Tag Archives: sibelius

2011 through the eyes of a blog

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And just like that, another year is gone! Here is a look at my posts for the year.

The blogging year started in March with my favourite book arriving, “Behind Bars”, which I preordered in 2010. It is definitely the most used book on my shelf! I then talked about two approaching projects:

In April I introduced my new work, “blimp”, and reviewed two projects – a song I helped a friend create and my work at the BOP music school:

May was a busy month, so in June I talked about what I had been up to – writing 31 microscores and the premiere of “blimp”:

In July I posted the video I worked on with Sideways Productions:

In August and September I covered my involvement in the KBB Music Festival and some composition tutorials that I held in Kerikeri:

October was the kick off of the Rugby World Cup here in New Zealand, I talked about my involvement in the opening ceremony and also made a post about what exactly I do when “preparing music” and why you would need someone like me to do it:

December means Christmas and I posted some Christmas carols that I prepared for my students. I also composed a new “holiday” piece for my Christmas post:

Happy New Year everyone, bring on 2012!

Music preparation – what and why!

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I often talk to people who are surprised at the types of music preparation jobs that can be done, so I thought I’d dedicate a post to talking about my work as a copyist and what I can do for you!

Why do people need someone else to prepare their music? Can’t you just do it yourself? What do you pay for?

  • Expertise. Those experienced in music preparation have the eye to prepare beautifully clear and accurate music, and the ability to spot and resolve potential issues prior to it being rehearsed or performed. They also have extensive knowledge of theory and notation, the styles and conventions of different genres and specific requirements of different orchestras.
  • Meeting a deadline. Music preparers often get the music incredibly late (or be working on the start as the composer finishes the end!) and a deadline has to be met. Just recently I worked through the night to prepare the score and parts for a piece and a couple of hours later it was being rehearsed in Paris.
  • Efficiency. With extensive software knowledge, work can be done considerably faster and without hassles.
  • Assurance. You can pay many thousands of dollars to have musicians sitting there ready to record your music, or you could have worked hard for many years to have an orchestra perform it in a concert. Whatever context, when the players sit down or the conductor studies his score you need the assurance that everything is clear, accurate and very simply – it must work!
  • Ability. Many composers still write by hand and then pass it on to be prepared. Likewise, many composers and musicians don’t know how to write notated music, and will pass on MIDI files from other software to be notated.
  • Independence. To publish your music, traditionally you would have had to pass your music over to a publisher to have it expertly typeset and prepared. But you would have had all of the commitments of having a publisher and would only get a fraction of sales. Now, with composers having their own websites, people are publishing themselves and just need their music expertly typeset, edited and proofread – that’s where we come in.

What sort of things can be done?

  • Typeset music from handwritten manuscripts (or scribbles!).
  • Edit and/or proofread music that is already set.
  • Prepare instrumental parts – sometimes just as PDFs and emailed, other times I can provide the library service where I will print/copy and organise/distribute the parts at rehearsals/recording sessions.
  • Singers often need their pieces in a different key – I can transpose these with a very quick turnaround.
  • Tidy and typeset music from programs such as Logic or Pro Tools, adding all of the dynamics, articulation and other technical considerations.
  • Recreate a missing orchestral score from the instrumental parts – can be a lifesaver!
  • Transcribe music from audio.
  • Create reductions of larger scores – such as a rehearsal piano part for an opera.

How did I get in to this?

When I was studying composition with Anthony Ritchie at Otago University, he asked me if I would be interested in setting a set of Christmas carols composed by his father John Ritchie. I loved it, and gradually discovered that this area could in fact be a career in itself.

Kicking off the Rugby World Cup 2011

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The biggest sporting event to ever hit New Zealand is this year’s Rugby World Cup. It has been a massive success and we eagerly await the final tonight between New Zealand and France. The opening night was an amazing showcase of New Zealand and I was super proud to be involved.

Victoria Kelly was the musical director for the opening ceremony and invited me to do the copying work for all of the new music. She was writing in Logic and sent the sessions to me (via Gobbler, I LOVE Gobbler) to bring through to Sibelius where I prepared the scores and parts – tidying notation, adding articulation, dynamics and everything needed to make beautifully clear music. In three days I made:

  • 39 scores
  • 116 instrumental parts
  • 525 copies of those parts ready for the players and conductor
Here is everything on my floor, proofread and re-proofread, sorted and re-sorted, and ready to be packed up.

RWC typesetting August 2011 4

I then went to the recording sessions at York Street Studios and made sure there were parts on the stands for the beginning of each session with the Auckland Philharmonia.

What a joy!!

An exploration “Behind Bars”

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A few days ago, “Behind Bars”, the new book by Elaine Gould, arrived in the post. Have I ever been so happy for a book to arrive? Probably not. Have I had a spring in my step ever since? Possibly. Have I taken it to bed to read most nights? Unashamedly yes! Did my heart warm when I read a few lines of the index? Indeed. Is my excitement justified? Absolutely.

“… an extraordinary achievement… I would pray that it becomes a kind of Holy Writ for notation in the coming century…” - Sir Simon Rattle

Behind Bars

It is subtitled as the definitive guide to music notation and is already regarded as the most comprehensive authority on the subject. The brochure (see PDF link below) sets the scene well:

“Behind Bars is the indispensable reference book for composers, arrangers, teachers and students of composition, editors, and music processors. In the most thorough and painstakingly researched book to be published since the 1980s … it has never been more important for musicians to have ready access to principles of best practice in this dynamic field, and this timely book will support the endeavours of software users and devotees of hand-copying alike … Supported by 1,500 music examples of published scores from Bach to Xenakis, this seminal and all-encompassing guide encourages new standards of excellence and accuracy.”

It has been thirty years since the last major book on music notation. Practices have changed hugely since then and so the need for such a book is well overdue. Elaine talks about the development of the book, which started in 1990, in this great interview on the Sibelius Blog.

The book is divided in to three sections 1) general conventions, 2) idiomatic notation, and 3) layout and presentation. My favourite parts are probably some of the insights in the idiomatic writing sections, such as writing for the classical guitar. Also, the sections on notating electroacoustic music and on freedom and choice – cadenzas, ad lib. passages, independent repetition and so on – as until now there has been no authority on these areas. The cross-referencing is super effective and seamlessly done, and because it is so concise I know it will be the go-to book for everything I do for many years to come.

“With the explosion of music publishing software in recent years, the need for authoritative guides on music notation has never been more pressing. … Elaine Gould’s book is bound to be a hallmark of best notation practice. I fully imagine it will become the bible of music creators everywhere.” – Matthew Hindson (Australia)

When typesetting and preparing music there are hundreds, often thousands, of decisions that are made. Taking time to think about each one and not having a definitive answer from today’s music prep standards can be very time consuming. The confidence that each of the 704 pages will provide is priceless.

“We have all been eagerly awaiting Elaine’s monumental study. Those who have had as many years of her editorial guidance as I have will concur that she is clearly the one person with the requisite breadth and length of experience to render a balanced and penetrating view of the chaotic world of notation as it currently exists.” – Jonathan Harvey (UK)

If you are interested in reading further, see the promotional brochure here (PDF), the website here or the article I mentioned above here. Or, just order your copy!

2010 through the eyes of a blog

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It is December 31 and I just wondered “what exactly has happened this year?”

So through the eyes of this blog, let’s have a look. We’ll start with January and the tail end of our South America trip, along with the workshopping and recording of my music in Brazil.

January 4th Leg Four – Argentina to Paraguay to Brazil
January 11th Leg Five – Rio de Janeiro to Paraty to Auckland
January 12th A day with Sphaera

After spending too many hours hunting down good repertoire for my school orchestras, in February I explored the efforts of conducting. I also set up my newsletter with MailChimp.

February 20th Conducting – 90% perspiration, 10% exhilaration
February 26th Automating the monthly issue

It was a plentiful month of posts in March, many on great discoveries I recently made but also highlighted a new piece, Picture for Emily, for my niece.

March 14th Sibelius First – if you’re so inclined
March 15th Moana Ataahua programme launched
March 16th Picture for Emily – aiming for the small market
March 16th Scoring Avatar
March 18th My indispensables
March 19th If Lake Taupo was a piece of music, what would it sound like?

In April it was all about preparing Moana Ataahua for its massive premiere at the ERUPT Lake Taupo Festival.

April 24th Moana Ataahua set to ERUPT in May (article from SOUNZ)
April 28th Moana Ataahua, the rehearsals begin

I explored digital music stands in May, how they compare and how I wanted one. Do I still want one now? That is another post!

May 15th Digital music stands, hook me up – Music Pad, Music Reader, eStand

I summed up the Moana Ataahua premiere in June and did a very popular post on music apps for your iOS devices.

June 1st Moana Ataahua, the premiere
June 2nd iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad apps for the music professional

It was great to see plenty of music getting performed through July.

July 12th Wild Daisies premiere
July 18th Breathe In, Breathe Out – a concert of overtures and finales
July 27th SoundCloud, move your music
July 29th Three pieces performed by Brazil’s Sphaera Ensemble

The Auckland schools orchestra festival happened in August, so did some pondering on music theory.

August 27th Sounds great! I want it, I want it now
August 30th KBB Music Festival 2010, thumbs up
August 31st Music theory, do we need it or not?

Spent a fantastic few days in Wellington in September recording Rakaia with the NZSO. Also, Rhian Sheehan’s amazing score for The Cult, which I helped out with, won best score!

September 9th More iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad apps for the music professional
September 20th The Cult wins at Qantas Film and Television Awards
September 23rd NZSO/SOUNZ Readings 2010

In November I did a three part post looking at music printing, engravers, copyists and how things are changing. I also hooked up Sibelius users with some great resources!

November 29th So, you’re a Sibelius user?
November 30th Music printing, a journey for engravers (part 1 of 3)
November 30th Music copying and confusion (part 2 of 3)
November 30th Changing times for music preparers (part 3 of 3)

As you would expect, I got festive in December but also looked at a new feature for sounz.org.nz.

December 7th A Christmas wish list for composer-musicians
December 24th SOUNZ moves forward, again
December 24th Merry Christmas and very best wishes for the New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!

So, you’re a Sibelius user?

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If you know what Sibelius is, then I’m sure you are a user and a lover. There are so many fantastic resources available – here is a checklist to make sure you are aware of each and every one of them.

Essential resources:

Ways to connect:

Ways to shop:

  • Avid store – purchase all versions of Sibelius and all other sibelius products
  • Computer Music NZ – New Zealand’s distributor of sibelius

A way to learn:

  • Whether you use Sibelius at home, school, university or in the studio, getting the most out of it is a never-ending journey. Whether you are just starting out or need to refine the skills you have already learnt, I can help. Find out more information here and then feel free to contact me at any time.

What have I missed? Got other resources to share? Leave a comment below and I’ll add it to the list.

Scoring Avatar

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“Director James Cameron wasn’t the only one who relied on technological advances to give Avatar an otherworldly feel. Award-winning film composer James Horner also broke new ground with his compelling soundtrack, relying on Pro Tools|HD and Sibelius to compose the music, orchestrate parts, and sculpt otherworldly sonic textures.”

The Avatar score – some people love it, some people hate it, but either way, this is a nice little doco about its creation. It’s not often that James Horner appears on interviews like this – well not that I’ve come across – so it’s nice to hear him speak about what he does. It also includes the legendary scoring mixer Simon Rhodes and electronic music arranger Simon Franglen talking about their contribution.

They talk about how they used the software to bring it all together, especially interesting as the score combines both orchestral and electronic elements.

It is REALLY a promo for Avid (Pro Tools and Sibelius mainly) so prepare for an onslaught of endorsements, but I enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.

Sibelius First – if you’re so inclined

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People often ask me all about Sibelius - they hear of this wonderful program and they usually then go out and buy it. But I do wonder sometimes, do they ACTUALLY need it? They have this sensationally powerful program when all they want to do is put some pieces together for a small ensemble or make some music examples for their newsletter. Even though the full version is of course a very user-friendly program to use, it did seem like a waste to me – but now there is the updated and very swish looking Sibelius First.

It’s a lightweight version of the program, but maybe that doesn’t do it justice. Perhaps it could be the “normal” version, where the original is for the advanced user.

I really like it. I downloaded the trial version so I could have a play, and for most of the day to day things you would do with the full version of Sibelius, this is well sufficient. Check out this great comparison chart to see exactly how it compares.

I have no idea how NotePad, Finale’s lightweight program, which has been around since who knows when, weighs up to its fully featured program, but I think Sibelius has a nice balance between their two versions.

I have talked to Computer Music here in NZ and they are shipping it for NZ$280 (incl. GST), although they are currently still waiting on their stock. You can of course buy it only at the impressive Avid Store. It will be interesting to see how well it sells next to the full version which is often at a great educational price of NZ$550. I guess we will wait and see.

Well, whatever version, happy composing!