Last week I described how to submit SmartMusic repertoire suggestions. I've since had folks ask if there was a place where they could pass along their ideas for features or new directions with the SmartMusic program.

The answer is yes! We log and track feature requests through our online knowledge base. Please feel free to let us know what you'd like to see improved or added, or share whatever is on your mind. These suggestions are reviewed by our project management team and play an important role as they determine what will be included in future versions of SmartMusic.

If you'd prefer to discuss your ideas with others, I encourage you to visit the SmartMusic Forums where you'll meet a positive, helpful community of SmartMusic users as well as an active moderation team.  Recent "Future of SmartMusic" topics include:

• Whether we'll see the mini bassoon in SmartMusic,
• The use of SmartMusic in the Wenger V-Room, and
• Ideas for iPhone apps

I hope to see you there!

Among many other improvements, SmartMusic 2010 speeds up the file retrieval process and makes files easier to manage. Today SmartMusic grabs content à la carte - as you pick each piece, rather than requiring you to slowly download one very large (+800MB) block of files as it did in the past. In addition to saving you disk space this also offers three additional benefits:

1. In most cases all parts are downloaded - switch from flute to oboe and it just loads the new part. In past versions, you'd be sitting at another download screen while SmartMusic dutifully grabbed the next part for you.
2. Downloaded files are stored locally. It works similarly to iTunes: If you look at the left navigation bar in Find Music, the "On This Computer" section lists all of your downloaded solos, method books, and band pieces. The list has a cool "as you type" search box, too, to quickly pare down the list to help you find something fast.

The third benefit is the whole point of today's post. You can create a playlist of pretty much anything you want, then export it and open that same playlist on another computer, meanwhile SmartMusic will immediately start downloading all of those titles in the background!

Here's an example:

Open up the Solo section in Find Music, then indicate English Horn - click a title, then "Download for Later," and click the next title. Go through all of the English Horn solos in this fashion. Watch the little "Downloads…" indicator in the lower left, and when it's done, jump into the "Solos" section on this computer and create a playlist of these files. Under Playlists, right-click your new list of English Horn solos and choose Export. You now have a file that you can put on any computer that runs SmartMusic 2010 where you only have to double-click the file and SmartMusic will launch and begin downloading all of the content in that playlist.

My example is a little extreme - most folks can benefit from this by making a playlist of a few pieces they're currently working on. I'm sure you'll come up with some more creative uses of this feature - please share them with us here by posting a comment.

Have suggestions on improving playlists? We track feature requests through our online knowledge base at http://smartmusic.custhelp.com/app.

PS: Bob Grifa covers some of these changes in more detail here.

While SmartMusic's ability to accompany your students — and assess them — is extremely powerful, there is a limit to this power: Software can't go beyond the intersection of microphones and math. That's where you come in.

Measuring the accuracy of your students' rhythm and pitch is SmartMusic's strong suit. On the other hand, tone, phrasing, and precise intonation are currently beyond its grasp.

In my experience, tone is subjective. I've played with a dark, vibrato-less tone in some concert bands and brass quintets, to grisly loud in screamer lead trumpet bands. Either sound would be wildly inappropriate in the other context. While we might agree on some basics, even with a baseline a computer is in a poor position to make this judgment.

Phrasing is similarly difficult for a computer to rate. I think most people consider phrasing part of their interpretation as it is rarely bound into the score. Phrasing is dependent on context, too — you might pause and breathe differently when playing a 3rd clarinet part in a large group than in a one-on-one session.

While SmartMusic clearly knows the difference between C and C#, and its pitch recognition seems to improve with every new version, the ability to detect a few cents worth of intonation variation — on every 16th note that whizzes by — remains elusive.

What is the solution for these "shortcomings?"

You.

By checking "Recording Required" when you give assignments from the SmartMusic Gradebook you get the opportunity to listen, review, and assess those things the software can't comprehend.

Tone, phrasing, and intonation are not the only limits to SmartMusic, either. Despite all the things SmartMusic has heard over the years, it can't talk about them. It will never share stories of studying the saxophone with Eugene Rousseau, or of adding antifreeze to valve oil while marching in Minnesota in December.

It's important to not overlook the most important component of the complete SmartMusic system — your experience!

No matter how extensive the SmartMusic repertoire library becomes, we'll continue to receive requests for specific pieces. For today's blog I thought I'd describe the process of how new repertoire is added to SmartMusic.

A primary factor in determining which pieces are added is input from users like yourself. If you'd like to see a piece added to SmartMusic, we ask that you fill out a very short form on our request page.

Once we've prioritized which titles to add, the next step is to check with the publisher of each piece and work out the copyright details. This work can sometimes be the most drawn-out portion of the process.

Once we have their permission, we work very closely with the publisher. Typically they've engraved the piece in Finale for publication, and so they can provide us with Finale files. If they don't provide Finale files, we'll create them here.

We also look to the publisher for a professional-quality recording of the piece. They use these recordings to entice folks to purchase the charts: We make additional use of their hard work by harnessing the same recordings for the audio component of each SmartMusic title. Then time is spent matching the recording with the notation and fine-tuning the results.

Once this work is done, the piece gets checked over again for mistakes, related assignments are created for all ensemble pieces, and the completed files are put into a "batch." Once we have a handful of pieces waiting in a batch, we publish them into SmartMusic.

Want to see what we've been up to lately? Click on this link, and indicate what you're looking for (you can specify an ensemble type, level of difficulty, or search for a particular composer or title) and we'll show you what's been added recently.

Can't wait for the next batch? Keep in mind that you can also create your own SmartMusic accompaniments using Finale— those details are available here.

Improvisation has never been my strongest suit. I stuck to playing lead in jazz bands because I was insecure about my solo chops. This is where I usually say "If only I'd had SmartMusic back then!"

If only I'd had SmartMusic back then!

Check out some of the resources I could have used: From SmartMusic's Find Music screen, click on "Jazz Improvisation" to view jazz collections from Jamey Aebersold, Alfred Master Tracks, and Wynton Marsalis. Open Aebersold Volume 25 (All-time Standards) and select "Have You Met Miss Jones."

Unfortunately, we can't show the melody line from these tunes due to copyright concerns (support the publishers and buy your copies!), but check out what we can show you. At the top of the screen look for "Slash Notation," which I've circled in red below:

Clicking on "Slash Notation" produces a menu that lets you choose from a variety of Jerry Coker-style jazz patterns, each named for the chord tones they outline. For example, select 13577531 and see the arpeggiated notation appear:

This is an excellent way for your students to get the chord tones under their fingers. Once they're comfortable with this, try a different pattern or transpose to different keys to really put 'em through their paces.

Look for this feature in all the jazz repertoire and experiment — and satisfy those National Standards!

Should you or your students ever hear strange playback from SmartMusic - perhaps sounding like the music is playing back at the wrong speed - and you're using a Windows computer, this week's blog is for you.

The first response should be to update your system's sound card drivers. Downloading the latest drivers - regardless of the associated hardware - is always an excellent first step as updated drivers are typically created specifically to address the problems customers have experienced. Think of it as "good computer hygiene."

If you've purchased your sound card separately, you'll want to look to that sound card's website for driver updates. In most cases, however, you'll want to go to the website of the company that built your computer. Look for a "Drivers," "Download," or "Support" section where you can enter your computer's model number and your operating system, and then scan the associated updates. Look specifically for audio updates. While you're at this site you might also review all applicable updates - even those that don't pertain to audio - as they may save you some grief further down the road. Once you've installed applicable updates, restart your computer and check SmartMusic again.

If updating drivers doesn't eliminate your problem, find your sound card's control panel software. This might be in your "Programs" menu (underneath the Start Menu) or in your Windows Control Panel. It should say "Realtek," "Sigmatel" or a similar brand name. Inside this software, look for "Sound Enhancements" and disable any that are listed. Note that "Sound Enhancements" might be hiding in an "Advanced Settings" area. While you're here, look for a "sample rate" or "quality" setting. Not all computers will have this shown. If you see it, make sure it's set to 44.1KHz or "CD Quality." After making these changes, reboot your computer and try SmartMusic again.

Should you experience the rare scenario that the above steps don't address, or have questions about any of the above, our support staff is glad to help. Contact them at: http://smartmusic.custhelp.com/app/ask

As a final thought, you might also make sure that the strange playback sound isn't simply a recording of a beginning trombone, which can produce a very unique sonic footprint, not unlike the mournful lamentations of a homesick moose.

You might not hear the word "collection" used often in the context of SmartMusic, but many of you use collections daily. When you're searching for music and see a little blue book to the left of a title, this indicates that there is an assortment of pieces inside. I've circled one in red below: 

A collection is like a listing of all the songs on an album. Opening a collection looks a little different, as you arrive at a different screen, but it more clearly illustrates the organization of the music.

Knowing that collections exist will help when, for example, you run a Quick Search for "Beethoven" and see "Arias for Soprano." While at first this search result may seem strange, as this title doesn't mention Beethoven, inside this collection you'll find one of Beethoven's arias from Fidelio.

Speaking of collections, we just released "Easy Rock Instrumental Solos" (Alfred Publishing), and I couldn't resist: I had to play "Stairway to Heaven."

Ah, to be a rock, and not to roll - indeed.

Last week I shared some tips to help folks using SmartMusic at home breeze through installation and activation. In the school network world, it becomes a bit more complicated due to different schools' rules and state laws, so I'll share some specific info for school users today. If you're using SmartMusic at home, or are not the person who installs software at your school, don't be concerned by the following technical language: There will not be a test.

There are many different kinds of network setups, so we have prepared a fairly exhaustive list of technical specifications here. We revise that knowledge base article whenever SmartMusic or the websites are updated, so it's the most detailed list you can find to help your network staff. There is also a nice general summary in this documentwhich includes a rundown of the system requirements.

Here are some 'executive level' points:

1. SmartMusic has to be installed on the machine that will run it; it cannot be run from a remote or network location.
2. Install and activate as the Administrator account; limited users can use it afterwards. They will need to be able to write temporary files in the Documents and Settings directories, however.
3. Whitelists: SmartMusic relies on unfettered Internet access to a small number of websites. Add "smartmusic.exe" (or "smartmusic.app" for Macs) to your list of approved programs for network access. SmartMusic requires access only to these websites (normal ports):

   a. www.smartmusic.com
   b. components.smartmusic.com
   c. ws.makemusic.com
   d. redirect.makemusic.com

4. System requirements: Compare the specs of the computers you plan to use against the SmartMusic system requirements.While lower-end budget computers work great for word processing and math tutorial software, they tend to fare poorly when presented with a professional-level audio program. Pay special attention to sufficient RAM, and know that investing in a sound card will pay off quite a bit.

Now I know I said there wouldn't be a test, but I do have a short quiz: Desktops, notebooks, netbooks, laptops, and cheese sandwiches - which of these isn't a real computer?

I'm tempted to say netbooks, as they often have very underpowered CPUs, but the real answer is the cheese sandwich. Netbooks are a close second, however: If your district is contemplating buying a bunch of these, definitely download SmartMusic onto one first and try recording with the "sample" files.

With that, the time has come for one cheese sandwich to meet its maker.

Best wishes!

In the last few years we've made some great strides in simplifying the installation, activation, enrollment, and general use of SmartMusic. To accomplish this we've sat with countless students and teachers and watched them use the program. We've sent out surveys, gone to conventions, and gathered information from customer support and other members of our staff who work directly with SmartMusic users. Any time someone encounters a hurdle, we start taking notes, and often the hurdle is eliminated in the next release.

Nevertheless, there are still some things you can do on your end ensure that your initial installation of SmartMusic succeeds without a hitch, and that is the subject of this post.

Installation

1. Close all other programs! I think every piece of software I've ever installed advises me to do this, yet I often ignore the warning. It's serious business. If you're actively running other programs, they can interfere with the installation process and cause problems that don't creep up until later. Taking this extra step now can save you from having to reinstall later.
2. Log in as the Administrator account. For home users, this is usually the first account that was set up on your computer, such as a parent's account. Not every computer is set up this way, but with Windows Vista and Windows 7, it's more and more common to see multiple accounts on one computer.
3. Know your security software. At some point in the process, your computer's security software may chime in about SmartMusic needing to write to the Registry, talk to our website, etc. Read through this information and act accordingly. Legitimate software (like ours) will need to write to the Registry and access your Internet connection, so if you choose to block its access, SmartMusic won't work at all.

Activation

1. Welcome to the Internet! After SmartMusic is done installing, it needs to activate. In addition, SmartMusic grabs the pieces of music you need when you request them, so it needs full, unfettered access to your Internet connection. Make sure you've given our software permission to use the network when you manage your firewall or other security software.
2. E-mail, e-mail, e-mail. This is our #1 activation-related question: "When I try to activate, it tells me I have no subscription. I just bought one - why can't I activate?" This occurs when a parent purchases SmartMusic using one e-mail address, and their student tries to install an activate using a different e-mail address. You can avoid this problem entirely if, when purchasing SmartMusic, you indicate the email address your student will be using.
3. Did I mention that you should know your security software? Just checking, because we hear from dozens of folks daily who have difficulties with firewall software, and the support team doesn't have access to all of the firewall software there is out there.

Next week, I'll have some additional tips for school environments. If you like, I can even include some tech-y jargon you can use to wow the folks in your IT department!

Sorry, I love that joke. In the spirit of our recent blog posts recommending things to do in SmartMusic between your winter concert and what's coming next, I want to put in a good word for SmartMusic's Baroque titles. These pieces look and sound great and represent an excellent resource for sight-reading some pretty challenging stuff. They are also a wonderful way to introduce ornamentation to your older students.

To access them, choose Solos from the Find Music page, then specify your instrument. As you browse the results, look for "MakeMusic" as the publisher, and note the right hand column for "On Screen," indicating which pieces include on-screen music notation:

Select a title with a check in the "On Screen" column and you and your students can be "going for Baroque" immediately.

Happy New Year from the entire SmartMusic support team!