NotateMe Now

NotateMe Now is a mobile application that transforms handwritten music notation into a digital, editable, and playable score. For musicians, students, and composers, NotateMe Now eliminates the traditional barrier between the spontaneity of writing on paper and the functionality of professional music software. Users simply write music with their finger or a stylus directly onto their device's screen, and the app's powerful recognition engine instantly converts their handwriting into clean notation. This core function makes NotateMe Now an indispensable tool for quickly capturing musical ideas anytime, anywhere.

Handwriting Recognition for Music Input

The primary function of NotateMe Now is its advanced handwriting recognition. Users start by selecting the pen tool and writing musical symbols directly onto the staff displayed on their screen. The app works in real-time, analyzing strokes to identify notes, rests, accidentals, clefs, and articulation marks. As you write, NotateMe Now automatically formats the score, adding barlines and adjusting spacing. If a symbol is misread, users can tap the undo button or make a clearer stroke to correct it. This immediate feedback loop allows for a natural and efficient composition process, mirroring pen and paper but with digital advantages.

PhotoScore Now for Printed Music Capture

An integrated feature, PhotoScore Now, allows users to import existing printed music. To use it, you select the camera icon from the main menu and capture a photo of a printed score. NotateMe Now then processes the image, recognizing the notation on a single staff. This is particularly useful for quickly digitizing excerpts for practice, analysis, or rearrangement. The recognized music is imported as an editable project within NotateMe Now, where you can play it back, make changes, or correct any recognition errors from the original print.

Real-Time Playback and Editing

Once music is entered, either by hand or via photo, users can instantly hear their composition. Tapping the play button triggers the built-in synthesizer to perform the score. This immediate playback is vital for verifying musical ideas and checking for errors. NotateMe Now provides a full suite of editing tools; users can tap on any symbol to select it and then adjust its properties, delete it, or move it to a different position. This seamless workflow from creation to auditioning to refinement makes the app a powerful mini-studio for musical experimentation.

Exporting and Sharing Compositions

For sharing or further work in advanced desktop software, NotateMe Now supports export. From the export menu, users can choose to send their score via email as a standard MIDI file or a MusicXML file. The MusicXML format is especially important as it preserves the notation data for opening in applications like Sibelius or Finale. This functionality ensures that projects started spontaneously on a mobile device with NotateMe Now can be seamlessly integrated into a professional music production workflow without needing to re-input any notes.

Adaptive Learning and Accuracy Improvement

NotateMe Now is designed to learn from its user. If the app consistently misinterprets a specific handwritten symbol, making a clearer, more deliberate stroke helps it adapt. The more you use NotateMe Now, the more accurately it recognizes your personal handwriting style. Furthermore, the app includes an option to ‘Help Improve NotateMe’ within the export menu. Selecting this sends anonymous handwriting samples to the developers, contributing to the ongoing refinement of the recognition engine for all users, making NotateMe Now smarter over time.

User Interface and Writing Experience

The interface of NotateMe Now is minimalist and focused, designed to emulate a blank sheet of manuscript paper. The main workspace is the staff, with a simple toolbar for selecting tools like the pen, eraser, and play button. The goal is to provide as few distractions as possible, encouraging pure creativity. Users interact by drawing symbols with their finger or stylus, and the app provides subtle visual and haptic feedback to confirm input. This intuitive design makes NotateMe Now accessible to musicians of all technical skill levels.

Key Features

  Advanced handwritten music notation recognition.

  PhotoScore Now for capturing printed music with a device's camera.

  Real-time audio playback of composed scores.

  Export compositions as MIDI or MusicXML files.

  Adaptive engine that improves recognition with use.

  Minimalist, distraction-free user interface.