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I chose LilyPond to create the sheet music for DrumScore.net. It is a cross-platform. It is free and it is an open-source tool. Its active community uses computers to produce elegant sheet music inspired by traditional typographic art. These scores are just as beautiful as hand-engraved ones.

What makes LilyPond unique is that it works with text. You type a code that is interpreted as musical notation.

By typing ‘sn4‘, I get a quarter note on the snare drum [ sn = snare, 4 = quarter note ].

Since the values don’t need to be repeated, I get four quarter notes by typing ‘sn4 sn sn sn’.

So the software’s response to ‘bd4 sn4 bd8 bd sn4‘ is this:

Let’s add a new track for the Charleston, using ‘\new DrumVoice‘ and enter this code:
‘hh8 hh hh16 hh hh hh hh8 hh16 hh hh8 hh‘

The software automatically handles the graphical rendering. But it also provides access to settings for all parameters. Anything is possible, from simple adjustments to the creation of a completely new notation system.

To make it functional, the code from the previous example requires additional instructions. You need to define a paper size, a drum kit configuration, and instruct the creation of a two-part staff.

Below are examples of complete and functional code:

Learning the LilyPond language requires some effort. To make things easier, there is an excellent text editor: Frescobaldi. The community also publishes numerous resources available on the official website, such as the Snippets, where you can find code examples.

LilyPond isn’t limited to producing PDFs. The code can be integrated with softwares like OpenOffice or LaTeX for editing, and can also generate MIDI. The software has been continuously improving since its first release in 1997 and continues to surprise users.

LilyPond – official website | Frescobaldi – official website