# Music writing software?



## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

Its been years since I've owned one or even tried to write music, and I'd like to get back into it and was wondering which one is good enough for re learning forgotten skills? Edit: I'd like to be able to hear back what I've written.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

LilyPond: I'm pretty sure there's a playback function there.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

The two "biggies" in the business are Finale and Sibelius. Both of these offer a very intuitive graphical interface where you enter notes onto a score by either clicking or using the keyboard, and playing your work back is as easy as hitting a button. Finale is generally known for its extreme robustness at a cost of a cluttered and confusing interface, Sibelius is known for its refined and innovative simplicity at a cost of some of the more advanced features. In my opinion, the choice is simple: Sibelius is far superior for most people's needs, especially for amateurs such as ourselves.

The price tag for the full professional versions is hefty ($600), but the websites above offer full demos to try-before-you-buy. There are also cut-down versions for less, Sibelius First for $130, and Finale has more options from $10 to $200.

There are also some free alternatives, one of which is LilyPond. However these programs usually don't have the intuitive graphical interface of the paid programs, and use a kind of programming language for note entry. However they are capable of producing as beautiful (and arguably even better) of a score as the paid programs.

Wikipedia appears to have a fairly comprehensive list of all the programs available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scorewriters


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Couchie pretty much hit the nail on the head, though I'd like to add that there are a few graphical front-ends for LilyPond. None of them really work very well, unless you want full-blown midi sequencing, in which case Rosegarden works rather well.


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## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

Does anyone have any opinions of the paid ones?


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

I have been using NoteWorthy Composer for many many years. Ok, it may lack all the 'bells and whistles' of Finale or Sibelius, but for basic engraving work, it gets the job done, and plays back what you have scored.

I have been able to import 'midi' files into it and have those transformed into scored music. Lyrics can be added easily, and one can also use a midi keyboard to record directly into NWC. I believe its current price is $49[USD].

Kh


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## Curiosity (Jul 10, 2011)

I use musescore. Very intuitive interface and works well enough. The midi instruments don't sound all that hot though.


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