If there is something other than these two that I don't know about,
feel free to mention it.
Score. If you have been using computers for 18 years, you probably remember DOS. Score is, so far, a DOS program. That means you need a computer that cn run Score. (Not available for the Mac and does not work well in Vista). Ugly to look at, and requires memorizing a lot of codes (what Window programs call keyboard short-cuts) but produces the best output there is, and is easy to learn. But if you can memorize Leyenda, you already memorized more information than the entire set of codes used by Score. It is also much more expensive than Finale. But, the last update on this program was more than 10 years ago, and I did not need to buy any annual upgrades since then.
BTW, I will be doing some publishing, so I need software that will be
accepted by publishers. If most publishers know Finale,
That depends on the publisher. Some use Finale exclusively, and some would not touch it with a ten foot pole. On the other hand, some publishers will accept Finale and/or Sibelius, but will convert them to Score.
"Fulcanelli" <fulcanelli@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1193937234.506402.210350@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
In the past, this group has been very responsive about my software
inquiries. I teach guitar (all styles) and need a good music notation
program to prepare lesson materials. I posted a query about good
software here way earlier this year and got some response. Weighing
it all, I decided from your output that Finale was the program I
needed. So I bought a copy, and it sure wasn't cheap! Over the past
months, I have grown somewhat comfortable with the easier tasks of
using it and have to say that Finale is one way powerful program. I
will also say it is beyond a doubt the absolute worst, most user
unfriendly program I have ever used. (I've been using computers for
18 years.) I have no issues with regular office products, photo
editing, graphics programs, etc. My impression is that Finale started
out as a basic program and as the developers added new features, they
found new nooks and crannies in which to embed these features.
Nothing really makes sense. I wonder if the program doesn't give the
user too much control over the document? Anyway, if I don't use the
program for a week, or a month, and come back, I can't believe how
illogical doing all the tasks can be.
Is Sibelius any easier? I work with standard guitar notation and
TAB. I saw some TAB from Sibelius and it looks nice, nicer than
Finale actually. But I'm after ease, not looks. I don't have a ton
of money to spend. Is there a place where I can sell my copy of
Finale? I would of course contact the company and have my
registration/authorization canceled.
A copy of Sibelius is cheaper than buying a new computer. I figure if
I keep up with Finale, I'll have to replace the computer I throw out
the window, out of the frustrations of using that program.
If there is something other than these two that I don't know about,
feel free to mention it.
BTW, I will be doing some publishing, so I need software that will be
accepted by publishers. If most publishers know Finale, perhaps I
could get both programs, write it in Sibelius and export it to
Finale! Don't mind me. I've gone completely bonkers this morning
trying to print some very simple sheets.
I had the same experience with Finale. I bought the software last year. Trouble is, I don't have the time or the patience to search into all the nooks and crannies where this-or-that feature is hidden. Further, Finale hasn't seen fit to print a users' manual --- only "Help" files.
For around 10+ years I have been using the old (really old!) DOS version of GSMusicator for composition. I then copy the files into a somewhat newer Windows version of Musicator for graphics. It's not perfect, but it works for most student compositions and arrangements (I have no intention of publishing).
But my old DOS version won't load into newer versions of WINDOWS. Don't know why, but that's the way it is. If my old Windows 3.1 computer crashes, I am dead in the water! So, as I said above, I tried Finale on my new computer. Too complicated. Next, I bought the newest "Musicator Delta". Same problem. Too involved, and there is NO paper-and-ink manual to guide me --- only incomprehensible "Help Files".
So, I haven't answered your question, but this has given me an opportunity to sound off. After several hundred bucks down the drain, I am nowhere nearer than I was a year ago. So, I'll continue using the oooold DOS version of Musicator until the old computer crashes and then --- ???
In the past, this group has been very responsive about my software
inquiries. I teach guitar (all styles) and need a good music notation
program to prepare lesson materials. I posted a query about good
software here way earlier this year and got some response. Weighing
it all, I decided from your output that Finale was the program I
needed. So I bought a copy, and it sure wasn't cheap! Over the past
months, I have grown somewhat comfortable with the easier tasks of
using it and have to say that Finale is one way powerful program. I
will also say it is beyond a doubt the absolute worst, most user
unfriendly program I have ever used. (I've been using computers for
18 years.) I have no issues with regular office products, photo
editing, graphics programs, etc. My impression is that Finale started
out as a basic program and as the developers added new features, they
found new nooks and crannies in which to embed these features.
Nothing really makes sense. I wonder if the program doesn't give the
user too much control over the document? Anyway, if I don't use the
program for a week, or a month, and come back, I can't believe how
illogical doing all the tasks can be.
Is Sibelius any easier? I work with standard guitar notation and
TAB. I saw some TAB from Sibelius and it looks nice, nicer than
Finale actually. But I'm after ease, not looks. I don't have a ton
of money to spend. Is there a place where I can sell my copy of
Finale? I would of course contact the company and have my
registration/authorization canceled.
A copy of Sibelius is cheaper than buying a new computer. I figure if
I keep up with Finale, I'll have to replace the computer I throw out
the window, out of the frustrations of using that program.
If there is something other than these two that I don't know about,
feel free to mention it.
BTW, I will be doing some publishing, so I need software that will be
accepted by publishers. If most publishers know Finale, perhaps I
could get both programs, write it in Sibelius and export it to
Finale! Don't mind me. I've gone completely bonkers this morning
trying to print some very simple sheets.
I had the same experience with Finale. I bought the software last year.
Trouble is, I don't have the time or the patience to search into all the
nooks and crannies where this-or-that feature is hidden. Further, Finale
hasn't seen fit to print a users' manual --- only "Help" files.
For around 10+ years I have been using the old (really old!) DOS version
of GSMusicator for composition. I then copy the files into a somewhat
newer Windows version of Musicator for graphics. It's not perfect, but it
works for most student compositions and arrangements (I have no intention
of publishing).
But my old DOS version won't load into newer versions of WINDOWS. Don't
know why, but that's the way it is. If my old Windows 3.1 computer
crashes, I am dead in the water! So, as I said above, I tried Finale on
my new computer. Too complicated. Next, I bought the newest "Musicator
Delta". Same problem. Too involved, and there is NO paper-and-ink manual
to guide me --- only incomprehensible "Help Files".
So, I haven't answered your question, but this has given me an opportunity
to sound off. After several hundred bucks down the drain, I am nowhere
nearer than I was a year ago. So, I'll continue using the oooold DOS
version of Musicator until the old computer crashes and then --- ???
I use the program several times a week. Maybe this is why I have no trouble quickly finding what I need, even the really arcane stuff. More frustrating to me was using programs that didn't have enough capability.
I assume you found the tutorials less than satisfactory. I haven't done them in over a decade, but I recall that they didn't take more than a weekend to complete. If you have time, let us know what was poor about them. My students and I find the page layout tools to be most frustrating, but the simple note entry to be easy and fast enough.
In article <1193937234.506402.210350@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com>, Fulcanelli <fulcanelli@gmail.com> wrote:
In the past, this group has been very responsive about my software
inquiries. I teach guitar (all styles) and need a good music notation
program to prepare lesson materials. I posted a query about good
software here way earlier this year and got some response. Weighing
it all, I decided from your output that Finale was the program I
needed. So I bought a copy, and it sure wasn't cheap! Over the past
months, I have grown somewhat comfortable with the easier tasks of
using it and have to say that Finale is one way powerful program. I
will also say it is beyond a doubt the absolute worst, most user
unfriendly program I have ever used. (I've been using computers for
18 years.) I have no issues with regular office products, photo
editing, graphics programs, etc. My impression is that Finale started
out as a basic program and as the developers added new features, they
found new nooks and crannies in which to embed these features.
Nothing really makes sense. I wonder if the program doesn't give the
user too much control over the document? Anyway, if I don't use the
program for a week, or a month, and come back, I can't believe how
illogical doing all the tasks can be.
Is Sibelius any easier? I work with standard guitar notation and
TAB. I saw some TAB from Sibelius and it looks nice, nicer than
Finale actually. But I'm after ease, not looks. I don't have a ton
of money to spend. Is there a place where I can sell my copy of
Finale? I would of course contact the company and have my
registration/authorization canceled.
A copy of Sibelius is cheaper than buying a new computer. I figure if
I keep up with Finale, I'll have to replace the computer I throw out
the window, out of the frustrations of using that program.
If there is something other than these two that I don't know about,
feel free to mention it.
BTW, I will be doing some publishing, so I need software that will be
accepted by publishers. If most publishers know Finale, perhaps I
could get both programs, write it in Sibelius and export it to
Finale! Don't mind me. I've gone completely bonkers this morning
trying to print some very simple sheets.
I hate Finale, its a warped program conceived by warped minds. The people at Coda Music would be best to study the Apple User Interface Guideline and start all over.
I have taken advantage of the offer to switch from Finale to Encore for $129.
Encore is a much more intuitive program. I am however experiencing some bugs and crashes with OSX 10.4.
I have had no experience with Sibelius. Considering the prices of these things ... once burned, twice shy!
Have fun
-- Resources to play the guitar for fun and relaxation
Steve Freides 2 November 2007 05:26:33 [ permanent link ]
"Fulcanelli" <fulcanelli@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1193937234.506402.210350@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
In the past, this group has been very responsive about my software
inquiries. I teach guitar (all styles) and need a good music notation
program to prepare lesson materials. I posted a query about good
software here way earlier this year and got some response. Weighing
it all, I decided from your output that Finale was the program I
needed. So I bought a copy, and it sure wasn't cheap! Over the past
months, I have grown somewhat comfortable with the easier tasks of
using it and have to say that Finale is one way powerful program. I
will also say it is beyond a doubt the absolute worst, most user
unfriendly program I have ever used. (I've been using computers for
18 years.) I have no issues with regular office products, photo
editing, graphics programs, etc. My impression is that Finale started
out as a basic program and as the developers added new features, they
found new nooks and crannies in which to embed these features.
Nothing really makes sense. I wonder if the program doesn't give the
user too much control over the document? Anyway, if I don't use the
program for a week, or a month, and come back, I can't believe how
illogical doing all the tasks can be.
Is Sibelius any easier? I work with standard guitar notation and
TAB. I saw some TAB from Sibelius and it looks nice, nicer than
Finale actually. But I'm after ease, not looks. I don't have a ton
of money to spend. Is there a place where I can sell my copy of
Finale? I would of course contact the company and have my
registration/authorization canceled.
A copy of Sibelius is cheaper than buying a new computer. I figure if
I keep up with Finale, I'll have to replace the computer I throw out
the window, out of the frustrations of using that program.
If there is something other than these two that I don't know about,
feel free to mention it.
BTW, I will be doing some publishing, so I need software that will be
accepted by publishers. If most publishers know Finale, perhaps I
could get both programs, write it in Sibelius and export it to
Finale! Don't mind me. I've gone completely bonkers this morning
trying to print some very simple sheets.
I used Finale a while ago, and Sibelius for the last few years. I am very happy with Sibelius. They have an active web forum on which you can ask questions and get competent answers, and my experience has been that it was pretty easy to use right from the start and still manages to do everything I have ever asked of it. When we got our copy, I think it was about $250 for the educational price for the full version - money well spent, says me.
Carlos Barrientos 2 November 2007 06:45:10 [ permanent link ]
Fulcanelli wrote:
In the past, this group has been very responsive about my software
inquiries. I teach guitar (all styles) and need a good music notation
program to prepare lesson materials. I posted a query about good
software here way earlier this year and got some response. Weighing
it all, I decided from your output that Finale was the program I
needed. So I bought a copy, and it sure wasn't cheap! Over the past
months, I have grown somewhat comfortable with the easier tasks of
using it and have to say that Finale is one way powerful program. I
will also say it is beyond a doubt the absolute worst, most user
unfriendly program I have ever used. (I've been using computers for
18 years.) I have no issues with regular office products, photo
editing, graphics programs, etc. My impression is that Finale started
out as a basic program and as the developers added new features, they
found new nooks and crannies in which to embed these features.
Nothing really makes sense. I wonder if the program doesn't give the
user too much control over the document? Anyway, if I don't use the
program for a week, or a month, and come back, I can't believe how
illogical doing all the tasks can be.
Is Sibelius any easier? I work with standard guitar notation and
TAB. I saw some TAB from Sibelius and it looks nice, nicer than
Finale actually. But I'm after ease, not looks. I don't have a ton
of money to spend. Is there a place where I can sell my copy of
Finale? I would of course contact the company and have my
registration/authorization canceled.
A copy of Sibelius is cheaper than buying a new computer. I figure if
I keep up with Finale, I'll have to replace the computer I throw out
the window, out of the frustrations of using that program.
If there is something other than these two that I don't know about,
feel free to mention it.
BTW, I will be doing some publishing, so I need software that will be
accepted by publishers. If most publishers know Finale, perhaps I
could get both programs, write it in Sibelius and export it to
Finale! Don't mind me. I've gone completely bonkers this morning
trying to print some very simple sheets.
A little while ago I helped out someone else on this forum, look up this thread: Re: Finale 2002 Help -- Carlos Barrientos "mailto:carma@sprintmail.com" Phone: (512) 218 - 8322
You could sell Finale on eBay. I'm surprised you didn't download the trial version of both software before spending hundreds of dollars on just one and only basing your purchase it on rumors and other people's opinions.
Make sure you download a trial version of Sibelius before you sell one and buy the other.
I have been using Finale and Sibelius for years and I really hate Finale. I always get Finale's latest updates hoping they've made it more friendly, boy do they get me every time. . .! It is anything but user friendly. It also is exceptionally inflexible. However I could also say most of that about Sibelius only not quite in the same way.
