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There is an abundance of music software available for your home today. This article explores the various kinds available and their pros and cons. Discussed here are music sequencers, music notation programs, musical games, and musical teaching software. Most software discussed here is available for about $30-$150 and plentiful for PC's and Macs.
Sequencers vs. Music Notation. While software is getting better and better every year, these two types of programs are still at odds. The general idea is that music notation software is primarily for the printed page and scoring for bands, orchestras, choirs, and churches, while sequencers are primarily for recordings and musical sound production. Both are very important in the music industry. Music notation is essential for live musicians to have prepared music for movie and televisions scores. However sequencers are an easy way to get musical ideas down quickly by just playing music in a keyboard, but when you look at the notes they look like gibberish. While you can print music from a sequencer and listen to music from music notation software, both still have a way to go to meet in the middle.
Music Sequencers. This is my recommendation for a musical software purchase for your home. Musical creativity is the key here, and with this tool you can create MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files and hear them back and edit them immediately with great control. Printing them can be a chore and take time, though. You can record many tracks one at a time and create a whole band or orchestra with realistic sound. This studio uses Mark Of The Unicorn's Digital Performer, a professional MIDI and audio software package (about $500). Most lower cost sequencers can only handle MIDI information, but are much more inexpensive, around $100 or even less.
Music Notation Software. This software is specifically for the printed page and has complete control over the visual aspects of music. You can print all or any instruments with a click and with the use of "quantizing," a process where the computer cleans up inaccurate rhythms, you can print great looking professional scores. The drawback to this software is that listening to it play back is overly accurate, and it is clear that a computer is playing rather square and unexpressive music, even though it is written in correctly. Entering in music can be quick, but it does take a knowledge of notation yourself. This studio uses Coda Music¹s Finale 2000 (about $400,, the top of the line music notation package. There are many other lower end packages available, including Finale Allegro, the scaled down version of Finale 2000, without all the bells and whistles for about $150.
Musical Games. These I would recommend for the younger students in early grade school. They learn indirectly using these, but teaches that music is fun while offering some basic skills at the same time. This studio has Julliard's Music Adventure (about $40), which is entertaining and provides good creativity with basic melody and rhythm skills.
Music Teaching Software. What can I say? I¹m a piano teacher! Of course it is more efficient to take lessons from a human being, as well as being able to learn expressiveness and emotion necessary for good music. While these packages can teach some basics in theory, a teacher can explain it much more effectively and efficiently than software or videos or books. A teacher's trained ear and experience is much more valuable than a computer that can't hear a wrong fingering or see your hand position is hanging off the keys! Even so, this studio has Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory (about $30) interesting, but not very effective. Please feel free to call or email the studio if you need further detail or have any other questions about music software.
Article © 1999 by Paul Nazzaro |
