KarmaDrums, handmade loops factory

Lilypond is probably the best free music notator and can face commercial monsters like Finale and Sibelius.

Lilypond is a code-driven editor and can generate PDF, PostScript, SVG, PNG and Midi file simply writing the code in a text editor. If you’re not code-minded, anyway you can use some editors and GUI for Lilypond

After a one-year work, Lilypond staff has released the 2.12 ‘Rune’ version, dedicated to Rune Zedeler (staff member, musician and contributor for six years recenltly passed away)

New features and bug fix list is here.

Lilypond is not easy to learn, but, once you familiarized with the Code, you’ll be happy. And Free. Lilypond documentation and user manuals is great and will guide you towards the learning process.

Lilypond is available for almost all SO and you can download Lilypond.org download page

GUI and Lilypond editors:
Lilypond Tool (Editor – Windows, Linux, Mac)
Canorus (Windows, Linux, Mac)
Rosegarden (Linux)
LilyKDE (Linux)
Denemo (Linux, Windows)

Example of Lilypond code for a c scale


relative c' { c d e f g a b c }


for a drums groove


markup "Smooth operator, from Diamond life (1984)"
markup "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efdfGeUKXuU"

new DrumStaff with {
consists "Parenthesis_engraver"
} <<
context DrumVoice = "1" { s1 *2 }
context DrumVoice = "2" { s1 *2 }
drummode {
<<
{ hh8 hh hh hh hh hh }

{ bd4 hhp8 bd bd4 hhp8 bd }
>>

<<
{ hh8 hh hh hh hh }

{ bd4 hhp8 bd bd4 hhp8 bd }
>>

}
>>

Other posts about: free music notation • lilypond • sheets editor