[musictlk] Scanning Music and Using GOODFEEL from Dancing DOts(was: Blind Pianists)

Tue Oct 3 09:18:32 CDT 2006

William, I'd like to ask another question.  Is it possible for a blind 
person to write Braille music on, say, a BrailleWriter or other braille 
output device and then scan it in to a computer and translate it back to 
print music?  Or does it need to be played back through a keyboard?  I need 
this information for my college so that I can tell the OSD (Office for 
Students with Disabilities).  They're looking for a solution to getting 
music theory homework done.
Beth
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William R. McCann" <BillList1 at comcast.net>
To: "'NFBnet Music Talk Mailing List'" <musictlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: [musictlk] Scanning Music and Using GOODFEEL from Dancing 
DOts(was: Blind Pianists)


> Hi, Beth and List Members,
>
> Here's some general information related to scanning print music detailing
> what's possible and what's not yet possible for blind musicians working
> independently.  I am totally blind and use JAWS.  I have independently
> scanned and transcribed into braille notation a lot of print music.  On 
> the
> other hand, I have had to seek assistance from a sighted helper on 
> numerous
> occasions to correct those inevitable scanning errors.
>
> It's important to orient the print score properly although if you scan
> something that's upside-down you can tell pretty quickly when you ask
> SharpEye to play it back for you!  Yes, stickers or brailling the cover 
> page
> of your print scores helps you orient the music correctly.
>
> Once the music is in SharpEye or in Lime, you can play it back to a 
> variable
> metronomic click and, of course, create a companion braille score using
> GOODFEEL.  In Lime you can even mute or solo selected parts to facilitate
> memorization.
>
> General Information
>
> We can scan printed music with SharpEye, listen to the computer perform 
> it,
> pass results to the Lime notation editor, add title text, etc., and then
> convert to the equivalent braille music notation using GOODFEEL. We can 
> also
> play on an electronic, MIDI musical  keyboard (piano) and do the same.  A
> third way is to import music notation created in another program into Lime
> using the new MusicXML format.
>
> I, as a blind musician, can navigate through a print score in the Lime
> notation editor. JAWS describes each note verbally as a musical note 
> sounds.
> I can feel the related braille music notation on the braille display. We
> call this new access  method to the Lime notation editor "Lime Aloud".
> Sighted people view the same music in the medium of conventional staff
> notation and also see the current  measure in a braille font in a separate
> window on screen. The scrolling of the print and the braille notation is
> synchronized so that a blind student can  easily ask a sighted teacher 
> about
> specifics of the music or vice versa.
>
> Note: When you order GOODFEEL, you also receive a license for the Lime
> notation software and the SharpEye music OCR program.  If you are a JAWS
> user, be sure to give Dancing Dots your JAWS Serial Number when you order
> GOODFEEL so that you can use the Lime Aloud access features with JAWS.
>
> Options for Input to Lime
>
> The music to be transcribed can be entered into Lime by playing it on an
> electronic musical keyboard attached to the PC via a MIDI interface or by
> scanning the hardcopy sheet music using SharpEye. Lime can also import
> MusicXML files exported from such popular notation programs as Finale and
> Sibelius.
>
> Both blind and sighted musicians can use Lime to input notes with a
> keyboard. A sighted assistant must learn to scan print hardcopy music,
> correct any scanning errors and prepare the resulting music notation files
> for automatic transcription by GOODFEEL. Although a blind user can use the
> basic music scanning functions of the SharpEye Music Reader software, it 
> is
> impossible for a blind person to correct most scanning errors 
> independently
> at the current stage of development. However, such errors can typically be
> corrected in a matter of seconds by an experienced sighted user.  Some
> errors can be corrected independently within Lime by a blind user.  But, 
> in
> general it is important to understand that a blind musician will need the
> help of a sighted assistant sooner or later when scanning printed music 
> with
> SharpEye.
>
> It is also important to know that the sighted user of SharpEye and Lime
> should know how to read print music and how to use a Windows PC.  However,
> that person need not necessarily know how to read braille or braille 
> music.
>
> HARDWARE
>
> There are three ways to input music into the Lime editor which ships with
> GOODFEEL: 1: Scan with SharpEye.  2: Enter using electronic MIDI musical
> keyboard usually attached via USB.  3: Import from other notation 
> programs
> like Finale or Sibelius using via MusicXML.  Once entered into Lime, that
> notation can be automatically converted to equivalent music braille using
> GOODFEEL.
>
> Recommended: Canon LIDE-60 (or comparable) scanner
> See our page at http://www.dancingdots.com/goodfeel.htm and follow link 
> that
> says: "Purchase your Canon LIDE scanner from Amazon."
>
> See http://www.dancingdots.com/prodesc/MIDIEquip.htm for a number of MIDI
> musical keyboards for use with the Lime notation editor that comes with
> GOODFEEL.
>
> See www.recordare.com for plug-in software for conversion to MusicXML
> (optional).
> See www.DancingDots.com/goodfeel.htm
> for details on GOODFEEL and to place an order online.
> See http://www.dancingdots.com/prodesc/lime
> aloud.htm for details on Lime Aloud. Lime Aloud features are included with
> your purchase of GOODFEEL.
>
> Bill
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: musictlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:musictlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Beth Taurasi
> Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 9:34 AM
> To: NFBnet Music Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [musictlk] Blind Pianists
>
> Wow!  But doesn't someone have to put the sheet music into the scanner for
> you?  Or do you put stickers on the corner?  How would you scan the music
> into the computer so Goodfeel can read the thing and transcribe it? 
> Sounds
> like I should brush up on my braille music so I can understand what I'm
> reading.  Also, how would you learn the music once you've transcribed it?
> Do you do it hands separately?  That's how I had to do it.  Any ideas for
> sight-reading auditions for college?
> Beth
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "karen mcDonald" <karen at eioproductions.com>
> To: "NFBnet Music Talk Mailing List" <musictlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 8:40 PM
> Subject: Re: [musictlk] Blind Pianists
>
>
>> The last music I bought was some Scott Joplin music books.  I
>> ordered them from National Braille Press.  They had one book in
>> stock, but I bought the other one and they transcribed it for me.
>> I also use recordings.  I have a lot of Braille music that I
>> bought over 30 years ago in my college days from the American
>> Printing House for the Blind.  I borrow very little music.  The
>> little I have borrowed is from the music section at NLS.  I have
>> the GoodFeel software from Dancing Dots and I plan to start
>> scanning a lot more print music in order to convert it into
>> Braille.  That will open doors for me that I can't even imagine.
>> Karen McDonald
>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Beth Taurasi" <btaurasi at bellsouth.net
>>>To: "NFBnet Music Talk Mailing List" <musictlk at nfbnet.org
>>>Date sent: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:28:23 -0400
>>>Subject: Re: [musictlk] Blind Pianists
>>
>>>How do you obtain your music?  Do you do it by recordings or
>> braille?
>>>Beth
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "karen mcDonald" <karen at eioproductions.com
>>>To: "NFBnet Music Talk Mailing List" <musictlk at nfbnet.org
>>>Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 8:19 PM
>>>Subject: Re: [musictlk] Blind Pianists
>>
>>
>>>Hi, Beth and list,
>>>I am an accompanist and have been all my life.  I can read music
>>>well, and I also learn equally well by ear.
>>>Karen McDonald
>>
>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>From: "Beth Taurasi" <btaurasi at bellsouth.net
>>>>To: "Music list" <musictlk at nfbnet.org>,"National Association of
>>>Blind Students Mailing List" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>Date sent: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:14:56 -0400
>>>>Subject: [musictlk] Blind Pianists
>>
>>>>I would like to address this letter to both lists since there are
>>>musicians on both lists.  Are there any blind pianists out there
>>>and if so, can you tell me how you learn your music? Do you
>>>obtain Braille material from the Music Section because I know the
>>>material is limited? Do you learn the music by ear? Are any of
>>>you accompanists by any chance? Please e-mail me back with a
>>>response on or off list.  Doesn't matter to me.
>>>>Beth
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>> ---------------
>>
>>
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