Music and the Internet

by Rudolph Nemeth

One commercial jingle crows that "Technology is the future," but in reality, it's happening right now!! Computers have developed so quickly in the last few years... nothing like it has happened before. And this isn't the end, it's just a beginning. Whether we like it or not, we have to face it and accept it. There is no escape!

So what about a field like music, especially classical music? How is that affected? And how can we take advantage of the technology which is opening up? You probably know that you can buy CDs using the internet, and you can download music and listen to tons of Midi files, some for free!

For us music teachers, musicians and composers, the new field is using this technology for writing and arranging, as well as music publishing. For example, I know that our director, Nancy England, uses a computerized music program to write pieces for her cello students, and right now has four of her students practicing a piece composed by Piazzolla (which was sent to her from a cellist friend in Argentina!), which she has arranged for cello quartet. (I understand they may be performing it in a December recital.) There are hundreds of programs for music writing, on any level from simplest to very complicated (and expensive!)

I've tried many of these programs and have found my "home" with one called Sibelius (yes, just like the composer). It's new, simple and very professional. As you play your midi keyboard into the computer, you can see the music notation, and easily edit whatever you wish, including slurs, pedaling and so forth. After it's written, you can automatically transpose it, change instrument sounds and lots more. When I'm not teaching or tuning pianos, I'm busy composing and publishing with this program.

I've just started working with Internet publishing, and have a legal agreement with Sibelius which makes me their first Internet Publisher in the United States. I've started with a couple of classical piano pieces and I'm working on adding instruments and vocal music, and hope to branch out into educational books.

Would you like to see what I'm doing? Just go to my website, www.RudolphsMusic.com, and click on some of the Christmas music. You can see the sheet music as it plays, and you can have a nice printout of it, for free! These are not fuzzy pictures. You just download the small "Scorch" version (free) which pops up, and you can print perfect sheet music just like you'd buy from the store. Immediately, no waiting to send something in, no trip to the store! And you can browse, listen before you buy. Although we're still working on getting the bugs out of the website, we're hoping to have a very successful music publishing business, eventually allowing anyone in America, and actually, anyone in the world, to browse through my catalog and then pay me a small fee (also taken care of on the internet, of course) to print out any music they're interested in. In a few weeks there will be a nice selection of Classical piano music, and also my originals. It is a very hard process, so be patient and com back to check my website regularly.

By the way, if you're interested in buying the Sibelius program for yourself, I'll warn you: it's very expensive. But if you are really wanting it, ask me, and perhaps I can help you get it for a little cheaper than you'd pay if you bought it commercially.

Piano instructor Rudolph Nemeth works full-time as a professional musician in jazz, pop, rock and classical styles. He has released several CD's and cassettes of his music.