 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-07-20 14:45
Have any of you tried the new "Finale Notepad 2003" free download?
www.finalemusic.com
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2003-07-20 14:49
John,
Yes I have. It works well within limitations. You do have to register to get your "unlock" code. I have my students download it to do simple music theory and jazz study material. I feel they gain knowledge by working out scale patterns and transpositions with it. It's hard to get them to write out scales on manuscript, but seems to be more "fun" when working with a computer. I guess it's the generation.
jbutler
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-07-20 17:05
I have had the same experience with my students and some computer wary friends. It's a very user-friendly program, and I believe most music writing will be done on similar programs in the near future.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2003-07-20 17:52
It's a cute program, good for what it is. I'd recommend upgrading to PrintMusic (~$70) if you're going to do anything slightly complex (or one of the "big" programs if you're doing anything really fancy).
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-07-20 22:26
John J. Moses: what is the program's aim - is it instructional or a teaching aid?
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Author: Neil
Date: 2003-07-20 23:59
I use it fairly often. We have a resident composer in community band who writes(?) the parts out by hand. I always type my part on Notepad and print it out which at least gives me a fighting chance. The other thing I use it for is to type in difficult passages which I then play along with as they play back, starting at slow speed and working up to desired tempo. The main drawbacks that I can see are that you can't change key or time signature in the middle of a piece, also tuplet entry is somewhat tricky. I used the 2002 version and I think its function buttons were easier to read but maybe it's just because I had gotten used to them. Considering the price though, one should not expect too many bells and whistles, I am really surprised that Finale put as much into it as they did.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2003-07-21 00:15
diz wrote:
> John J. Moses: what is the program's aim - is it instructional
> or a teaching aid?
Neither. It is a very basic music notation program. You enter in the music, format it and print it. You can also play it back to hear how it sounds. It can be used for creating original compositions.
Finale's purpose though is marketing. By offering a free, extremely simplified piece of software, they are hoping that when people go to buy notation software that they will buy a Finale product instead of a competitor's.
The two most significant limitations in this free software is that you cannot change either the time signature or the key signature in the middle of the piece.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-07-21 00:22
Dee has it, exactly.
This program is a very simple music notion tool. If it sells "Finale," so be it.
My students and friends like Notepad 2003 because it's free and user friendly. When they "outgrow" it, they'll probably buy the $$$ version.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: krawfish3x
Date: 2003-07-21 01:08
i would also reccommend using Finale Print Music(60 to 70 dollars) because the download version of finale is very limited and print music will have every thing you need on it.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2003-07-24 11:56
Notepad has one other purpose. It enables Finale users to share their files with people who don't own Finale. For example, the International Double Reed Society has an ongoing project to publish woodwind quintets on their site. So far, they have all the Reicha, Danzi and Cambini quintets in quite good versions. The editor is using Finale and, while there are .pdf (Adobe) versions available, they are rather small print and, at least for me, hard to read. Far better are the Finale versions. However, the editor apparently upgraded during Danzi or between Danzi and Cambini because while my Finale 2001 would read his Reicha and Danzi (all that I've tried so far) quintet files, it would not open the Cambini. Notepad, however, makes it possible for me to open and print the newer files without having to upgrade.
For me, another significant limitation of Notepad is its inability to open midi files (very smart of the Coda folks).
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2004-12-06 01:00
Finale "Print Music" retails for $69, but the 2004 version can be had at Amazon.com for $44.
I used the free Notepad for a few months. I found it less tricky, cleaner, more concise with its' data entry than either Mozart or Noteworth demos. I'm hoping Print Music is as intuitive with it's wider abilities (changing keys, tempos, more lyric verse capabilities, midi playback flexibility, dynamics, etc.). I read a review on the Amazon site that said it's scanning abilities leaved a lot to be desired, however.
Anyone else have any new information on the latest, moderate priced notation software?
Jerry
The Villages, FL
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-12-06 06:07
Yeah, I have (had) Notepad, and I liked it so much I upgraded to Printmusic. Funny thing is, even that's getting too limited for me, so I'm thinking of upgrading again. Personally I'm interested in the playback capabilities more than anything else, and I like how their top-of-the-line Finale lets you write an instant-by-instant tempo script (though at $600 a pop, it's still a little (lot) too pricey for me). In other words, rubato is a piece of cake. Printmusic! only lets you change tempo every measure.
Let me amend that. With Printmusic! you can put all the tempo markings you want anywhere on the music, but during playback it only recognizes one tempo change per measure.
But if you're not looking for fancy playback, printmusic is really everything you need. Unless you play guitar, in which case I reccomend Finale Guitar. All sorts of fancy guitar notations there.
But yes, I really like the Finale line. I reccomend it to just about anyone.
(And Jerry, yes, PrintMusic is just as intuitive as Notepad, if not more so. Especially with their added "speedy entry" tool, which lets you enter notes with a MIDI-capable piano keyboard. One hand on the piano, one hand on the computer keyboard. Of course, if you don't have a MIDI keyboard, the simple entry tool is still the easiest. What really takes the cake, though is the "hyperscribe" tool. I'm going to have to devote an entire paragraph to this.)
Hyperscribe lets you play any ANALOG instrument (like a clarinet) into a microphone, and it transcribes the notes AS YOU PLAY. Cool, huh? It even takes slight note value inconsistencies into account, since no living person has the accuracy of a machine. The only catch is that you need a really good-quality computer microphone, which Finale just so happens to sell at their website. Although, I haven't been able to try it out, since I don't have a microphone, so I can't really tell you how well it works.
Just to be clear, speedy entry and hyperscribe are both included on Printmusic. And you keep getting more features each time you buy the higher-level software.
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-12-06 06:32
Jerry wrote:
> I read a review on the Amazon site that said
> it's scanning abilities leaved a lot to be desired, however.
That's an extreme understatement. I tried it once, and I'll never try it again. It tried to put about twenty-seven quarter notes in a single 4/4 measure. The only thing to be said about it was that most of the notes were the correct pitch. (They were just all the wrong value)
So in other words, don't get Printmusic just for the scanning abilities. But DO get it for all the reasons in my last post.
(BTW, the scanning capabilities are exactly the same for all of the Finale line. Poor. They do have a little disclaimer that this portion of the software still needs a lot of work, though, so it's not like they're ignoring this facet. They also say that the same problems are present in ALL brands of music-scanning software, so going to someone else won't really make a difference. The technology just isn't advanced enough yet.)
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
Post Edited (2004-12-06 06:38)
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2004-12-06 11:20
I used NotePad a lot simply because I can't afford the others...
Downsides:
*Doesn't allow change of key signature in middle of music
*Doesn't allow change of time signature
*Can't change instruments once they are picked (bad for my students who change their minds...)
Upsides:
*Super easy to use
I suggest Sibelius... it's half the price of Finale and much more user friendly. Most schools around here use it. I believe they will send you a free sample/trial/information version if you ask...
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