I also keep hearing disparaging remarks to the effect that Notion is not really ready for prime time, isn't 'professional,' etc. Although it seems like in order to change a note's duration in the middle of a measure, you have to pretty much re-notate the entire measure. I'm currently leaning towards Notion for its ease of use. I don't want to endlessly tweak spacing-that's what computers are for. I want to be able to notate and edit with the least amount of wear and tear on my hands, especially re. I use an ergonomic keyboard (by Kinesis) that doesn't have a numeric keypad. I recovered after hand surgery, and have been very ergonomically-minded ever since. Of particular concern: I had a carpal-tunnel type injury in 1990. I want decent playback for aural proofing, and print output that musicians will be OK with. I also understand that any computer audio output is 'reasonable facsimile thereof,' not the Berlin Philharmonic.Īt this point, my main concern is ease of use in note entry and editing. I don't do avant-garde stuff, but I do change meter. So while I need a reasonably good-looking score output, I am not an engraving freak. I plan on writing chamber music, choral music and songs for real people to perform. I haven't used Sibelius much for years, due to the all-consuming nature of my old day job. Since then I've fooled with Notion and MuseScore. But I couldn't bring myself to continue with renting software and supporting a predatory company. A few years ago, I paid Avid $89 to upgrade from Sib 5 to an early version 8.x, simply to stay in their game. I've actually used Music Printer Plus (for DOS!) and Sibelius for real work. Over the years, I've tried numerous programs. I still have some music in me, and now I finally have time to write it. I'm a recently retired computer and network professional with a double major in theater and music from the 1970s, and a bassoon I play actively.

I'm in 'Analysis Paralysis' about notation software.

Finale vs sibelius vs dorico