Etudes Writing Question

[Jazzy Beatle]

Richie, eventually I would like to write my etudes using a notation software rather than paper and pencil. Band-in-a-box doesn’t seem to be the ideal choice. I wonder if you had used Finale or Sibelius to write the course etudes and then exported them to BIAB. I know there would be a learning curve to get comfortable with the process, but ultimately it would be much neater and possibly more efficient to do it that way.

Neither BIAB nor Finale seem to support the intervallic script you introduced to us. There isn’t much about it on the Internet, either. I’m not looking for a full ‘how-to’ tutorial, but could you tell us how you do it from the conceptual standpoint? Are you just using layers of text with special symbols like arrows above the staff?

[Richie]

I use Finale like you mentioned with a layer of text on top of the notes to denote the intervallic script. Unfortunately, there is no program that would do this for you automatically if that’s what you’re wondering. For fancy arrows I have to export the graphic file to another program. It is not something I would recommend unless you are publishing books.

If you want to use finale, I would go as far as placing the intervallic script with a layer of text and then printing it out and adding the arrows manually with pencil or ink. However, if you don’t already use Finale or Sebelius…yes there is quite a learning curve. For the sake of writing and learning your own etudes, you’ll save yourself lots of time and headaches by just doing it manually. That said, if you are a computer geek like me and have the spare time, learning Finale has the advantage that you will be able to instantly hear back what you write and in addition, you will be able to export it as a midi file and open it up in Band in a Box. There you can add the rhythm section to it and practice it at different tempos and keys, with the switch of a button. Again, learning how to do this does not come easy and I would weigh the pros and cons to see if it’s worth it.

By the way, have you had a chance to write and play any of your own etudes? If so, feel free to send me some and I’ll give you some feedback. Most students will take a picture of the etude with there phone and send it to me. If you do, just don’t compress the photo so I can zoom in and read the writing…

[Jazzy Beatle]

Thank you Richie! I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I am sort of a computer geek myself. I worked in IT support department. Although I’m not a heavy user of Finale, I do have it. I kind of figured how you must be doing it and you confirmed it for me. It would be nice if there was a plug-in for the intervallic script, but since there isn’t one, workaround will have to do. I think it will be worth the effort to get comfortable with the process due to the advantages of both Finale & BIAB.

As for my own etudes, give me a little more time and I will certainly take advantage of your invaluable feedback. The amount of material is somewhat overwhelming, but it’s great and fun to work with at the same time. I’m only an amateur trying to better understand the language of jazz and enjoy playing it in the comfort of my home. Tackling jazz at the young age of 56 has its disadvantages, but I don’t want to miss the opportunity.

[Author]

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