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Posted: 10-17-10 6:32 am
by alan2here
I did a search in google and on this forum but I'm still not sure. Does anyone know of good, free, safe midi composition software, that shows the music in at least a bar graph chart format and allows at least adding of notes (C, C#, D, etc...) of different lengths (quarters, halves, etc...) and is not to complex to use?

Posted: 10-17-10 2:17 pm
by aria1121
Try using Musescore: www.musescore.org

Posted: 10-18-10 12:19 am
by Pianotehead
Then there is Anvil Studio. I don't know if it can be said that it's not too complex. There is a piano bar chart, but I never got around to use it. I I mainly used the notation window, so I can't say if it's simple.

I kind of gave up on those free/open source notation programs and decided to pay up. I got myself Notation Composer. I like it's features, for example you can make a piano reduction and the program does some of the work for you.

When I try to work out a piano rendition of a MIDI file this is roughly what I do:
  1. I listen carefully to the song in Synthesia, trying to find out which instruments can be thrown out and which are indispensible for the melody and necessary accompaniment part, like chords or instrument solos.
  2. When there are three or four instruments left, I make a piano reduction.
  3. If the left hand part is made up of chords I chop off the top notes and/or the bottom notes. For example sometimes I'm left with a lot of five note chords like G-B-E-G-B. That's an E minor chord, so the lowest two or top and bottom note can safely be cut off.
  4. Transpose as necessary, so the instruments won't overlap.
  5. Finally I change all the instruments to piano (sometimes done in step two.)

Posted: 11-10-10 6:45 am
by alan2here
Thanks. Iv'e tried both. Musescore seemed better but annoyingly I undid placing some notes and some of them stayed there even though there note was removed visually breaking my peice and I had to start again. Notation Musician was ok as well.

Neither had a bar graph score type input. Both seemed to put so much more effort into making the notes look authentic, like it's a real sheet of paper than robustness or being easy to use it to compose.

Posted: 11-10-10 9:14 pm
by swalker133
http://ariamaestosa.sourceforge.net/

free, and works for mac and pc

Posted: 11-11-10 7:40 am
by alan2here
wow, thanks :¬) It's a really nice enviroment in which to compose.

Presumably as well in guitar view it shows the optimum fingerings.

How do you scroll left and right?

Posted: 11-11-10 9:17 am
by swalker133
there is a scroll bar at the bottom

Posted: 11-12-10 6:30 pm
by alan2here
Thanks. It's a bit odd as to when it's possible to use the scrollbar but I've got it figured out.