by Cecilia Roudabush, New Harmony Line Director of Education; General and Adaptive Music Teacher–32 years
| This post is a more detailed comparison of two composition tools available on the internet. |
Chrome Music Lab: “Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.”
Hyperscore: “Lay down some notes, listen, react and evolve. Hyperscore puts creativity first and encourages active listening and purposeful composing.”
At first glance, anyone teaching music composition, or composing themselves, may look at Chrome Music Lab’s Song Maker and Hyperscore and think they are interchangeable. Both applications use colorful, user-friendly graphics and straightforward, intuitive interfaces. However, time spent using both programs reveals significant differences in their ability to add complexity to the piece, both intuitively and creatively. In this review, I celebrate the wonderful uses of Song Maker while showcasing the advanced capabilities of Hyperscore.
What features make both applications shine?
Each application features comprehensive tools that make it easy to have a full musical experience without instruction. Both use a grid to indicate low to high pitches and provide tools to write and combine rhythm and melody. Users can also create chords, polyphony, and harmony in both programs.
Tempo and tone color features add another layer to student work. Song Maker and Hyperscore both have undo buttons, while Hyperscore also includes “redo”. Saving is one click on Song Maker while Hyperscore saves continuously to the cloud. Users can download or share their compositions in both programs as MIDI, .wav or .mp3 files. Song Maker is designed as a rainbow-colored workspace, while Hyperscore offers an option to choose rainbow colors in the melody window.
Song Maker and Hyperscore offer a free version for use by anyone of any age or ability level. There are no third party sellers sending you solicitations after you create an account. With all these similarities, why does Hyperscore stand out as the tool that will give users the richest composing experience? I spent many hours comparing the two applications and their tools. I summarized the key comparisons in this table. This article shares what I observed about using the applications for specific learning objectives and teaching tips.
Table of contents
- How can you best teach the concepts of note values and length, attack and decay?
- How do Song Maker and Hyperscore best support rhythmic creativity?
- What are the advantages Hyperscore provides when composing a melody?
- Putting it all together with harmony and polyphony
- The Hyperscore harmony line
- Takeaways – what’s the bottom line?
- Comparing the two programs with a single composition
How can one best teach the concepts of note values and length, attack and decay?
in 4/4
With Hyperscore, note values are visually displayed on the rhythm and melody grids. Values ranging from 32nd notes up to tied whole notes are available using the bar handle on either side of the note to shorten or lengthen its value. Users can choose to cross the bar line for a tied note value across measures. Learners with fine-motor challenges may benefit from using a mouse or assistive device in order to drag the bar handle to lengthen or shorten a note value.
When listening to a sustained note in Hyperscore, the listener hears the full note value. Learners could be taught that the attack and decay of a particular instrument lends itself better to certain note values. For example, a short, staccato woodblock is best matched with a sixteenth or eighth note value while a tuba or electric bass could play a whole note or tied pattern across barlines. Under settings, the user can choose a rectangular note shape that might provide some learners with a clearer picture of note length.
Song Maker defaults to an eighth-note grid set to 4/4 time. Settings are available to change the subdivision of the grid to quarter notes, eighth note triplets or sixteenth notes. All placed notes are the same length (the length of the subdivision of the grid), and there are no options that allow for variable note length in the same grid. By viewing online Song Maker videos, I learned that it is possible to string notes together in the sixteenth note grid setting to make more sophisticated rhythmic patterns. It would likely take teacher or group leader instruction to use the grid and settings tools. These skills are not immediately intuitive for more sophisticated use. However, the one-click note structure will benefit a wide range of learning styles, and accommodate learners with fine-motor challenges.
How do Song Maker and Hyperscore support rhythmic creativity?
Song Maker offers a simple visual layout of two lines of rhythm. Choosing the top line of the rhythm section gives the user the higher pitched tone color, or instruments, while the bottom line provides the lower pitch sound. There are four tone color (instrument) choices. Composers can alternate two conga, woodblock, electronic or drum kit sounds, or play them simultaneously. Remember that it is possible to increase the sophistication when using the sixteenth note setting.
The rhythm grid, or rhythm window, of Hyperscore initially defaults to quarter notes when users insert a note. As stated before, the value can be lengthened or shortened using the bar handle on the note. The rhythm window is, in my opinion, the best place to let learners start exploring composing. When working in the rhythm window, users don’t have to take pitch into account so it makes rhythm a more concrete concept to start their work. Even younger learners have likely heard, clapped and understood steady beat, making composing rhythm patterns very intuitive.
Hyperscore’s rhythm window includes a grid in 4/4 time. Learners can choose from 6-8 percussion and rhythm instruments that all play at the same time or alternate patterns of sound and silence. With 14 sets of style-specific instruments, students can experiment with multiple instrument combinations. This feature increases their ability to create a more rich rhythmic landscape. Composer’s notes and patterns can be copied and pasted, with or without variation, in successive measures.
The Create, Listen, React Composition Cycle championed by Hyperscore, guides the learner to lay down rhythmic notes and patterns, listen often and determine if they like what they hear, and what they want to change. With so many note values available to them, the variety of rhythmic windows composers produce is astounding no matter their age or ability. I have found that students who are struggling to get started just need a kick, snare, kick, snare steady beat pattern to get the creative juices flowing on all of the other instrument lines.
What are the advantages Hyperscore provides when composing a melody?
The melody features of Song Maker and Hyperscore are visually similar with a piano-roll-like layout. Users can see a visual representation of pitch by how high and low the notes are on the vertical axis. Composers are able to listen to their work as they place notes. However, in Hyperscore the listener can drag individual notes higher and lower. This key feature allows them to hear and compare the sound of a note to the ones before and after.
In addition, the user can move the play button to the section of the melody they are working on. This is such a valuable feature in order to listen to a specific moment in the piece. With Song Maker, the pitch sounds only when the note is placed. To hear the pitch again, you must place it back into the grid higher, lower or at the same place. The play button loops from beginning to end continuously until you click stop. It is not possible to listen to only one note or section at a time.
Notes in Song Maker are rainbow-colored. With Hyperscore, the user can choose a setting which will make the diatonic lines rainbow-colored. This design may help new composers to visually distinguish pitch level. Teachers or clinicians could narrow down the notes the learner chooses from. This method may help younger composers and support a more diverse range of learning levels and styles.
Both applications offer a choice of different melodic instruments. Song Maker offers 5 tone colors. Meanwhile, Hyperscore has 14 stylized melodic instrument sets with 7-10 instruments in each set. Hyperscore has the more diverse instrumentation for the user.
Song Maker defaults to 4 measures which are represented with alternating white and light gray backgrounds. The total number of measures available in Song Maker is 16. Hyperscore’s melody window defaults to 1 measure which can be increased by pulling on the right sidebar. The default length of a sketch window is 8 measures. The workspace will allow up to 9 measures of melody in a single melody window. Using a sketch window will allow for a maximum of 40 measures.
Both applications have a dark middle line that represents C4, or middle C. The Hyperscore melodic grid includes an additional time signature, darkened bar lines and lighter demarcation lines within the measure. These lines indicate 4 columns and their subdivisions into sixteenth notes that are lighter still. The melody grid includes additional horizontal colored lines to indicate the major chord tones above and below C4. The lighter horizontal lines indicate the other diatonic notes from C3 to C5. The lightest lines representing chromatic steps in-between.
Reducing barriers to composing a melody using Hyperscore
It is this author’s opinion that the Hyperscore melody window most resembles music notation on the staff. However, that does not require the ability to read note names or connect the pitch to placement on an instrument. This provides the opportunity to reduce barriers for users who have not had note-reading training or vocal/instrumental instruction. As stated in the section on creating rhythm, melody windows have the ability to change note values and cross the barline. Yet another excellent visual aid within Hyperscore’s melody window.
The ability to see and hear pitch level AND length is a strong advantage for users. In the past, I required my students to correctly notate a familiar song of their choice before making an original. This method showed me that they understood the high, middle and low areas of the grid. By having them start on the center line, it was easier to find the correct intervals for their familiar song all in the key of C. Choosing a familiar song made it more likely that they would be able to manipulate the note value correctly. Hearing that they had correctly notated a familiar song was their invitation to start composing something original.
Putting it all together with harmony and polyphony
When a new composer creates a rhythm and melody, it seems only natural to want to put them together. Perhaps they will be satisfied that their work is complete by simply alternating one or two melodies with a rhythmic accompaniment. In each of the two applications, users can also combine their rhythmic and melodic themes to play simultaneously.
In Chrome Music Lab’s Song Maker, users can align notes to play simultaneously directly in the grid workspace. In Hyperscore, similarly, users can use the polyphony setting in melody windows to allow multiple notes to stack in a single melody window. Where Hyperscore shines in this area, though, is in the sketch window. Users can arrange lines together representing each of their individual melody and rhythm windows. Hyperscore was designed with this compositional philosophy. In all pieces, individual motives serve as building blocks that combine to form a larger composition. This allows for the high potential of depth and complexity in song structure and harmony.
Song Maker’s more bare-bones grid layout is elegant and allows for a certain degree of compositional form. However, it lacks structural editing tools. With the constraint of 16 measures, Song Maker is the less optimal tool for composing harmony or arranging full songs. This may not be a concern for new composers. But, it may have an impact on users whose creative imaginations are sparked by their initial experiments. The deeper creative dive comes with a Hyperscore experience.
Song Maker completed piece
Song Maker’s grid allows the user to stack notes to create chords or harmonies and add a bass line. The piece is finished with a beat in the rhythm grid. The entire grid appears visually as the lowest subdivided note value. Because one cannot change the length of the note value, it creates a pizzicato effect no matter what instrument is used. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to copy and paste patterns into other parts of the piece to create form. Visual 3 shows the completed piece with chords, melody, bass line and rhythm. The user can change the tempo in the range of 40 bpm to 120 bpm. The piece will automatically loop until you hit the stop button.
Combining motives in the sketch window
When we utilize melody, harmony, and rhythm together in Hyperscore, the opportunities for teaching concepts are dramatically expanded. Chords and harmony can be created directly in the melody window using the polyphony setting. Also, chords and harmony can be made in the sketch window using lines and dots placed at the desired intervals. Composing a bass line in the melody window allows that layer to be added to the sketch window. Thus, the sketch window allows the composer to combine the melody and rhythm window(s). Each rhythm and melody is represented visually by the different colors of their respective windows.
In the following visual, the melody windows are dark green, red, purple and light green. The bass line is yellow, while the rhythm windows are orange and light blue. The thin and expanded lines in the sketch window at the bottom of the screen indicate dynamic levels. Harmony is created in the interplay and spatial relationship between these lines. The texture of the piece is polyphonic. In the center of the piece, there are as many as five windows playing simultaneously. Hyperscore has a looping feature which is activated by pressing the L key. Press the spacebar to stop the loop.
The user can also place dots into the sketch window. Each dot will essentially play the first pitch of the melody or rhythm window it represents. The dots are a tool for short chord sounds or repeated short pitches. Some users place dots that aren’t associated with a melody or rhythm as a visual addition to the drawing in the sketch window.
Sketch windows expanded tools
All markings in the sketch window can be transposed higher or lower than written by highlighting and dragging using the arrow tool. One can use the arrow tool to click on a line, dot or to highlight an entire section. This action brings up a new toolbar for the composer to use:
1) the first button to choose a different color making that line transfer to the window associated with the new color;
2) the second button to choose a new tone color but keep the same melodic pitches;
3) the third button to make an exact copy of a line or dot which can be reused in another location–highlighting an entire section allows the user to make an exact section copy which can be moved to the right and placed higher, lower or in the same range (an excellent way to create form);
4) the fourth button deletes the line, dot, section or the copy;
5) the fifth button cancels the harmony line function for that particular line, dot or section;
6) the sixth button is the dynamics slide tool–left for softest to right for loudest.
Harmony buttons
The sketch window also has a feature labeled “Harmony” on the left tool bar. The harmony defaults to “None”, which means that whatever the user composes sounds exactly as written. When the “General” button is clicked, the rules of music theory encoded into the sketch window will adjust the notes to fit into the C Major scale. If the “Classical” button is used, the notes will all be in the same key. I always referred to this as “the Mozart effect”. Most students choose to use None or General so that the piece sounded closer to what they had actually written.
The sketch window harmony line–a game changer, all on its own!
Dr. Kevin Jennings received his doctorate at MIT with his work on creating the harmony line during his studies. Using the General or Classical mode you can bend and shape the harmony line using the arrow tool. The effect is to create areas of tension (green) and release (blue). Pulling the harmony line upward or downward with a sharp spike will modulate the piece into another key. To turn off modal changes, touch a line, dot or highlight a section. Press button number 5 as shown in the previous section. The line can be straightened again by holding the shift key and dragging the arrow from left to right.
So, what’s the bottom line?
I have a whole new appreciation for Hyperscore after writing this comparison. Most importantly, that one can drag the play bar forward and backward to listen to individual sections of the piece. In Song Maker you have to listen from beginning to end to hear the section you’re working on. I also love that composers can hear the pitches as they place and drag them. What a wonderful way to hear the destination that sounds best for that note.
Not being able to copy and paste in order to create form is unimaginable to me. All of my students over 15 years with Hyperscore learned to create form. Most chose ABA form. As another option, they learned how to make an A1 or B1 and add an introduction, bridge(s) and a coda. If there is ever a future update to Song Maker, adding measures to their grid will support teaching the concept of form.
Personalized workspace themes
My favorite newer feature of Hyperscore is the 19 personalized workspace themes that students LOVE! Our CTO, Peter Torpey, is an artist and a tech genius. Peter created workspaces for composers so that their piece matches their mood, sense of adventure or fun on the screen. Included in the workspace choices is a High Contrast theme (3rd example) designed to assist persons with visual challenges. After my students have composed a rhythm and melody window, their rewarded was choosing their theme using the settings button. Black light is a huge fan favorite!
Titling your piece is the last step in a Hyperscore composition. It gives the listener a vision of what the composer was thinking as they shaped their piece. “The Snake” is a good descriptor, but “Snake-y Dance” is even more visionary. Yet another creative opportunity within Hyperscore!
Comparing the two programs with a single composition
Rhythm, Melody, Tone Color, Harmony, Polyphony, Dynamics, Form and the Harmony Line with Hyperscore
| Features | Chrome Music Lab Song Maker | Hyperscore |
|---|---|---|
| Age | All ages | All ages |
| Account | No account | Free and paid account tiers |
| Note Values | Quarter, eighth, sixteenth, eighth note triplets (no mixing and matching) | All note values from 32nd notes to tied whole notes |
| Percussion | Bass & Kick drum | 14 instrument sets with 6-8 percussion instruments per set |
| Time Signature Editing | None | Available including odd meter options – user can freely edit both number of beats per measure and value of the beat |
| Staff/piano roll | Two octaves from C3 to B4; can extend by one octave up to B5 | Two octaves from C3 to C5; can transpose by up to 2 octaves higher or lower using Sketch window |
| Instrument Options | 4 percussion instruments & 5 melodic instruments | 14 instrument sets with 6-8 percussion instruments and 7-10 melodic instruments per set |
| Polyphony | Yes | Yes |
| Harmony | Yes | Yes, including algorithmically assisted harmony modes and modulation options |
| Tempo | 40 to 120 bpm | 60 to 168 bpm |
| Dynamic control | No | Dynamics can be set for individual melody and percussion lines in the Sketch window |
| Length of piece | Maximum 16 measures | Maximum 40 measures per sketch window; 14 sketch windows possible |
| Undo/redo | Undo | Undo and Redo |
| Copy/paste | No | Yes |
| Looping | Yes | Yes |
| Remixing/sharing | No | Yes |
| Audio input | Yes | Expected in future update |
| Workspace visual palette | White grid with darker and lighter grid markings | 19 visual theme settings for personalizing individual workspace |
| Saving | Yes | Yes |
| Downloading | MIDI, .wav; embed code link provided | MIDI, .wav, .mp3, .hsc (Hyperscore file) |
| Accessibility options | Rainbow colors for pitches; chromatics are lighter or darker colors | Choice of diatonic scale in rainbow colors with chromatics available; high contrast workspace theme |
| In-app community | No | Yes, with educational version, members can share within their group |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Arrow keys, enter, backspace, spacebar | 47 shortcuts |
| Support features | Yes– via question mark button | Yes– via info button; tool videos on website |
| Personalized support | Can reach out over email but slow response rate | Yes, available over email |