Drum Notation Important Feature Request
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:08 pm
Hi guys,
in general I love Notion and its simplicity approach to writing scores. Me as a drummer there are 3 main annoying things about notion that made me use a different program again. Unfortunately.
1. Slashes without stem!
It is very common to write slashes to tell the player keep doing what you do until lets say count 4 of that bar and then notate the specific fill. Or write slashes and kicks on top in voice 2. This just makes things clear and easy to read.
2. Notion need to write the right note head automatically for cymbals.
Thats probably the most annoying part. A closed hihat has always a x. A crash always a O as the note head or at least just make all cymbals (Hihat, Ride, Crash) an x note, if you don´t want to differentiate the different types. A drummer will understand that. But at the moment you have to write the note and change the head, or change the head beforehand and then change it back. Unnecessary!
And that also comes with it - changing the note head resets the rhythmic value to quarter notes. Drives me nuts. You are writing out a fill with your hands in lets say 16th and involve HH or Cymbals and change the note head and choose the rhythmic value again - and the the same again if you are back on the drums. That is slowing me down!
If I write notes in with my mouse alright I get it, it would be probably hard to program.
But if I use a midi keyboard or even better the drum pads in the software, it needs to do the change automatically. There will never be a hihat written with a normal note head. It is an x!
3. Keeping 8 bars together in one system
At the moment, if you want to have a clean 8 bar or 4 bar or whatever many bars you want in one system, you have to manually link every single bar to the next. OK it works but again wasting time. Select the bars you want to link together and let me link em. Please!
Why is this so essential?
You want to deliver a clean chart that the player does´t have to think about. He should play and have an instant understanding of what is going on in the most simple way.
And writing that needs to be quick and straight forward.
Believe me, why do I take the time to write all this, because I see the potential of this software being my favourite writing tool.
Please tell me what you think or maybe I missed some solutions?!
Cheers
in general I love Notion and its simplicity approach to writing scores. Me as a drummer there are 3 main annoying things about notion that made me use a different program again. Unfortunately.
1. Slashes without stem!
It is very common to write slashes to tell the player keep doing what you do until lets say count 4 of that bar and then notate the specific fill. Or write slashes and kicks on top in voice 2. This just makes things clear and easy to read.
2. Notion need to write the right note head automatically for cymbals.
Thats probably the most annoying part. A closed hihat has always a x. A crash always a O as the note head or at least just make all cymbals (Hihat, Ride, Crash) an x note, if you don´t want to differentiate the different types. A drummer will understand that. But at the moment you have to write the note and change the head, or change the head beforehand and then change it back. Unnecessary!
And that also comes with it - changing the note head resets the rhythmic value to quarter notes. Drives me nuts. You are writing out a fill with your hands in lets say 16th and involve HH or Cymbals and change the note head and choose the rhythmic value again - and the the same again if you are back on the drums. That is slowing me down!
If I write notes in with my mouse alright I get it, it would be probably hard to program.
But if I use a midi keyboard or even better the drum pads in the software, it needs to do the change automatically. There will never be a hihat written with a normal note head. It is an x!
3. Keeping 8 bars together in one system
At the moment, if you want to have a clean 8 bar or 4 bar or whatever many bars you want in one system, you have to manually link every single bar to the next. OK it works but again wasting time. Select the bars you want to link together and let me link em. Please!
Why is this so essential?
You want to deliver a clean chart that the player does´t have to think about. He should play and have an instant understanding of what is going on in the most simple way.
And writing that needs to be quick and straight forward.
Believe me, why do I take the time to write all this, because I see the potential of this software being my favourite writing tool.
Please tell me what you think or maybe I missed some solutions?!
Cheers