Edit arrangement of existing licensed music for choir?

• Jun 9, 2022 - 20:15

Hi, I can't be the only one who's found a need for this? I just haven't found how to do it yet:)

I need software for church choir music, traditional music and contemporary music that we are licensed to use to arrange the sequence of the songs. For example, I may want to repeat a chorus and triple an ending. I can accomplish this with ChordPro within the PlanningCenter for instrument charts but need to make the vocal sheet music match what we play. This shouldn't be this difficult to figure out, thanks, Jon


Comments

MuseScore can do pretty much anything you might need relevant to creating sheet music. If it's something done in standard notation, you can do it in MuseScore, and usually there is direct support for playback. For the few things that aren't supported for playback. there are workarounds.

So there if there is some particular notation you are having trouble figuring out how to enter or how to get to play back correctly, just attach your score and describe the specific issue in more detail, so we can understand and assist better.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Thanks Marc, I guess I'm not explaining it correctly or don't understand something. I understand notation software and use Notion with PreSonus StudioOne for my own stuff. What I need, for example, is to take a printed vocal chart off Lifeway or CCLI that we are licensed to use and make the vocal chart match how I've edited the chord charts for instruments. For example, the vocal chart sheet music I download and print in PDF. Say it goes verse, chorus, verse, bridge/turnaround, chorus, ending (it may not just an example for this) and I want to make the vocal chart sheet music go verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse 1 again, 1/2 chorus and ending. How can I do this with software that doesn't require me rewriting, playing parts in via midi, or cutting and taping the sheet music together. Sorry if I'm missing something but it should be easier than I'm finding:) Jon

In reply to by morsongs

MuseScore is software for editing music, but somehow you need to get the music into it/ Just like it someone gave you a paperback novel you wanted to edit, you could do that with Microsfot Word, but first it's up to you to get the book into Word. Once you get the music into MuseScore, you can edit it as you like. but that will take work, just like entering a novel into Word will. You can enter music by typing it in, by clicking with the mouse, by entering pitches via a keyboard, but one way or another, you need to enter the music.

Now, there are programs out that can attempt to take PDF's and turn them into actual music. It's kind of like how Siri can attempt to recognize your speech. I wouldn't try to enter a whole novel that way, but in a pinch, sometimes it can help. More often, though, you spend longer fixing the errors and adding punctuation and formatting than had you simply entered it normally to begin with. Similarly with the program that ttmept to turn PDF's into actual music. There's one such program you can access via a web service from within MuseScore, using File / Import PDF. But don't get your hopes up. There is very little chance the results will be usable, and most likely, as mentioned you'll need to take longer correcting the problems than if you just entered it directly. AI technology just hasn't reached the point yet where computers can read sheet music as well as people.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Right and thanks so much for you time and thoughtful response Marc. I do see a number of programs that claim they can scan in sheet music? I did try the import and you're correct, nothing really usable. I'll keep looking, I think you're right, getting it in is the key. Maybe some that say you can scan it in might help, don't know. Thanks

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Hey Marc I just found this, I'll let you know if it does what I need:)

"1. What exactly is ScanScore?
ScanScore is a sheet music scanning program that digitizes sheet music. You can use it to scan analogue sheet music and entire scores as well as PDF or image files and turn them into a digital music document. With ScanScore you can easily, quickly and reliably:

Recognize notes, lyrics and chords
play notes
Edit and transpose notes
Adjust and rearrange scores
Print and export sheet music"

In reply to by morsongs

s, that is one of the commercially-available AI programs I mentioned. There is definitely a non-zero chance it will produce a result that requires less time to fix the errors in than simply entering the music normally. There is also a non-zero chance that it will still take a ton more time and frustration to get anything useful than just biting the bullet and entering the music normally. Impossible to say which is the more likely outcome. If you're already an expert at editing scores with notation software and fixing the sorts of errors commonly made by notation programs, you might well have a slightly better chance with the scanning approach. If you're new to the process of correcting those sorts of errors using notation software, it's almost certainly going to taker lmuch longer to reach that level of expertise. learning to enter notes is dead simple. Learning to correct the sorts of errors typically made by scanning software is much harder. So it really comes down to how expert you already are, and how lucky you get in this case.

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Thanks Jojo! I guess I'm not explaining it correctly or don't understand something. I understand notation software and use Notion with PreSonus StudioOne for my own stuff. What I need, for example, is to take a printed vocal chart off Lifeway or CCLI that we are licensed to use and make the vocal chart match how I've edited the chord charts for instruments for services. For example, say the vocal chart sheet music I download and print in PDF goes verse, chorus, verse, bridge/turnaround, chorus, ending (it may not just an example for this) and I want to make the vocal chart sheet music go verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse 1 again, 1/2 chorus and ending. How can I do this with software that doesn't require me rewriting, playing parts in via midi, or cutting and taping the sheet music together. Sorry if I'm missing something but it should be easier than I'm finding:) Jon

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