Introduction.
 
To begin to describe the use of the MS program the process of setting up a
typical page of music will be traced  in detail.  This section will by  no
means touch  on  all  the  features  of the  MS  program,  nor  will  full
explanations be given for each step.  However page references will  appear
showing where complete descriptions of the features may be found.  At  the
top of  each  page  in  the following  examples  the  composer's  original
manuscript appears.  Next is  a listing of the  input file containing  the
main information for the given manuscript  excerpt.  At the bottom of  the
page is the same music as it  will appear on the graphics display  screen.
It must be  emphasized that this  is just  the first step  in the  process
which will lead to the final output.   After this step is complete for  an
entire piece or  movement the files  produced will be  reprocessed by  the
page layout program, "PAGE".  In general, no major editing should be  done
until after the page layout program  has been used to establish the  final
format.  This program  will be explained  in detail later.   In the  first
input step  several items  in  the original  manuscript will  be  ignored.
These items will usually include  tempo indications, some slurs and  ties,
most words,  etc.  All  these things  are to  be entered  after the  final
format has been created.  (In most  cases, if these items were entered  in
the early stages, they would  just have to be  re-edited after use of  the
PAGE program.)

In almost every  case it is  best to enter  the bottom staff  of a  system
first.  The main reason  for this is  that all bar  lines that cover  more
than one staff are always considered to go upward from some staff.  In the
example at hand  all the  bar lines  will be  entered only  on the  bottom
staff, Staff 0.  They will however extend  to the top of the upper  staff,
Staff 1.  The line containing the bar lines should go in first because the
extra space the bars need is  automatically provided.  If there are  notes
already in position on other staves, this extra space cannot be given.

At line 100 the word IN is  followed by a group of parameters.  The  first
zero, P2, refers to Staff 0.  The second zero, P3, means that Staff 0 will
begin in horizontal position 0, the far left side of the page.  The  third
zero, P4, means there will be no vertical shift.  The last number, P5,  is
set to .9, meaning the staff size will be 90% of the default size.   Since
no other parameters are mentioned, they will all use their default values.
(For example, P6, the right horizontal position of the staff, will  become
200, the far right edge of the printed page.

Line 200 will tell what  portion of the staff will  be used for the  input
which will follow.  The  zero says that the  default values will be  used.
This means that the full range of the line, 0 to 200, will be used.   (The
numbers, "0 200", could have been typed.)

Line 300 contains the main  body of the input for  the bottom line of  the
music.  M2 means we will begin with measure line at position zero (because
of the statement in line 200) which will cover a total of 2 staves,  Staff
0 and Staff 1.  Each particular item  in a line will be delineated with  a
slash.  When there  is no  more of  the current type  of input  to come  a
semicolon is used.