Writing music

[mistressrenet]

Is there a good freeware/shareware program out there for music composition? Download.com is not helpful. No, I am not thinking about submitting to the American Idol singing competition. Shut up.

Comments

[imre_nico]

Finale notepad is the one I'm aware of.

It's no more retarded than TMNT XD

[mistressrenet]

It looks nice-- is it really that $$$$?

STFU you.

[imre_nico]

There should be a freeware version available! If you were planning to buy one, I wouldn't recommend Finale Pro. I'd say get Sibelius.

And yeah, compositional software can be a fuckton of cash, alas. A lot of the composers who left Cornish were pretty fucking sad to lose the composition lab.

Longhand is fine for pop songs, but sucks for orchestral work XD

[mistressrenet]

Cool.

I bet they were.

My hands cramp and I don't have much paper. Plus it's just easier to do stuff here at the laptop.

[theemdash]

Thank you for watching American Idol. It makes me feel slightly less stupid and like an American Puppet.

[mistressrenet]

At least we're happy puppets?

[theemdash]

I suppose.

[nightangelca]

Finale notepad is what I use. For just straight-forward things, it works well.

[mistressrenet]

Can you use it once the free trial is over? Cause it's pricey, yo.

[nightangelca]

From my experience, Notepad doesn't work so much as a "free trial" than as a "preview program" -- it doesn't lock or anything after a certain amount of time, it just doesn't have all of the features of the full program. If you're just doing songwriting -- I'm assuming a vocal line with lyrics and a piano grand staff with chors -- you won't need anything more than Notepad. It's for bigger projects, like full-band arrangements, that you need the full Finale program, which is what costs the big bucks (and which I will miss dearly once I leave college TT_TT).

[mistressrenet]

Oooh, cool. (My condolences, yes.)

[jerico_cacaw]

Have you looked at www.tucows.com?

[mistressrenet]

I have not! How shiny-- thanks!

[jerico_cacaw]

You're welcome =).

Just look closely at the info when you find a link you like: they have freeware and shareware. The freeware is, well, free (mostly NGU), while the shareware is mostly trial versions.