Score Controls

The NoteAbility tools and some of the most commonly used score controls are located at the top and bottom of the score window.

Above the score there are two sets of controls. The upper row of controls is the Score Toolbar and contains many of the tools and buttons that are essential to operate the program. The lower row of controls is context sensitive and alters depending on the current activity of the user.

The controls in the Score Toolbar at the top of the score window consist of the Current Command display (which indicates which image will be added), the NoteAbility Tool Palette (the 20 different tools that are used for entering various kinds of images, for selecting images and for text editing), playback controls, page controls (for shifting from one page to another), controls for moving the Entry Cursor to different measure, and beat locations, and buttons for some common editing actions.

Current Command

On the left side of the Score Controls is the Current Command. This text field displays the sequence of characters that indicates which NoteAbility image will be added next. Except when you are using one of the text tools or entering text in a panel, all typing done while the score is active will appear in the Current Command field.

Since NoteAbility automatically directs your typing into this field, it is not necessary to click the cursor in this text box before typing. Also, after an image has been added to the score, new typing will automatically replace the existing command with the new characters. This means that if you are continuing to enter the same image, you don't need to type anything, and if you want to enter a new image, you can simply type the new command without deleting the previous one. For a complete list of the NoteAbility commands for various music symbols refer to the NoteAbility Command List

- You may also use the Note Palette or the Image List panel to supply the command rather than typing it.

NoteAbility Tool Palette

The palette of NoteAbility Tools control the various functions that you can perform with the program. When one of these tools is choosen, the button is highlighted and the cursor is modified to reflect the activity selected. The tools are contained within a scrolling window with the most common tools normally visible.

Currently in NoteAbility there are 27 different tools available - they are:

Image	Tool	Description
	Insert Image	For entering most musical images onto the page.
	Move Entry Cursor	For re-positioning the Entry Cursor.
	Selection	For selecting an image or a group of images on the score.
	Select Score	For selecting a segment of the score (along a single staff or on multiple staves).
	Measure Text	For entering and editing text (affixed to the measure and staff). The majority of text entered in your score is entered with this tool
	Graphic Slur	For adding graphic slurs (slurs not connected to notes)
	Crescendo	For adding crescendi and decrescendi.
	Line	For drawing straight lines.
	Lyrics	For entering Lyrics under a line of music.
	Page Text	For entering and editing text (affixed to the page).
	Trill	For adding trills.
	Arpeggio	For adding arpeggios.
	Graphic Tuplet	For adding tuplet graphics.
	Octava	For adding octava and octava basso images.
	Graphic Beam	For adding beam extensions and measured tremolo.
	Multiple Measure Rest	For adding multiple measure rests.
	Rectangle	For drawing framed and filled rectangles.
	Oval	For drawing framed and filled ovals.
	Curve	For drawing curved lines
	Max Text	For entering and editing Max text boxes.
	GFWD (blue)	For entering GFWD messages onto the score. (antescofo score-following)
	GFWD (green)	For entering embedded GFWD messages. (antescofo score-following)
	LFWD	For entering LFWD messages. (antescofo score-following)
	KILLFWD	For entering KILLFWD messages. (antescofo score-following)
	S-curve Slur	For entering graphical S-Curve Slurs
	Freehand Graphics (Lines)	For entering Freehand line graphics
	Freehand Graphics (Curves)	For entering Freehand curve graphics

- The Graphic Beams tool, the Multiple Measure rest tool, Graphic Slur tool, and the Tuplet tool should only be used only when graphical versions of these images are required. Normally, multiple measure rests are created by the Measure Rests menu item, tuplets are formed automatically when tuplet note and rest values are entered in the score, beams are created either automatically as notes are entered or with the Beam Notes menu item, and slurs are created by selecting notes and clicking on the Slur Notes button.

Playback Controls

For convenience, Playback controls are included at the top of the score - they also appear in the Playback Controls pane of the Music Images Panel. The first of these two buttons causes the score to play from the beginning, while the second button causes the score to play from the measure that the Entry Cursor is currently in. While playing, the button you clicked changes to a Stop icon -- clicking the button during playback stops the performance.

Whatever tempo, tempo map, playback map has been set for the score will be used during playback. While playing, a view appears below these controls with miniature buttons which can be used to stop or pause playback or alter the tempo.

Page Controls

The Page Controls allow you to move to a different score page. The left and right arrows shift to the previous or next page, while the scroll bar allows you to jump quickly to another page. You can also change pages by entering the page number in the Page text box and typing Return. There are also menu items in the Format menu (and the shortcuts Command-< and Command->) which move you to the previous or next page.

Measure and Beat Controls

The Measure and Beat Controls show the current position of the Entry Cursor and allow you to move the Entry Cursor to different measure and beat locations in the score. The left and right arrows shift to the previous or next measure or beat. You can also move the Entry Cursor to a specific measure or beat position by entering a number in the Measure or Beat text boxes and typing return. If the measure is on a different page, the score will jump to that page. The second measure text box shows the measure number of the specified measure (since measure numbers may not conform to the actual number of measures in the score. In the example above, the Entry Cursor is on beat 1.25 of the 16th measure of the score which is measure number 45 (since the first measure of this particular score is 29.)

While these controls can be used to move the Entry Cursor around the score, it is usually faster to move around the document using the Space-bar or Shift-Space bar which move the Entry Cursor to the next or previous beat position or to drag the Entry Cursor by grabbing the rectangle along the right side of the Cursor.

- Regardless of the page number or measure numbers displayed on the score, the Score controls consider the first page and first measure of the document to be 1.

Editing Shortcuts

Some of the most commonly used editing functions have button shortcuts on the score toolbar:

Insert Rest button - can be used to enter a rest of the same duration as the note value indicated in the current command. If the Current Command is q a quarter rest will be inserted, if the Current Command is e an eighth rest will be inserted, and so on. (alternative: Command-r)
Jump Cursor Back button - can be used to cause the Entry Cursor to jump back to its previous location. This is useful when chords are being entered. (alternative: Command-g)
Slur Notes button - can be used to create a slur above or below selected notes. Slurs entred using this button are connected to the notes and adjust automatically as the notes are adjusted. (alternative: Command-spacebar when it is the hot button)
Tie Notes button - can be used to create a tie between selected notes. Notes must be in the same voice and be the same pitch in order to be tied. (alternative: Command-Shift-T)

- The small red circle in the Slur Notes button indicates that this button is the current "hot button". The "hot button" can be activated by typing Command-spacebar rather than by clicking on the button. Almost all buttons in NoteAbilityPro have a a small circle (usually in the top-left corner) which can be enabled causing that button to be the new "hot button" - the previous button will no longer be highlighted.

Customizing the Score Toolbar

The Score Toolbar can be customized by either choosing the Customize Toolbar... item in the Windows menu or by Control-clicking the toolbar. A number of buttons such as a page setup button, a print button, a color panel button, can all added to on the Score Toolbar. As well existing tools can be removed. Since the NoteAbility Tools and the Current Command are not available elsewhere in the application, you should not remove these items from the toolbar.

Some of the additional toolbar items are shown below:

Context Dependent Controls

Below the Score Toolbar there is another row of controls which alternates between 3 sets of controls depending on whether you are entering notes, editing the score, or playing the score.

When you are entering images in the score, the following controls are available:

Current Voice

Normally in NoteAbility there are three voices permitted per staff. When notes (or chords) are entered in one of these voices, their default stem direction is set to be:

stems up or down depending on the pitch or on the pitches of the beam group
stems in an upward direction
stems in a downward direction

To switch voices in the score, click on one of the three Voice radio buttons. All images entered with the mouse, the on-screen keyboard, or using a MIDI keyboard will belong to the voice set with these controls.

It is possible to flip the stem direction of notes regardless of which voice the notes belong to. However, these notes and chords will revert back to their default direction when the images are adjusted.

- It is important to remember that all notes entered into the same voice at the same beat location are formed into chords. If you want notes (or chords) at the same beat location to have separate stems, they must be entered as different voices. Most music can be entered using the first voice, and other voices are normally only necessary when two or more separate voices are written on one staff.

Note Palette

Some of the common note values are available in the Note Palette. Clicking on one these buttons loads the appropriate character into the Current Command. For example if you click on the eight note button followed but the dot button, the Current Command will be "e." while if you click on the sixteenth note button, the Current Command will be "s". Note also that if you type a command (such as "w" the appropriate button (in this case the whole note button) will be highlighted.

Accidental Palette

The accidental palette allows accidentals to be applied to the last entered note (or any collection of notes selected with either the Selection or Select Score tools). These buttons are shortcuts to the Modify / Accidentals menu items.

Tuplet Controls

To engage triplets, quintuplets or any arbitrary tuplet grouping, click on these radio buttons.

When any tuplet grouping is engaged, the Entry Cursor is altered so that the tuplet value is indicated in the Entry Cursor.

This helps to remind you to turn off the tuplet setting after you have finished entering it. (Command-e can also be used to clear the tuplet setting.)

- The tuplet value must be set before notes are entered. It is not possible to enter notes as eighth notes and then to modify them so that they are triplet eighth notes. Click on the triplet button before entering the notes -- this will ensure that they are positioned correctly in the score and that they will have the correct playback duration.

An Insert Rest button and a Tie Notes button are also include in this collection of controls.

Score Panels

There are four small buttons which bring up drawers on the left side of the score. These panels are used for the following purposes:

Repeats - for setting playback repeats in your score.
Network - for setting network addresses and ports if you are sending remote messages to another application
Tempo - for setting and engaging the tempo map for the score
Tracks - for setting and all the playback characteristics for your score

When editing the score (i.e. the Selection or Select Score tool has been choosen), the following controls are available:

These popup menus are duplicates of the menus found in the Modify menu, but are positioned here for ease of access. As well, a Slur Notes button and a Beam Notes button are positioned beside the pull-down menus. For information on these menus, refer to the Modify Menu.

When you are playing back a score, the following controls are available:

There are miniature buttons for stopping or pausing playback, a tempo slider and tempo display for adjusting tempo during playback and counters which display both elapsed time and the measure and beat currently playing.

Playback counters can also be added to the main Score Control area using the Customize Toolbar... menu mentioned above. These counters will retain the score playback duration and ending playback position after the score has finished playing.

At the bottom of the score there are buttons and controls for the following actions:

changing the document view size, (between 25% and 250%)
switching between single-page and multi-page display
causing the music on the current page to be formatted
enabling or disabling MIDI input to this document
enabling or disabling speech recognition commands
turning the Entry Cursor on or off
turning on or off the auto increment feature of the Entry Cursor (normally the Entry Cursor will advance to the next beat position after entering a note or rest)
turning on or off the auto page turn feature (normally when you reach the end of the page, the score moves to the next page)
enabling or disabling a metronome during score playback
locking the positions of stems and beams in the current score
optimizing playback so that the counters and playback markers are more accurate
displaying the last change to the score (that can be undone)
undoing or redoing the last change to the score
bringing up the Help files.

When enabled, the playback metronome will play a note on each beat of the score using the instrument set on the DLS channel 1. The first beat of each measure is accented.