Reviews
As written in AARP
Date of review: 01-28-2003
Play Music
By Sandy Berger
Play Music is an easy-to-use music notation program that amateur musicians and music lovers of all types will find irresistible. Whether you want to compose hymns for the church choir, put together a small band, teach your grandchildren about music, or document that song in your heart, Play Music will meet your needs.
Notationware’s Play Music is a 24 stave, 8 voices per stave entry-level Notation Program that includes over 31 templates. Notes can be inserted by using a midi-keyboard or other midi-device. When using this type of interface the notes simply appear on the staff on the screen. You can also compose by using the mouse to choose the type and placement of the note on the staff. As you place the note on the staff, you hear the note played which is a big plus. If you make a mistake you can just drag the note, listen for the note that you want, and let go of your mouse button at the proper position.
Play Music lives up to the phrase printed on the front of the box: "Everything you need to compose, play, and print your own sheet music!" It is an easy-to-use program that will serve beginners well, but is also powerful enough for intermediate users. I play the piano and have a good, solid music background, but would definitely consider myself a beginner in the world of music notation. After perusing the program and the seventeen page manual that I printed, it took me only about an hour to create my first simple masterpiece. While you don’t really have to know music theory, a musical background is beneficial. Expect to spend more time for complex compositions and to really get to know how to use the programs many powerful features.
Play Music is surprisingly powerful. You can add lyrics. If you use a midi-keyboard, you can play your composition back as a violin, guitar, bass, flute, tuba, steel drum, or any sound you have on your keyboard! If you don’t have a keyboard, you can still choose to play back your composition with any sound that can be provided by your soundcard. You can also import MIDI files and have the Play Music program automatically write the music for you. Then you can edit the MIDI files and save them with your changes. If you are more advanced, you can easily compose for several instruments and voices. A free demo version is available so you can try the program before you buy.
This small piece of software is an excellent tool for educators, composers, and recording artists, but it is also great for music enthusiasts, beginner musicians, and even home schoolers. If you have always wanted to create and to feel the essence of music, this program is for you.
As written in the SBO Magazine November 2001 Issue
Percussion Technology: Part One
by John Kuzmich Jr.
At the entry level, there are several excellent products, including Play Music by Notationware. Play Music is impressive with a 24-staff capacity, including percussion stave and the ability to put eight percussion parts per staff with either non-pitched and/or pitched parts. You can even customize the note heads. This product is a definite "best buy" product for entry-level notation users, including free updates. Only 30 minutes will get your first composition created, saved and printed. It is simple to use and very powerful for an entry-level product.
Dr. John Kuzmich Jr.’s technology column is a regular feature of SBO magazine. Dr. Kuzmich is a nationally known music educator with more than 30 years of teaching experience. He recently earned certification from TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) to be a national training instructor. His academic background also includes a Ph.D. in comprehensive musicianship. As a freelance author, Dr. Kuzmich has 250 articles and five textbooks published. As a clinician, he frequently participates in workshops throughout the United States and several foreign countries. For more information about Dr. Kuzmich, please visit his home page at www.kuzmich.com.
What People Are Saying
"Play Music" has helped me learn more on how to write music. The program is fun and easy. When my band wanted to write a new song we went straight to my computer. As a beginning drummer I would use the program to help me right down the notes to my favorite bands songs. "Play Music" is a great music learning program that is fun and easy for all ages!
Gabe Gutner
aspiring musician/drummer age 12
I've dealt with most of the music printing software on the market "Play Music" was THE most immediate for ease of use. No pouring over manuals, no key sequences to memorize - everything I needed was right there on the screen. You can believe the next publication from The Write Stuff will be created using Play Music!"
Norm Sands
Elementary Music Specialist and Owner of The Write Stuff
Dear Notationware,
I have found Play Music to be an invaluable resource. The program is so intuitive it does exactly what I want it to do. I have composed many hymns and praise songs that previously remained only in my head or on tape. Play Music has enabled me to notate these songs and even create SATB parts for my church choir. What a blessing to hear my music performed with a full choir all thanks to Play Music!
Louis Ciavolella
Worship Leader
Woodbury, New Jersey
Play Music's user interface is simple, intuitive and easy to use. Someone finally got it right. Functionality is beautiful! For printing and developing scores and working out arrangements there is no application out on the market that combines this amount of depth with such ease of use. You need to be a technician to figure out the notation applications that are out on the market today. I use it for my lesson plans and for composing my own work. Where have they been hiding?
Victor Coppola
Composer / producer of commercial music for TV/radio/film
New York City, New York
Dear Fortunato:
No question about it, Play Music has a definite market and the college music education market is incredibly important for aspiring music educators to be able to use it in their student teaching and first year of teaching. I will try to spread the word!
Till next time,
John Kuzmich, Jr.
Dear Roger
I strongly suggest that you evaluate Play Music by Notationware not only because it is a "killer" notation program for $49.99 but because it really works!!! As a music education adviser to your music education majors at the University of North Texas, your students really need to know that they don't need the ultimate notation features for public school music education use. Nor do the public schools have sufficient money for such professional level notation programs.
John Kuzmich, Jr.
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for your kindness. Oh, what a great product! You must be a genius. This is such great software. I have been waiting for a product like this for a long time. This is absolutely a revolutionary breakthrough in music education. I really impressed with what the package says, [Play Music gives beginners and professionals alike everything they need to create their own music]. This reminds me of something the great jazz pianist, Bill Evans, once said about the Universal Music Mind; "Everyone possesses or communicate with this universal mind, through this experience we share the depth of existence." My wording is not exactly as he commented on his jazz piano lesson video. Since the electro music composition with computer technology was invented by Hiller in 1957, followed by John Cage, and Max Mathew at Bell Lab's Music V to Groove, the very idea of it was to eliminate the oppressive notion of academic hierarchy in traditional music education. I believe there are always laymen and professionals who will make distinctive differences in the effort of making music. However, it would be wonderful, if the people would realize that there is no discrimination between them to understand the Universal Musical Mind and to feel the essence of music as Mr. Evans once said. I feel Play Music is the ideal tools for making this happen.
Thank you very much for your ingenuous work. I will try to inform my colleagues about this great product. I will, also, give you the names of those that I contact. I truly feel that it will have a broad popularity among people.
Sincerely,
Koji Shimura
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