for Windows, 
or 
for Macintosh).SongWriter is a powerful integrated program for music transcription, notation, playback, and publishing. Incorporating elements of a word processor, a graphics designer, a sequencer, and a page-layout program, SongWriter has all the power you need to create beautiful looking sheet music and a quality MIDI performance. Easier than ever to learn and use, this program has the potential to help you produce more music—both printed and played—faster and better than ever before.
Take a moment to look over the contents of your SongWriter package. It should include:
About these tutorials
In these pages, you’ll learn how to start
putting SongWriter to work right away. From installing the software, to entering
music, to printing the score, and everything in between, we’ll cover all
the basics you need to know to get up and running fast. The Windows and
Macintosh versions of SongWriter are similar enough that we have incorporated
instructions for both into this one book. You will notice, however, that
there are two separate versions of the Installation instructions—one for
Windows users and one for Macintosh users. These chapters provide platform-specific
installation and setup instructions. Beyond these initial chapters, the
book applies to both platforms; any differences will be indicated by separate
instructions for each platform, given in parentheses. (The majority of
these differences will involve keystrokes—e.g., for Windows, or for Macintosh).
Throughout this manual, you’ll find tip boxes; one is shown at right. These tip boxes contain helpful hints and tips that relate to the text where they’re found.
Learning SongWriter won’t be difficult. Though the program offers hundreds of features and options, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with ignoring the ones you’ll never use. Don’t have a MIDI instrument? Then skip those sections of the book. Don’t plan to use guitar fretboards? Then don’t bother learning that feature. You may need some of the other options another day—or never, depending on the kind of music you want to create; that’s perfectly OK. To help you get a jump start, we’ve divided Tutorial 1 into separate entry methods. If you don’t have a MIDI keyboard, you can skip Tutorial 1b. After reading chapter 1a, if you feel comfortable using Simple Entry as your primary entry method.
Be sure to look at the Read Me file, which the SongWriter Installer copies to your hard disk and installs in the SongWriter folder. This document contains important information about SongWriter that wasn’t available when this book went to press.
Your copy of SongWriter must be authorized within 30 days of installation, after which, printing and saving are disabled. To access the Authorization Wizard, click Authorize Now when you launch SongWriter (or, from the Help Menu, choose Authorize SongWriter). You have the option to authorize over the Internet, or by phone, fax, or mail. You will be asked to provide the serial number located on the interior of your SongWriter 2010 CD/DVD case. If you are upgrading from an earlier version of SongWriter, your serial number has not changed, and can be found in the About box of your previous SongWriter version (under the Help or SongWriter 2010 menu).
If you have a question about SongWriter and can’t find the answer in this book, the User Manual, or the QuickStart Videos, additional help is available. Authorized owners may contact MakeMusic for customer support at www.SongWritermusic.com/support.
MakeMusic can also be reached by fax at (952) 937-9760, or by mail at 7615 Golden Triangle Drive, Suite M, Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3848.
In addition to receiving customer support benefits, authorization means you can also be notified of free maintenance updates and discounts on future upgrades and new products.
Please visit www.finalemusic.com to download maintenance updates, learn about other SongWriter resources, and find more information about the SongWriter family of notation products. Here you can also search our Knowledge Base for answers to frequently asked questions, and participate in SongWriter’s online community through interactive forums.
Remember that extensive help is always at your fingertips: from the Help Menu, choose User Manual.
Installation and MIDI Setup for Windows 
Installation and MIDI Setup for Macintosh
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