# What about music paper?



## Frank (Oct 10, 2005)

does anyone compose on music paper? why (not)?
i'm writing my diploma thesis about music in videogames and want to start a little poll...
thanks for your answers...


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## Ed (Oct 10, 2005)

Frank said:


> does anyone compose on music paper? why (not)?


I dont. i cant write music. :D


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## Evan Gamble (Oct 10, 2005)

im doing it right now for the sake of translating my sequenced ideas to sheet music...simply because its faster for me than finale (see my avatar :wink: )


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## FrozeN (Oct 10, 2005)

I don't use music paper anymore becoz its very expensive and not environmental friendly!!!

Just kidding. 

Unlike Evan, I am a Finale freak! :wink: I guess its becoz I can audition it right on the spot as I am not really a keyboard player.... it will be a disaster if I had to write everything on music sheet and test playing them on the piano.


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## jc5 (Oct 10, 2005)

I rarely use paper these days.. I am also a heavy Finale user. To me its the same as a novelist using a word processor rather than writing it out by hand - faster, and much neater when editing is required!


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## Journeyman (Oct 10, 2005)

Big Finale user; neatness is one reason, instant transposition is another, playing ideas directly in is yet another. And for heaven's sake, why would anyone want to go to the trouble of copying out dozens of individual parts from a score, when Finale can do it automatically. Lastly, all my work is saved and archived, and I can always print out fresh, brand new copies regardless of how old the piece may be.


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## fictionmusic (Oct 10, 2005)

Yep. Sometimes I use Logic's score print-out. I used to actually use it a lot a while back, but usually I prefer using pencil and paper. It might take a bit longer, but I prefer the look of it.


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## PolarBear (Oct 10, 2005)

neither, nor. piano roll only. much faster for midi editing  I don't need the scores for my non-existing games... :D


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## Jackull (Oct 10, 2005)

IMO, it's still handy to have a pencil & paper near you for sketching ideas. However, I like the neatness of Sibelius...

jackULL


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## José Herring (Oct 10, 2005)

I use to use paper all the time. It's expensive and hard to store in small spaces. I'm using Cubase score editor now and I'll step it up to Sibelius someday soon.

Jose


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## synergy543 (Oct 10, 2005)

Do you guys use any special paper to print on (heavy stock, textured or colored)? Where do you get it?

I bought huge stacks of composition paper years ago from Alpheus Music in Hollywood but they seem to be gone now. I still have several of these but I want to move to Sibelius.


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## fictionmusic (Oct 11, 2005)

I am pretty lucky that way...there was a music score engraver in Montreal (Albert Pelletier) who I think has gone out of business. I have been able to buy literally thousands of pages from stores in Ottawa, all for a very good price. My garage is full of them (boxes and boxes).

I agree with Jose about storing finished scores, but I have been able to get a really cool bureau from a woodworker that is perfect to them in. It is about 6 feet high and 2.5 feet wide with shallow drawers (enough to store one really long concert score) I use filing cabinets for parts.

I might get sibelius one day, but for commercial stuff Logic does good enough parts, and for weird esoteric stuff, I prefer doing the score by hand anyway. I find it relaxing and a really good way to note check and verify the playability of stuff.


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## Herman Witkam (Oct 11, 2005)

Still using music paper here, especially when I'm on the road and I got something to write down, since I don't have a laptop yet. I don't use any score editors, cause when composing digitally I mostly use my sequencer & MIDI keyboard.


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## madbulk (Oct 11, 2005)

rarely... I keep staff paper on my desk, but the top page always curls up from humidity before I write anything on it.

the only time I really use it is when I'm writing a "song" and I'm gonna really dig in to the upper voicings of the chords rather than winging it... then maybe I make a lead sheet and put some time into trying out tensions choices. 

orchestrating ... nah... just do it all in logic score.


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## gugliel (Oct 11, 2005)

I use, and love, music paper. I have it printed every few years. Originally the staves were drawn by hand, then typeset by a friend at a commercial publisher, now just entered in computer score notation program, printed as a master, and then run off by a commercial printer. I always specify 25% cotton paper, 24 pound -- then the hand written stuff automatically FEELS better as I work with it. Not really that expensive when ordered a few thousand pages at a time. Eventually the music gets into the computer, usually twice: in the sequencer and in the notation program. 

Doing it yourself, you can also make up special configurations. For orchestral sketches, legal size 25% cotton paper with strings, percussion, brass, and woodwind systems works very well. Sometimes you leave 90% of the paper blank, but it allows you to preserve all the ideas with their orchestrational hints.


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## Frank (Oct 12, 2005)

Thanks for your answers!
I prefer Nudendo because I find it very hard to imagine a full orchestra...I need to hear what I compose. Wish I could compose the old style. :roll:


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