Help with putting music notation on the screen at DVinfo.net

Mike Costantini · August 19th, 2007, 06:05 PM

I attempted this last time, making a music instruction DVD with a picture in picture type setup, barely pulled it off. So for this next DVD, the instructor is going to be talking on the screen and then when the music is needed, I plan to display it on the screen with nothing else, in order to maximize the size of the graphic and be easily legible because of the thin lines on the music staff and all the issues with flicker that happen as a result. Then we were thinking of just having the teacher say "pause the DVD and work on this piece of music until you get it" Something like that... The whole object of trying to get the music notation on the screen is to eliminate the need for a printed booklet which adds a ton of cost..

Can anyone shed some light on if there is a better way to do this. We've considered the idea of putting the music into a PDF file, but I was told it's going to add up to a lot of pages that people won't want to print out...

If my original idea of showing nothing on the screen except for the music, would I want to be exporting those graphics at 720 pixels wide (minus the safe area) so it fills the screen from left to right?

Jon Fairhurst · August 19th, 2007, 07:52 PM

Check out the video screen capture tool from Camtasia. I haven't used it, but I've watched a number of flash tutorials that use it to good effect.

With Camtasia, the instructor could talk about the score and move the mouse around to show the staves, notes, rests and so on. That way the student gets the coordination of voice and visual direction. Of course, the instructor can say "pause this at any time to study the score in more depth."

Since the only motion will be the mouse, the results should be good. You might need to apply some vertical filtering to avoid interlace flicker, but that could be done in post - after the Camtasia capture.

Mike Costantini · August 20th, 2007, 01:38 PM

Hi Jon,
Thanks for that suggestion, I checked it out and talked to their support dept on the phone. While it looks like it could work, there's a few problems which would be very time consuming to overcome so it's probably not the right solution for me.

After doing some thinking, I thought about just exporting images from the music software and showing them on the screen while the instructor is talking/playing (but have nothing else on the screen) so I would just be dropping these images into the timeline where they need to go and stretch them out to however long the instructor is explaining them.

I'm still not sure, however, about dimensions of these images. Perhaps for maximum legibility, I should just export each measure as its own image or something like that....

Giroud Francois · August 20th, 2007, 03:20 PM

"finale" is the best ever program made to display and edit music.
you could easily grab some screens from it .

Jon Fairhurst · August 20th, 2007, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giroud Francois

"finale" is the best ever program made to display and edit music.
you could easily grab some screens from it .

Actually, Sibelius can output to more formats than Finale, according to Peter Alexander of Film Music Weekly. http://www.filmmusicweekly.com/issue...kly_081507.pdf (See page 8, 2nd paragraph.) Personally, I prefer Sibelius' input method. Where Finale shines is in its ability to engrave avant garde music scores. For traditional music, both programs are excellent.

Jim Andrada · August 20th, 2007, 10:06 PM

I think Finale's merits go beond avant garde. I find that it gives more control over the final appearance of the printed page. Sibelius has a mind of its own when it comes to formatting and I find it really frustrating to try to get the specific appearance I'm after, arrange rests before or after page turns, etc.

But I still mostly use it because I think it IS easier to input, and Finale's more controlable output isn't particularly easy for someone like me (who uses it a few times a year) to master.

As you say, they're both excellent over all packages and I use them both.

Jon Fairhurst · August 21st, 2007, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Andrada

I think Finale's merits go beond avant garde.

I would agree. Looking at it the other way around, it's a serious shortcoming of Sibelius - if that's what you want to create.

From the little I've done, customizing Sibelius' house styles is pretty powerful, but, yeah, if you need to push the layout boundaries, Finale is the better choice.

I'm a composer, rather than an engraver, so Sibelius' quick input is the right program for me.

August 19th, 2007, 06:05 PM	#1
Mike Costantini Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 154	Help with putting music notation on the screen I attempted this last time, making a music instruction DVD with a picture in picture type setup, barely pulled it off. So for this next DVD, the instructor is going to be talking on the screen and then when the music is needed, I plan to display it on the screen with nothing else, in order to maximize the size of the graphic and be easily legible because of the thin lines on the music staff and all the issues with flicker that happen as a result. Then we were thinking of just having the teacher say "pause the DVD and work on this piece of music until you get it" Something like that... The whole object of trying to get the music notation on the screen is to eliminate the need for a printed booklet which adds a ton of cost.. Can anyone shed some light on if there is a better way to do this. We've considered the idea of putting the music into a PDF file, but I was told it's going to add up to a lot of pages that people won't want to print out... If my original idea of showing nothing on the screen except for the music, would I want to be exporting those graphics at 720 pixels wide (minus the safe area) so it fills the screen from left to right?

August 19th, 2007, 07:52 PM	#2
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Check out the video screen capture tool from Camtasia. I haven't used it, but I've watched a number of flash tutorials that use it to good effect. With Camtasia, the instructor could talk about the score and move the mouse around to show the staves, notes, rests and so on. That way the student gets the coordination of voice and visual direction. Of course, the instructor can say "pause this at any time to study the score in more depth." Since the only motion will be the mouse, the results should be good. You might need to apply some vertical filtering to avoid interlace flicker, but that could be done in post - after the Camtasia capture. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

August 20th, 2007, 01:38 PM	#3
Mike Costantini Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 154	Hi Jon, Thanks for that suggestion, I checked it out and talked to their support dept on the phone. While it looks like it could work, there's a few problems which would be very time consuming to overcome so it's probably not the right solution for me. After doing some thinking, I thought about just exporting images from the music software and showing them on the screen while the instructor is talking/playing (but have nothing else on the screen) so I would just be dropping these images into the timeline where they need to go and stretch them out to however long the instructor is explaining them. I'm still not sure, however, about dimensions of these images. Perhaps for maximum legibility, I should just export each measure as its own image or something like that....

August 20th, 2007, 03:20 PM	#4
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	"finale" is the best ever program made to display and edit music. you could easily grab some screens from it .

August 20th, 2007, 10:06 PM	#6
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	I think Finale's merits go beond avant garde. I find that it gives more control over the final appearance of the printed page. Sibelius has a mind of its own when it comes to formatting and I find it really frustrating to try to get the specific appearance I'm after, arrange rests before or after page turns, etc. But I still mostly use it because I think it IS easier to input, and Finale's more controlable output isn't particularly easy for someone like me (who uses it a few times a year) to master. As you say, they're both excellent over all packages and I use them both.