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The File Menu

New music window
Open music stored locally...
Open music at Ars Nova online library...[Macintosh only]
Import MIDI File...
Import ABC File...
Import MusicXML File...
Split the current file into two parts...
Window

Close
Save
Save As...
Save as default score layout
Export MIDI file...
Export Sound file...[Macintosh only]
Page Setup...
Page Preview
Print...
Set Page Margins...
Set Print Scaling...[Win only - on Macs this is in Page Setup]
Set or change file password
Check for updates via the internet
Quit

New music window

Creates a new empty music window. If you would like to have a particular layout appear each time you use this command, set up a window as you would like to see it (the desired number of staves, font choices, tempo, etc.), or open a piece that has the layout you want, and then use the "Save as default score layout" command.

Open music stored locally...

Opens any Songworks file you've stored on your computer.

Open music at Ars Nova Online Library...

Opens any music file stored at Ars Nova's online music library. This of course requires an internet connection. You can't save files to the online library, but you can open a file there and then save it to your local computer if desired. This command is available only in the Macintosh version of Songworks. Windows users can download files from the Ars Nova Music Library by visiting our web site.

Import MIDI file...
Import ABC file...
Import MusicXML file...

See this manual's page on importing files.

Split the current file into two parts...

A very long file can be hard to handle - editing is slower because there's so much music to update each time you make a change. If you use this command you'll be asked for a measure number at which you'd like to break the file, and Songworks will neatly divide all staves at that measure, placing the later measures into a separate file.

Window

Leads to a popup menu that lists all the currently open music windows. If you have several open at once you can choose from this list to bring forward a window currently hidden in the background.

Close

Closes the currently active music window, plus any associated page preview window. You'll be given a chance to Save if there were changes made since the last Save.

Save

Saves the current music to a location you choose.

Save As...

Saves the current music under a new name or to a different location.

Save as default score layout

Saves the layout of the current music window as the default layout for new music windows. If you customarily write leadsheets, or choral music, or quartets, you can open or create a piece that is set up as you like it and then use this command to make that the default layout. Then whenever you start the program or use the New command you'll get a fresh music window set up as you prefer: the number of staves, their positions, their clef, key, and meter, tempo, measure numbering choice, etc. - all will be be as they were in the one you saved. You can do this even with a piece that already contains notes - only the layout is stored.

Export MIDI file...

MIDI files are lists of note numbers and times, etc. that can be played or performed by a variety of programs, including Apple's QuickTime Player and Microsoft's Media Player. Many notation programs can also interpret such files as notation, though MIDI files contain no notation. This is not a substitute for saving your file as a Songworks file. What it's really good for is the creation of a very compact file that can be played by any computer system on the market. Windows users will also need this as the first step in creating a sound file using third party software (see below). Songworks 3 performs all repeats, Da Capos, etc. in the MIDI file according to the preferences set in your Listening Options.

Export Sound file...[Macintosh only]

On Macintosh computers this uses one of the Macintosh's built-in features to produce a sound file from the contents of the current music window. This file can be brought into iTunes and burned to an audio CD, after which it can be played on any CD player. Windows users (XP, Vista, Win7) will need to use a different method to create a sound file: first export a MIDI file, then use any of several available software products that can convert MIDI to sound.

Page Setup...

Choose the page size and orientation for the current music. On Macintosh computers this is also where you set the Print Scaling, if it's anything other than 100%.

Page Preview

Opens a window that will show your music as it will appear on a printed page. You can leave a Page Preview window open while making adjustments in the editing window.

Print...

Print the music to a connected printer. On Macintosh computers you can also choose in the print dialog to print to a "pdf" file instead of to a printer. PDF files are universal image files that can be viewed or printed from any contemporary computer. Windows computers can also print to a pdf file if you have equipped the computer with Adobe's Acrobat software.

Set Page Margins...

Change the default page margins for the current music.

Set Print Scaling...

[Windows only. On Macintosh computers this is done in the Page Setup window]. Sets the percent for print scaling, if you want to print notes that are larger or smaller than standard. Songworks will adjust the number of measures per line as appropriate for the scaling: greater than 100% means fewer measures per line and larger music symbols; less than 100% means more measures per line and smaller music symbols.

Set or change file password...

You can lock a file so that no one can alter it without knowing the password (that wouldn't stop them from deleting it).

Check for updates via the internet.

If you have a connection to the internet this will check to see if there is a free update available for Songworks, and will give you the choice of downloading it if one is available. The update process is automatic if you choose to download an update.

Quit

Quits. But you'll be given a chance to save changes if any have been made since the last Save.

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