WHATSNEW.xxx
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This text files details the changes in the MusicEase program 
from the release of version 5.03.


Version 6.00 - released 10-Aug-98:

The following specifies most of the new features added since the release of MusicEase 5.0.

- A number of additional shortcut keys have been added. Please review them. Their usage 
will greatly speed up the entry of many kinds of music.

- Automatically convert standard notation to tablature. The new item "Tablature" under the 
Modify Menu allows you to convert standard notation to tablature. You can display the current 
staff as tablature or specify that a new staff be inserted under the current staff throughout 
the piece. The new staves will be displayed as tablature using whatever instrument is specified 
in this menu. You can also reverse this action, deleting the staff under the current staff if it 
is tablature.

- It is now easy to insert figured bass.

- Play can now handle repeats and endings. The playing of repeats and endings can be turned on 
and off. You can also specify various General MIDI Instruments for various staves and the number 
of times to repeat playing. (See Play Options under the Modify Menu. Play has been moved to the 
File Menu.)

- Insert Tempo Text provides an easy way to display a tempo setting combining a tempo note with 
optional text on both sides of it. Erase Tempo Text removes such a specification.

- The Tenor Voice clef (treble clef with an 8 under it) has been added to the list of available 
clefs.

- You can now specify that beams or flags only are to be used in the current piece. See the 
General tab in the Preferences Menu.

- You can now paste just a single staff from a block that has been copied using Paste Staff under 
the Edit Menu. ALT-INS is the shortcut key for this. This works as follows: When you copy/cut the 
block, the staff containing the cursor is remembered. Then when you invoke Paste Staff, the staff 
in the block that contained the cursor is pasted into the current staff at the current cursor 
position.

- The Transpose menu contains 3 additional check boxes:

   1) "Shift rests when 2 voices" - If this is checked, rests in sections containing 2 voices will 
	be shifted about the same amount as transposed notes.

   2) "Transpose keys" - If this is not checked, only notes and not keys will be transposed.

   3) "Force pitches into key" - If this is checked, pitches will be altered after transposition 
	to lie in the current key. None of the pitches will contain accidental signs.

- You can now have verse numbers displayed using Insert "Verse numbers". To remove verse numbers, 
invoke Erase "Verse numbers".

- The Note selection under the Modify Menu contains a new button for shifting the dot(s) on notes 
with dotted durations.

- The Tablature tab on the Preferences Menu allows you to change the stem length used in tablature.

- The "Insert Dynamic" and "Insert Text" menus contain a new field called "absolute positioning".
If this box is checked, the vertical position of the dynamic or text will not depend on things on
the staff other than the note at which they were entered but will be positioned absolutely,
depending on the value of "Vertical shift." 

- The Insert Lyric Line menu contains a new check box called "Use this font for entering lyrics".
If this box is checked, the specified lyric font will also be used for the lyrics entry window
just below it. Thus if, for instance, the specified lyrics font is an Arabic font and this box is
checked, the lyrics will be displayed in Arabic as you enter them.

- The Shift selection under the Modify Menu contains a new item called Lyrics which allows you to
shift all lyric lines on the current staff up or down. This allows, for example, lyrics to be
positioned above a staff rather than always below it.

- The Tools Menu contains a new entry called "Delete Verses" which allows you to automatically
delete all verses or all verses except the first.

- The Tools Menu contains a new entry called "Chords" which allows you to automatically add chord
frames for many standard chords. You can also remove chord frames for all chords and/or remove all
chord names. Initially the chords are guitar chords, mainly for 6 strings. But you can create and
load other sets of chord frame definitions. See the next item.

- The File Menu contains a new selection called Load Chord Frame File. This is just a MusicEase
file. However the chord frames appearing in it are used by the "Chords" entry described in the
previous paragraph. When a chord frame file is loaded, all previous frame definitions are erased.
The extension "CHD" is suggested for use with chord frame files. However any MusicEase file loaded
under this selection will be used.

- MusicEase now imports individual SongBox Library songs. You can select the type (e.g., melody
only, four part harmony, etc.) The exact possibilities depend on the particular SongBox Library.
See http://www.musicease.com for more information about SongBox and SongBox Libraries. Some sample
SongBox libraries are included with this version of MusicEase. Also please contact us at 
SongBox@MusicEase.com if you interested in creating any new SongBox libraries and having MusicEase
Software publish them. We are particularly interested in collections of classical music which lie
in the public domain.


