Talk:Music Theory/Software Needed

Change Purpose of Page?
Can this page be moved to a sort of "setup required" page instead of "Software Needed?" Requiring that users complete the sometimes long and complex process of procuring and configuring notation software (especially to produce sound) will put off many more users than it will encourage (yes, I know it's getting easier, but it's still not something I'd ever wish on my grandmother).

To produce music, all one really needs is pen, paper, and musical instrument. Any lined paper will do (even notebook paper), as long as you can draw clefs on it. Searching for "music paper" on Google turns up great stuff. People with perfect-pitch won't even need the musical instrument... However, it is quite helpful to be able to play your works as you compose them; it allows you to hear how the music really sounds and improves your ability to play your compositions. We should probably add a warning to the budding composers that they should try to become proficient in the instrument they're composing for, it really does make life a lot easier and, in the end, greatly improves the composer's ability to write music.

Music playing software really only becomes useful when your capacity to write music exceeds your capacity to play it - perhaps you're writing music harder than you're capable of playing, are writing for more voices than you or your band can play at once, or are writing parts for instruments you don't actually own. It's not an intrinsic necessity for music composition. If so desired, I can provide a guide for Linux users that would include Rosegarden, Jack, and Qsynth running on Dyne::bolic (a LiveCD), but that's a setup that should be suggested for technophiles who'd enjoy the arduous process, normal users should just be directed to musical instruments and staff paper. -- MyOwnLittlWorld (talk) 17:02, 22 January 2009 (UTC)