Best Music Notation Software reviewed here. You can use these software for composing, arranging, publishing & even for teaching. Learn more about the benefits of using notation software, the best options available to you and their pros and cons.
There are many who have learnt to play a musical instrument by ear, which means they’re not comfortable sight-reading. And even if some of them can sight-read, they’ll not have the confidence to write music on sheets. These musicians just use a home recording setup to produce their music, which is definitely one way to do it.
But what if you’re classically trained and are more comfortable with the traditional way of representing music (using standard notation)?
In that case, a Music Notation Software program can definitely help you. Just play around with your musical thoughts & ideas, and the software will give you the notation of the song that you composed right away. There are many recording software which will help you to do this. Most of them work on a “play be ear” approach, in the sense that you just need to connect your keyboard to the computer and start recording the various tracks.
But if you have learnt the piano the traditional way, are good at reading and writing music, and have a good grasp of classical music, the music notation software listed here will be better suited.
But before I go into the details of using a tool/software to help you with the notation, here’s a brief overview of the most commonly used Musical terms, in case you intend to improve in this area.
Music Notation Terms, Symbols, Definition, Terminology
Here’s how to read music notation and the commonly used terms, basic rhythms essential taught in most private lessons and public music classes.
There are many who are able to play a musical instrument all by themselves, without taking music lessons. But it’s always best to know the more commonly used terms in music so that it becomes easier to communicate with fellow musicians and music software.
Here are some of the commonly used Music Terms:
Staff
A staff is a five line graph on which notes are put on various lines and spaces between the lines. Each line and space represents a letter of the musical alphabet A through G. A mix of notes of many different rhythmic values could be present here. In most non-pitched instruments, there is a one line staff on which various values of notes are written.
Grand Staff
This is common in piano. The two symbols that denote each staff are the treble clef and bass clef Although, it is quite possible that other clefs (such as moveable C clefs and various other combinations are possible. The grand staff makes it possible for instrumental players to use both hands to play two staves simultaneously.
Scale
A sequence of notes played in succession up and down that rests on a common home note (tonic). Scales could be major (happy sounding), minor (dark or sad sounding), augmented (stretched) or diminished (caved).
Octave
An octave is a figure that spans twelve steps between a starting note and an ending note of the same exact note. The pitch could be higher or lower.
Musical Alphabet
This is the essential first part of distinguishing one note from another by name. Notes are named from A through G. After G, they always go back to A.
Note
This is a basic symbol of musical notation that lets the instrumentalist or vocalist know the value, or how long to play the symbol written on the page. The various types of notes are listed and explained by definition below. Notes are normally written on a staff.
Rhythm
This is a special pattern that is played by clapping or by playing a musical instrument in what’s called time. Rhythm is one of the five basic elements of music. Rhythm is depicted by using notes of different values to create a groove that every other element will rest on.
Quarter Note
A quarter note is a written symbol that has a downward or upward stem and a black filled in oval. In a measure of 4/4, it gets one beat and there are four quarter notes in the measure.
Half Note
This is a written symbol that is notated by an upward or downward stem and an oval that is not darkened or filled in. It is clear. In a measure of 4/4 music, one of these notes take up two quarter notes (Remember: the quarter note gets the beat) and two of these take up an entire measure.
Here’s a cool video that explains the basics of Music notation:
Problems with Writing Music
There will be several instances where you would be required to share music notations:
As a teacher, you will have to give lessons to your students
As a composer, you will have to share your music with other musicians
As a band member, you would want to distribute your music with your band members
Being able to read music notations will always keep you in a good stead. And if you can read music you should not have much difficulty writing it either.
However, when it actually comes to writing music, it is a time consuming task, especially when you are not good at it.
Even if you are good at it, writing complex arrangements takes lot of time.
Besides, if you write on a piece of paper, editing becomes a problem. It is not very convenient to keep on erasing and editing as you go on to develop your final score.
Benefits of Using a Notation Software
You can get rid of these issues if you invest in music notation software. With Music notation software, you can easily and quickly notate complex musical arrangements. They also help you to print and publish your music notation.
You just have to connect your keyboard to your PC and as you play on the keyboard, the midi notation software will generate the notes.
You can then play back the generated score and edit any mistakes in your playing. This will save you a lot of time and you should be able to notate complex arrangements. Besides the software will also help you to print and publish music notation.
As mentioned above, the notation software will suit you well if you have a good grasp over written music. But they still offer many more benefits as mentioned here.
Create music from scratch
With a few clicks, you can instantly create the initial template for your score. You can setup the musical instruments you need with the correct names, tempo and other information. Once setup, you can capture notes using a midi keyboard, mouse/keypad or scanning an already existing printed music.
Editing & Playback
The notation software will provide you with all the tools you need to edit/transpose your music. You can continue to edit till you feel it sounds perfect. You can use the playback feature to play your music to check how it sounds.
Use VSTs/Audio Plugins
Most of the notation software allows you to use external audio plugins/VSTs within the application. So now you don’t have to depend on the sounds available within the application for your music. You can use some of the best sounds available for music production.
Import Lyrics
You can add lyrics to your score by typing in or by importing text from an external file. The music notation software provides all the tools you need to make the necessary adjustments to the text, so that the syllables fit in all the right places.
Publish/Print your work
You won’t have to worry about spacing/formatting your music before you print it out or export it to another application. The software takes care of it, though you have the feature to make changes to the layout.
More Benefits of Using a Music Notation Software
Most music notation software nowadays helps you create multiple tracks, complete with instruments and effects.
You can even attach a midi keyboard, and the software will capture your musical ideas on the computer as you play the notes. Once you’re happy with the notes, you can then print out the music as sheet music.
Its quite easy to edit the notes in the software. You can do things such as:
Moving notes & changing keys
Save different versions of the music
No need of pen/pencil and paper
Building up the tracks by adding different voices or instruments to sound like a complete orchestra
Saving the score as an audio file
Scan music sheets
Generate Accompaniments for your solo score
Record acoustic instruments
Built-in Learning tools
However, as with any software, there is definitely a learning curve involved, and you’ll need to get used to the way the notes/your instructions are captured by the software.
You need to play with the software for some time to reap the benefits it offers. Besides, it cannot make you a musical genius on its own; you’ll need to provide the creative inputs.
However, if you intend to compose music in the classical genre and share it with other musicians, music notation software does make life easier for you.
What to Look For in Music Notation Software?
If you think the notation software will be helpful to you, the next step is to choose one which will give you the best value for your money. The best software is the one that is not only flexible, but also provides you with various ways to input the notes.
Here are some of the features that a Music Notation Software should have:
Transcribe your music in real time, meaning record the notes as you play a MIDI keyboard or guitar attached to the computer
Some may even let you transcribe the notes as you sing or play an instrument through the microphone.
You can even enters the notes manually, using the mouse.
Import existing MIDI files that you can edit
Besides these, you should also evaluate these software on the basis of the following:
How Easy is it to Use
What is the Feature Set Like
What are the Educational Tools provided
Input/Output Capabilities
How is the Editing feature
In general how is the Technical Help & Support for the product
Here’s a video that shows the basic features of a Music Notation Software
Exporting Options
Once you have finished editing your work and are happy with the final result, you can then print it out to share it with other musicians.
You can also export it to another MIDI instrument or a sound module and play it for your family and friends.
More Factors to Consider
Here are some factors to look for while evaluating music notation software.
Trial Version
Make sure the notation software offers a trial version! It will help you to evaluate if it suits your needs.
You may get it for a limited duration or with limited features. But that is okay. Just feel free to try them out.
Ease of Use / Installation
The software needs to be easy to install and use. All the features like input, output, notation and editing should be easy to locate. The instructions/help pages should be easy to read and understand.
Basically, you need to check that you can use it even with limited computer skills.
Features Coverage
The notation software should be flexible to take inputs from various sources, should have features to edit & transpose, should let you add dynamics & lyrics, and should have various options to publish/export your music.
Technical Support
Though the software should be easy to install and it should also provide you a comprehensive user guide, in rare cases you may still face some issues with the software.
Make sure the software manufacturer provides an email address / telephone number to directly answer customer queries regarding the working of the notation software.
Music Notation Software Reviews
The best ones are out there definitely offer ease-of-use and a multitude of features (including educational tools). So if you’re a pro who makes complex arrangements and compositions, or a beginner student learning harmonic composition, you’ll definitely find these useful.
Each of these have their own sound engine, but if you want the musical instruments to sound better, you have the option of installing higher quality VST instruments (you need to buy them). These software can handle VST instrument plug-ins.
Here are some of the best selling products in this category.
Sibelius 7: Excellent interface, good features and educational tools, one of the top ones out there, and used by several composers, arrangers, and publishers.
Lots of tutorial videos makes it easier to learn the basics quickly. Once you get the hang of the features and the layout, notating your music is easy.
It also has a mini-version (Sibelius First) which is more of a introductory level software package, and perfect for beginning students of composition, and also for songwriters who need to be more productive.
Here’s a video demonstrating the Sibelius 7 software:
Finale PrintMusic 2014: Already quite popular with experienced musicians, you can use Finale to easily create, edit, audition, print, and publish musical scores. Even this one has a learning curve, but all the important functions are easily accessible.
Best deal on Finale PrintMusic 2014 on Amazon
Finale PrintMusic is professional music software for arrangers, composers, teachers, students, and other musicians. You can play MIDI keyboard and see music appear instantly; enter notes in step-time; import/export MIDI files. Share songs with free, downloadable Finale Reader; save MP3 files for an iPod or burn to CD. Free software synthesizer with 128 plus instrument sounds; Human Playback to give your music human nuances. Composing and arranging tools; multiple-undo option; quick-start videos for getting started. Read more user comments on Amazon…
You also get the Finale 2014 Music Notation Software – Academic Edition version that comes with several built-in sounds and features.
Notion 3 Composition Software: Lets you mix MIDI tracks and live performances. It seems to be made for professionals, even though the price doesn’t seem to suggest so.
It comes with over 10GB of sounds, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra as well as other popular instruments.
Here’s a video on Notion 3 Composition Software demo:
There are several options and tools available nowadays that will help you create your own masterpieces; you just need a computer and let your creativity flow. The best music notation software provides you with all the features to help you compose a piece of music or create your own arrangement of a favorite song.
Some of the more popular music notation software includes Sibelius, PrintMusic, Allegro, Finale, and Notion.
Which One Do You Think is the Best Best Music Notation Software and Why? Please let us know your comments.