Music notation software advice

[jbl71004]

Looking to produce some fairly simple lead sheets (melody, chords, bass motif, etc). Started messing around with some apps on the iPhone and haven’t had any luck finding anything I’d consider user friendly. Sibelius seems to be the go-to for most but I’m getting nowhere with it (could just be a 47 year old guy struggling with modern technology). Wondering what app/software and platform TBers have had the most success with. I have a Mac and I’m open to getting an IPad if needed. Not looking for a ton of special features, really just something that gets the job done and isn’t a pain to work with.

 

[fdeck]

Composers in my band use MuseScore and are satisfied with it. Another guy I know who composes professionally uses Finale, but he's doing things like 19 piece big-band charts.

It's something I'd have a hard time using on a tiny screen at my advanced age. I still use pencil and paper, typically for transcribing rather than composing.

 

[VicDiesel]

MuseScore. Hard to beat the price: free. And it's quite capable.

 

[jbl71004]

MuseScore. Hard to beat the price: free. And it's quite capable.

Using the IPhone app all I see are options to search for other scores. Where do you go to create scores?

 

[VicDiesel]

Using the IPhone app all I see are options to search for other scores. Where do you go to create scores?

Ah. Musescore.com is indeed a place to find scores. The application is at musescore.org. This causes no end of confusion.

Your post being case in point.

 

[jbl71004]

Ah. Musescore.com is indeed a place to find scores. The application is at musescore.org. This causes no end of confusion.

Your post being case in point.

Ah, there we go! Thx!

 

[57pbass]

Is there a program that will teach notation.. I have been playing for 40 + years and would like to take a look and see if I can teach myself how to read notation.
Thanks

 

[Leigh Semmens]

+1 for Musescore! The price is good and it's cross platform. Not sure about bits of fruit as I only run Linux and Windoze (in the past).

 

[doran.dragic]

Using the IPhone app all I see are options to search for other scores. Where do you go to create scores?

To create a score in MuseScore you need a computer as fair as I know.

 

[Shenron]

I use MuseScore on Windows but there is also a Mac version. I can't imagine editing scores on a mobile phone but perhaps a tablet version could exist. I have to say though, I struggle a bit with MuseScore because the editing does not work very naturally to me, and I also get frequent crashes.

 

[pineweasel]

Steinberg's Dorico has a capable free version: Dorico SE: Free Music Notation Software

There's an iPad version too.

 

[Geepers]

Musink: Free and Professional music notation & composition software for download

Musink is free music-composition software that will change the way you write music. Notate scores, books, MIDI files, exercises & sheet music easily & quickly

musink.net

 

[thunesBARROW]

I use Logic Pro and sometimes MuseScore on my Mac for notation. On my iPad I occasionally use Symphony, but I prefer working with a mouse/desktop computer over an iPad for notation. The Apple Pencil is a great and useful tool, but I don’t use it often enough to gain proficiency and I’m just quicker with a mouse at this point.

 

[BismarckHerring]

Another vote for Musescore. It does everything I need, has a nice interface, works fine on my mac, and it’s free, But it doesn’t really matter which one you choose, there’s always going to be a learning curve. I don’t think anyone has found a particularly intuitive way to design scoring software.

I don’t think touchscreens are great for notation software, especially small ones. Keyboard shortcuts, especially for note input and note length, are essential IMO. For example, in Musescore, the basic procedure for note input is selecting note length with the numeric keys, and then use the a-g keys to insert a note. Once you get the hang of that, the software starts to make sense.

 

[kevmoga]

IME, this will be. LOT easier, no matter what you use, if you don’t try to do it on a phone.

 

[jbl71004]

IME, this will be. LOT easier, no matter what you use, if you don’t try to do it on a phone.

That's certainly looking to be the case!

 

[MonetBass]

Finale has a couple of free options: MakeMusic Compose (cloud-based) and Notepad. I use Finale PrintMusic and really like it.

Finale Notepad | Free Music Notation Software for Windows

 

[Pacman]

MuseScore has been bulletproof for me

 

[oren]

I switched to Dorico last year after many years of using Finale, and I find it much better. My needs are fairly simple - lead sheets with melodies, chord symbols, and lyrics, and occasionally a second or third instrument like a bass part. I want flexible layout and the ability to have the music play back so I can hear if I have it right. I also want export to midi so I can take the result into Logic. Dorico does all that very well, and is capable of far more, of course. I started with the free version and have now moved up to Pro. Like all notation programs, it takes some time to figure out, but Steinberg has very extensive help available, and once you get the mindset it is far more logical and we’ll structured than at least Finale, which imho suffers from years of new features being tacked on. It’s well worth a try.

 

[MuseChaser]

I used Sibelius for decades, and was a big fan until they went to a subscription model. I do a lot of writing, from big band to string quartet to jazz sextet and even some light orchestral stuff. I've used MuseScore for the last two or three years and am a big fan. It's extremely capable, open source, and finding help with complicated formatting desires is easy online.

I do my work on a laptop ....can't imagine trying to notate scores on a phone.