I like to work out and write down in standard notation any new whistles tunes I come across that I like and want to remember for later practice but it would be so much better to be able to do it in a formalised printed way. Does anyone have experience of simple transcription software that allows for including ornamentations too?
I’m not sure I fully understand the question, but doesn’t ABC format do this for you?
In bagpipe tunes, gracenotes are written thus : {eBfB} … could this not serve for any other embellisment … or have I missed something? (as I often do 
I’m curious why do you think that would be better? Not only because there’s nothing wrong with pencil and staff paper, and not just to be nasty 
. But simply because your answer may clarify what you’re really looking for a software package to do for you.
For example, do you simply want neater-looking results? Or is organizing and searching tune transcriptions a concern? Are your transcriptions for your eyes only, or to share with others?
There’s really nothing particularly special about ornamentation. Cuts are usually represented by grace notes, rolls by a turn glyph, triplets by … triplets, etc. All just standard features of any basic notation software. ABC is “optimized” for trad because it was developed in that context. But any notation software can handle trad transcription, unless you’re after a customized notation such as Grey Larsen’s.
Mike, this recent thread contains a number of suggestions: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/question-online-sheet-music-creator/78502/1
Thanks guys for your thoughts. I was really just looking for something neater and more permanent than my own scrawls which I can’t save on the computer without a scanner, something I can ill afford right now. But I’d overlooked ABC maybe because I thought it would be hard to learn but perhaps it would be no more difficult than coming to grips with new music notation software and . . . as you say . . . it is optimized for traditional music. Many thanks.
I’m a “dots” guy myself and I use Finale Allegro for most of my music notation applications. The company has a scaled-down version (called NotePad) that is perfect for ITM, however. It has a free-for-30-days option and only costs $9.95 anyway. You can find it here.
Pat
Ah, good. Yes, don’t overlook ABC. It’s easy to learn, a lingua franca for trad tunes, and there’s lots of good, free [u]software[/u] and resources.
As plunk says, Allegro Notepad is a good intro to the graphical approach, and a gateway to the full package. Noteworthy Composer, Melody Assistant, and MuseScore were also mentioned.
I’d say try a few, and see which ones feel comfy for you. Each has a learning curve, but it shouldn’t take long to get a sense of how they work.
I used NotePad for a while, but eventually upgraded to SongWriter (the next version up), which I’ve now been using for years. It has much more flexibility than NotePad, and I have found no need to upgrade further to PrintMusic or formal Finale, which is a lot more money.
BTW, Pat. Your avatar made me do a double take. Even my wife thinks it looks exactly like me without my beard. 
I just KNEW I had a doppelgänger somewhere!
Actually, I’ve been using iWriteMusic on my iPad for a lot of stuff now and then exporting to (and playing from) ForScore (again on the iPad). I don’t use this for ITM too much, but it works great for church music. Finale Allegro decided that the old versions wouldn’t be usable any more, so I’ve stopped using it altogether - they wanted me to buy a whole new package! I’ve also been using MuseScore (www.musescore.org) a bit and it seems fairly nice.
Pat