 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: zuzu
Date: 2004-04-27 12:32
anybody know of any programs that will allow the user to scan music and then play it back (acurately)?? (for practice purposes) I have tried noteworthy composer and sibilius, but have had no luck with accuracy in playing back music ... I know there is a program/equipment available to schoolteachers only that is a practice aide (cant remember the name of it now) that already has a library of music in it (or can be downloaded) to allow the musician to practice along with the piece (and slow it down/speed it up) as neccessary, but it is not available to the average consumer.....*sometimes it can be a drag to practice parts other than 1st without a 'backup' playing the melody.....
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2004-04-27 14:23
The key word is "accurately".
I've been scanning in music in with a program called Smartscore, then fixing most of the "mistakes". I then import the file into another program called Finale, then fix the remaining "mistakes".
I've never been known as speedy, but the best I can do usually takes me approximately two hours per piece of music .
I don't consider this as "accurate" but it works.
If someone knows of a significantly better way of doing this, I'm all ears.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-04-27 18:57
Yes, I was going to suggest SmartMusic as well. This doesn't scan your music and play it back, but rather has a large database of commonly used pieces and practice books that you can choose from.
For the price of about 1 1/2 hours with your accompanist, plus a small fee per month, you can play with accompaniment any time of the day or night. The program will "listen" to you by means of a small mic that you clip onto your music stand (or onto your shirt if you don't mind being attached to the computer - just don't walk away dragging your computer behind you!). The program has built-in stops, where it'll wait for you to play a specific note, then it'll start up again. You can tell the program how close you want it to follow you, or rather have the computer ignore you and just continue on and leave you in the dust. You can request a change in tempo at any time, you can ask for "loops", from one measure to another and back again, great for learning difficult passages. You can ask for the solo part to play, or just have the accompaniment play, good for learning what the piano player's doing before you come in.
Benefits: Because it listens to you and you can vary the tempo, it's better than the Music Minus One recordings. It helps you practice many more times than you'd ever practice with your accompanist. You get familiar with where to come in without having to count so closely as you learn your music and hear the accompanying part. That added dimension, accompaniment, is included in your practice time instead of your always playing alone. If you're not used to playing with accompaniment you'll find yourself getting thrown - this program gets your mind accustomed to the added "pressure". You can record yourself with accompaniment, and send the e-mail to your teacher or your grandmother.
Drawbacks: A computer program is never as good as real, live accompaniment. It has its quirks, like not hearing you sometimes, and you have to hit the space bar to get it going from time to time. You have to be willing to mess around with the set-up and making sure the microphone hears you. Make sure your kids don't turn off the speakers without your knowing how to turn them back on again.
I feel this is an excellent program to use near the end of your preparation for an exam or performance, when you're at the point of needing practice with your accompanist. Schedule some sessions with him/her, then in the meantime practice at home with the program. It gives you so much more confidence when playing with a real person!
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Author: RAMman
Date: 2004-04-27 20:23
In defence of Sibelius, once you tweak photoscore a little it can be excellent, although don't try and give it photocopies or older editions.
Make sure you purchase the pro version, the lite one that is supplied is not great. I know this adds considerably to the price of what is already VERY expensive software, but it does make a difference.
Good luck!
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Author: pzaur
Date: 2004-04-27 23:53
I'm gonna second RAMman's thoughts here. My school district just had an inservice with a Sibelius rep and he went through how to properly scan the music.
Having Sibelius Pro is a huge plus. It will recognize all the markings and wordings on the music. The Lite version will not. It will only recognize notes and basic articulations (slurred, not slurred). Pro will also recognize an entire system while the Lite version will only recognize up to 12 staves per system (I think it was that many, it could be less).
If you're scanning, try scanning at different dpi rates. The rep from Sibelius suggested no less than 200-300 and no more than 600. If you use a photocopy, it needs to be from a laser copier. Common copiers leave jagged edges to all the notes and this increases scanning errors. To find the jagged edges, you need to look really, really, really close. Just like the scanner does.
The amount of pressure that you use on the lid will also make a difference as to how accurate you can get. The rep said that he probably spent 2-4 hours learning how to scan with his scanner before he could get it consistently close, 0-10 errors per page.
Paper color also makes a huge difference in how it will scan. You can attempt to correct for page coloration with Sibelius Pro and the scanning software that it comes with.
It takes a lot of patience learning how to scan music before it becomes a real time saver.
-pat
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-04-28 00:07
My two cents' worth: this technology has a way to go. If your original is in VERY good shape (white, crisp paper, no splodges) it work 98% fine for me. Never one hundred percent.
Sibelius and Finale both have scanning capabilities ... I use Finale but NOT for it's scanning abilities ... way too tetchy.
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