can you read music scores with the help of a braille display device?

Submitted by dharmaputra on Saturday, December 8, 2018.
Forum
Braille on Apple Products

Hello all! I returned with a question: I want to learn to read braille scores. because I want to take the ABRSM music exam. I think you know what ABRSM is. so, exam preparation material is known as site reading. if my music teacher makes music on mac or iOS, can the results be read with braille display? I beg for help from friends. thanks.

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Submitted by Chris Smart on Saturday, December 8, 2018

Once the music is in a .brf file, which is just a text file with a different filename extension, you can open it and read it on your display. But, the tricky part is going to be transcribing the music into Music Braille in the first place. First, have you contacted RNIB to see if the music you need has already been transcribed? I'm not in the UK, but if the ABRMS are a standardized set of grades and exams, perhaps the materials, books etc. have already been transcribed.

If you need to have the music transcribed, I'm pretty sure you can only find tools to do that on a PC running Windows, or perhaps on a Mac with Windows installed in a virtual environment. Please see
http://www.dancingdots.com/main/goodfeel.htm
for more information on the software you will need.

It sounds like you don't know how to read Music Braille yet though, and need to learn that. So, you'll need to find a teacher who knows Music Braille, or, if you're very motivated, some of these resources may help.
http://www.dancingdots.com/main/resources.htm

I have no idea what is availabe in the UK. Again, contact RNIB, whatever your library service for the blind is called there, and find out what resources they have.

Submitted by dharmaputra on Monday, December 10, 2018

I am very grateful for the response from you. because I live in Indonesia: I'm not sure I got a teacher who can teach me.

Submitted by Justin Philips on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

One of my friends tried reading with an Orbit reader, but couldn't. Apparently, it can be done with Braille Edge, which of course is very expensive.

Submitted by J.R. on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Hello, <a href="http://www.menvi.org">Menvi, the Music Education Network for the Visually Impaired </a> has resources and a free resource for people like you. I believe the discussion was made on our discussion list which is a free resource for members. Signing up is free, and you can gain access to the archives to our list through the web site linked. I'm the webmaster, and we have had someone from Indonesia I believe it was that got assistance through our network become a fully trained violin teacher. You're free to check out the web site, and feel free to contact me through here, or the MENVI online team should you have any questions.

Submitted by Humberto Avila on Friday, December 21, 2018

Hello,
First, I just wanted to make clear there is actually a code of Braille for music, which is separate from math, literary Braille and others.
You can technically read a score in Braille with a braille display, as in writing the notes C, D, E, F, .... all written out like that, and describing chord changes ETC. Or, you can read them using the specialized Braille code for music notation. For instance, an octave C represents dots 1-4-5 (letter D), and a whole C is dots 1-3-4-5-6. Which, VoiceOver currently does not spport this type of Braille notation., if you are looking to read it this way and you know the Braille music code, that is.
The best way right now, it seams, is I would get the Braille scores va BRF or some other hard copy format, because Braille music isn't supported by VoiceOver, if that's the way I need and I can read Braille music.
Hope this helps, and good luck preparing for your exam!