<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Viewing and Editing the Music Performance > Inserting a Sound Change in the Middle of a Staff (Track)

For most MIDI files that you might download from the Internet, each staff is assigned a single instrument sound. Technically, each staff is assigned to a particular MIDI program (patch) and perhaps MIDI bank. Some MIDI files may include mid-staff sound changes, that is, mid-staff MIDI program changes. In general, you will not find mid-staff MIDI program changes for General MIDI (GM) files. But you might find mid-staff MIDI program changes in MIDI files that have been prepared for specific MIDI keyboards, sound modules, or sound libraries.

A common example where you might find a mid-staff sound change is where a violin or string instrument switches from normal bowing to pizzicato.

If you have a MIDI output device that includes, for example, pizzacaio string sounds, then you will likely enjoy enhancing the performance of your piece by including mid-staff sound changes.

Here is an example of what a mid-staff sound change looks like in Composer:

Normally, the instrument sound change symbol is not displayed in the score, and there is no text for a sound change.

If there is text associated with an instrument sound change, and you turn off the display of instrument sound change symbols, then just the instrument sound change text is displayed, as illustrated here:

To view the mid-staff instrument sound change symbols and MIDI details:

-- OR --

Type SHIFT+I (upper-case "i").

-- OR --

Type "qsis" for Quick Show Instrument Sounds.

Composer will show the instrument sound symbol, as illustrated here:

To add a mid-staff instrument sound change:

Composer changes the mouse cursor to indicate Add Mode with this shape:

Composer will display the Instrument Sound Change dialog.

To move an instrument sound change:

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Click the Instrument Sound Change Right (or Left) button.

-- OR --

Type Shift + (or ).

You can optionally associate text with the instrument sound change. Even when the instrument sound change symbol is hidden (i.e. when the Show Instrument Sound button is not selected), the instrument sound change text will be displayed in the score, just like normal text. You can choose a font face and size, and bold or italic characteristic. The example used in this topic provides a good illustration of where it is useful to assign the text pizz to the instrument sound change for string pizzicato.

In this version of Composer, you cannot freely move the instrument sound change text as you can free text objects. If you need the flexibility to move the text associated with an instrument sound change, then you can create a separate free text object, which is independent of the instrument sound change object.

To associate text with an instrument sound change, and to format that text:

-- OR --

Select an existing instrument sound change object. Then click the Instrument Sound Change Properties button, or type SHIFT+Enter. Composer will display the Instrument Sound Change dialog box. Enter the text in the Display Text in Score box of the dialog.