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[SOFTWARE] Graphic Notation


Maarten Bauer

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Hello,

I am really interested in composing graphic notation music, so I searched on the internet for a free notation software that has been designed for this purpose. Unfortunately, I could not find anything.

Do you know a graphic notation programm?
If so, what is the name and where can I find it?

Thanks!

Maarten

For example:

image.png

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What software are you using now? Musescore?

I think the best way is import images made with other software. Finale, Musescore, and Dorico can do it. But I don't know any that was designed for this purpose, in particular.

I have experimented with indeterminacy and with graphic score, is quite interesting giving the score to someone and see how he/she understands it.

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1 hour ago, Luis Hernández said:

What software are you using now? Musescore?

I think the best way is import images made with other software. Finale, Musescore, and Dorico can do it. But I don't know any that was designed for this purpose, in particular.

I have experimented with indeterminacy and with graphic score, is quite interesting giving the score to someone and see how he/she understands it.

 

I am using MuseScore, but I don't know any way how I could make a score like I shared in the post above.
Still, thanks for the reply!

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I don't know if there are free tools to do this.  I'd suggest thinking the whole thing out with paper and pencil first.  Then, decide which elements are best served using Musescore:  any sections where traditional notation applies, and leave white space in the score using layout tools to add in the other elements by hand.  Sometimes it is easiest to literally "cut" and "paste."  Print out some blank staves, and cut and paste them onto a piece of blank paper leaving the spaces you need for other elements, then run the whole thing through a photocopier to get a clean page to draw on.  To add the other elements in a tidy manner, you'll want to use a ruler, compass, protractor, maybe a set of French curves.  If drawing is not your strong suit, get it as close as you can, and then consult with someone who has a fine art, design, or technical drawing degree to do the final copy for you.  If you really want it to look good, you may have to pay someone, because you'll probably take up a lot of their time explaining what you want, and it may take several meetings and several drafts before you manage to convey your desires.  

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Nothing is better than pencil and paper for this, or a tablet of some sort, of course. You can always scan it onto your computer later if you prefer paper.
If you're stuck with the inconvenience of writing so many notes by hand, you go to the computer. Well, the opposite is true too:
When you're stuck with the inconvenience of having to do specific graphical alterations on the computer, you do it by hand. 

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  • 4 months later...

 

I sometimes do what I think of as sketching (see an example below). I mostly just notate black note heads. The melodic phrasing is often elastic, or in my head. Most rhythm is not notated.  But I often write several measures later that I'd like to insert someplace - having to hand copy everything over is such a chore.  I often make changes like this. That's why I'd like a graphics only music notation software.

I'm thinking of buying a Surface Pro clone - the HP Elite x2 g2 tablet and using StaffPad.  I think I may be able to trick it into allowing what I want.  But I wish someone would make a "graphics only"  software that would accommodate both the original poster and me. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3ui9JUkGl5FX1JicWNiQU81Vms

Edited by indigo_dave
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I think that since graphic notation can vary so much from composer to composer, you're probably not going to find a notation program that will allow you to easily do this. As some other people have already mentioned, I would suggest either drawing it out by hand, or using some kind of graphic design program. Photoshop for example is one program that I've heard is good for this kind of thing. 

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On 5/12/2018 at 5:12 PM, millert1409 said:

I think that since graphic notation can vary so much from composer to composer, you're probably not going to find a notation program that will allow you to easily do this. As some other people have already mentioned, I would suggest either drawing it out by hand, or using some kind of graphic design program. Photoshop for example is one program that I've heard is good for this kind of thing. 

 

Thanks for your response. I've not considered Photoshop. I have had the thought that a simple graphics app with "tap and drag" functionality with a stylus should be able to do what I want.  This could be  an extremely simple software with note heads, note stems, staves (treble, bass, C clef), and any other graphics needed to make a notated score.  It could be sort of a subset-software of a package, but with no MIDI playback capability.  It seems to be completely off the radar of notation developers.  

I guess I keep hoping that what I described already exists in some quiet corner of the apps market.  My issue is that when writing music, I often want to delete or insert something.  Using paper for this means recopying everything, or awkwardly drawing arrows to indicate where to insert something. Digital editing capability would make this so easy. 

 

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  • 3 years later...

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