Practicing a Part Using Your MIDI Keyboard or MIDI Instrument |
This topic describes how to use Composer to practice a section of a song if you have a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI input device, such as a MIDI guitar. You can play a part "live" through your MIDI keyboard or other input device. Composer will produce the instrument sound assigned to the part through your sound card or external MIDI sound module. If you do not have a MIDI keyboard or MIDI instrument, then see Practicing a Part While Singing or Playing a non-MIDI Instrument. To practice a section of a song using a MIDI keyboard or MIDI instrument:
-- OR -- While holding down the 'R' key, click anywhere in the staff for the part you want to practice.
NOTE: If the MIDI device for this staff is one that has a built-in delay, the procedure described here will not work successfully. There will be a frustrating delay between the time you play a note on your MIDI keyboard or controller and the time you hear it played. You can review the delay for a MIDI output device in the Device Properties dialog. Instead of using the procedure described here, you should mute the staff for the part you want to practice. Then you should use the "jam along" feature described in Playing Along with Your MIDI Instrument. Also, for the "play along sound", you should assign a MIDI device that does not have a delay.
If you are practicing a part with two or more staves, such as the right- and left-hand staves for a keyboard part, then double-click the solo button of each part; or while holding down the 'R' key, click anywhere in each additional staff. For each staff you will be practicing, Composer will turn the solo staff color to red and will display a red arrow to the left of the staff, as illustrated above.
-- OR -- Type ALT+SPACE. Before each practice loop, Composer displays (in the status bar) the number of remaining practice loops, and a countdown in seconds to the start of the practice loop, such as the following:
As you play from your MIDI keyboard or other MIDI input device, the notes you play will be routed by Composer through the MIDI output device and channel assigned to the part you selected, or the first staff if you selected more than one staff. Also, Composer will use the instrument sound (MIDI patch) assigned to that staff. Note that you can change the sound for the staff, if desired. To stop a practice session in progress:
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