Darcy James Argue returns to talk about his role in creating the fully revamped SMuFL-compliant jazz default file and document style in the Finale v27.2 update, and offers some tips for how users can make the most of it.
People
Read about the interesting individuals in our field — from the developers to the creators — and what they have to say about where we’ve been and where we’re headed.
Cleo Huggins, the designer of the first music font
There was a time when there were no music fonts — and then there was one. Cleo Huggins, the designer of Sonata, the very first music font, tells us all about setting the standard for a new era in music notation.
The rights stuff
You may know all about writing music. But what about your rights and music? Attorney and music publisher Jim Kendrick expertly steers us through the intersection of creativity, copyright, and technology.
Michael Good, the inventor of MusicXML [encore]
If you’ve ever needed to open a music notation file in a different program, you’ve relied on MusicXML to do it. Michael Good invented this now-ubiquitous format two decades ago, and we find out how it happened. Plus, an update.
Dorico 4: Supercharged
Daniel Spreadbury returns to Scoring Notes to talk about Dorico 4, the huge update to Steinberg’s scoring software. We discuss the new Write mode features, the Library Manager, and the overall development approach to the product.
Nicole Jordan, Philadelphia Orchestra librarian [encore]
Nicole Jordan, the principal librarian of the Philadelphia Orchestra, makes sure that the right piece of music is with the right person at the right time — and music notation software was crucial in helping her nail the biggest audition of her career.
Marie Chupeau and the human side of Newzik’s artificial intelligence
Marie Chupeau, the co-founder of Magic LEMP, discusses Maestria, the artificial intelligence technology that allows Newzik to not just display a score, but also to understand it musically, resulting in a LiveScore that can be played directly in Newzik or exported to other software for further use.
Jonathan Newman, part 2 of 2
Jonathan Newman returns for the second of a two-part conversation, in which he emerges out of the copyist wilderness into a thriving composition career. We talk about writing for wind band and educational ensembles, and how that experience shapes his current position as an educator himself.
Jonathan Newman, part 1 of 2
Jonathan Newman joins us for the first of a two-part episode, in which we discuss the profession of music copying, balancing a composing career with other obligations, and watershed moments in the history of music notation software.
Darcy James Argue, part 2
The second of a two-part interview with Darcy James Argue. In this part: Darcy’s philosophy of music preparation; Finale tips, plug-ins, and resources; the role of publishers and software developers in elevating the quality of music notation.