Download LilyPond Free for Mac

An automated music score creator, LilyPond for Mac works as intended, producing great-looking engraved music. However, unlike most engraving software, it uses texts for inputs, which makes it a bit difficult to get used to.

Pros

Excellent output: The PDF music scores LilyPond for Mac produces look great. They are comparable to what similar commercial software can create.

Easy-to-use general interface: Although you will have to take some time adapting as you work with the inputs, the application’s overall interface (not for the music engraving, itself) is intuitive. You will find two main panels: one for the input and the other for the output. All the essential buttons are easily accessible on the toolbars.

Easier-to-copy inputs: Since inputs are in text format, they are easy to copy and take little storage space. Also, once you master the letter combinations for the inputs, working with the application becomes a lot easier, especially when you do edits.

Cons

Non-graphical input interface: To create music scores you must use texts. You will not be presented with a graphical interface — there is no WYSIWYG UI. It’s like coding Web sites in HTML the old-fashioned way.

Needs getting used to: You have to familiarize yourself with the different ways of using letters to input notations. For instance, you need to use “gf” if you want to denote a “g flat.” Using this software as a newbie is challenging, especially if you are working with tricky compositions.

Bottom Line

The developers of LilyPond for Mac seem to believe that working with text inputs is better than dealing with a purely graphical interface. Not many users of music engraving software would agree with this, since it tends to compromise the continuity of the engraving process. Nevertheless, you may find this approach OK, especially if you’re using an older Mac.