14. Music Notation

Music notation is a visual language and, like any language, it takes time to develop a full understanding of how to read and write it. To create a notated score or part, you do not need to be an expert in music theory; however, familiarizing yourself with notation methods and associated terms (for example, staves and brackets, margins, clefs, ledgers, codas, alternate endings and repeats, accidentals, and so on) will definitely accelerate your mastery of this comprehensive process.

Although you won’t find Digital Performer’s notation features to be as sophisticated or extensive as state-of-the-art notation programs, such as Sibelius or MakeMusic’s Finale, you can still create competent and effective-looking scores and parts. In DP, MIDI tracks can be viewed as standard music notation within the Notation and QuickScribe Editor windows. The Notation Editor displays a single MIDI track as a scrolling grand staff, while the more accommodating QuickScribe Editor displays single MIDI tracks as notation or multiple MIDI tracks as full scores. In this chapter, I will introduce you to the basic notation options provided within the QuickScribe Editor. For a look at Digital Performer’s more advanced notation features, such as score arranging, transcription, markers, and time-anchored text, consult the “Notation Editor” and “QuickScribe Editor” chapters of your DP user’s manual.