Tutorial: Creating a New Song

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Up to now you have been working with the Twinkle.mid MIDI file that someone else created. You might want to compose or arrange your own song from scratch.

Composer's New Song Wizard offers you an easy way to start a new score for any instrument, voice, or ensemble you want.  In a short series of New Song Wizard steps, you will specify the following important details of the song:

B8instrument(s) or ensemble
B8meter (time signature)
B8key signature
B8number of measures
B8song title

 

Of course, you can later change any of these details of the song, or insert meter and key signature changes throughout the song.

 

The New Song Wizard offers blank scores prepared for a wide variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles.  If you do not find a prepared blank score that exactly matches your musical group, then you can prepare your own customized song template.  A song template is simply another Notation .not file that serves as the initial blank score with the list of instruments and/or voices you need.

prcarrow To create a new song:

1.If no files are currently opened, then click the Sheet Music icon or the text "Create a New Song", which is displayed in the main part of Notation's window:

FrontPanelCreateNewSong

-- OR --

Choose the New command in the File menu.

-- OR --

Type CTRL+N, which is the standard Windows shortcut for File Open.

Composer will display the first step of a 5-step New Song Wizard.

2.At the first step of the New Song Wizard, select the ensemble, instrument, or voice that most closely matches your needs.

NewSongWizardStep1

Composer shows you the results of your choices as you go through the steps in the New Song Wizard.  The above example illustrates how the choice of the Voice and Piano ensemble is immediately reflected in the score underneath the wizard window.  You can move the wizard window out of the way if you need to see different parts of the initial score.

3.If you are creating a score for some solo instrument other than one in the list, then follow instructions in the topic Creating a New Song File.
4.Click the Next button in the wizard window, and continue through each of the steps to enter:
B8meter (time signature)
B8key signature
B8number of measures
B8song title
5.In the last step of the wizard, in addition to entering the song title, also specify whether the song should initially be displayed in Window View or Song View.  Use the Set As Default option to save this selection for future new songs.

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