a
> little better
> what they do.
>
> Also, there was some discussion about a possible new linkage
> between Finale
> and Smart Music, and the ability to move a wav or MP3 file into
> finale, and
> then into Smart Music.
>
> Has anyone had experience with this?
>
> Walter
>
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