Disklavier

Scottand All,

Another excellent piece of software for scanning in sheet music is 
SmartScore from Musitek: http://www.musitek.com/. I have worked with 
 both SmartScore and Photoscore, and I prefer the former for its greater 
accuracy (98% or better) and the fact that files prepared in SmartScore 
and saved in the .fin format can be imported into Finale and further 
perfected in terms of their midi playback.  SmartScore does allow you to 
place the piano parts on any midi channel of your choice so placing the 
piano tracks on the appropriate channels for playback on the disklavier 
is no problem.  Smart Score also affords full playback of midi files 
within the program itself and correctly handles dynamic markings, tempo 
markings, and many other musical expressions. Incidentally, I strongly 
agree with all of the positive comments made about PG Music's 
Band-in-a-Box software. While originally beginning life several years 
ago as auto accompaniment software, PG Music has steadily upgraded this 
program (through 12 versions over as many years!) to the point where I 
regard it as indispensable software for anyone interested in music 
education, the preparation of accompaniments, ear training,  and just 
plain having fun with music.

Tom

Scott Hamilton wrote:

>Well gee - I'm really greatful for all your responses! I ordered and now 
>have the "How to Play Piano Despite Years..." book, and indeed, it is a 
>worthwhile addition! Thank you Carol!
>
>Accompaniment is not just for flutes. All solo instruments (I guess thats 
>ALL instruments isn't it? - including sleigh bells and sand blocks in Leroy 
>Anderson's pieces) are enhanced by all the rest. From sax to flute, we all 
>need backup. In my particular case, I was hoping to find help with my 
>attempt to keep up with James Galway's and Phil Coulter's Winter's 
>Crossing. Our friend Doug Miller is undertaking a "play-in" of the score of 
>that music so that I can try to develop with it.
>
>We all ("non-pianists" - god how I wish I could have been inspired to study 
>it when I was young - now life is so short) need encouragement and 
>inspiration to keep our interest in the difficult expression of beautiful 
>music.
>
>I've discovered some computer software in the past few days called 
>PhotoScore (http://www.neuratron.com/) which purports to allow some flatbed 
>scanners to acquire the printed score and convert to MIDI sequences which 
>could then be uploaded into the Disklavier via floppy disk. Additionally, 
>software like Steinberg's Cubase 
>(http://www.steinberg.net/en/ps/products/music_production/cubase_sl_mac/ind
>ex.php?sid=0) allows us to modify the MIDI files to assure that piano parts 
>are within the Disklavier's scope of understanding (we used Cubase today to 
>trsnslate the piano parts from MIDI channels that were not recognized by 
>the Disklavier on a www.classicalarchives.com piece of Brahms Piano 
>Concerto No. 1 to those MIDI channels (1 & 2) that were! So, what us 
>accompaniment needing folks can do is to acquire the piano portion through 
>scanning and conversion via PhotoScore, modify it as necessary with Cubase, 
>and use our Disklaviers for a most useful purpose. I have enough trouble 
>carving out time to practice the flute, let alone learing the piano late in 
>life. This seems to be somewhat of a solution barring folks who can provide 
>quality accompaniment in bulk.
>
>Now, if I could yell "STOP" and retry from numer 4, we'd really have it. 
>Yes?
>
>Regards...
>
> Scott
>
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>Todd's family web site was completely rewritten in June 2001 and most recently updated 12/30/02.  It contains some fun disklavier content and links to midi sites among other things, The url is:
>http://MuncyFamily.com 
>
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