With the right software, you can perform a number of fun and useful activities with your keyboard. For instance, you can record your performances and then play them back to hear how well you did. You can also edit and arrange your music, even correcting any mistakes you made. And you can convert your music into standard notation and print it out as sheet music. If you're just beginning to play your instrument, your computer can help you learn how to play it better. If you're already a good player, your computer can act as a backup band, composing music that follows your performance. The magic of MIDI makes all of this possible. GETTING CONNECTED To connect your piano or keyboard to your computer, you need a MIDI interface. This device, which plugs into your computer, allows it to understand MIDI. Think of the interface as a translator: when your keyboard sends MIDI messages to your computer, the MIDI interface converts those messages into signals the computer can understand. Since your portable home keyboard or digital piano probably has built-in MIDI jacks, you just need to find a MIDI interface that fits your computer. MIDI interfaces can connect to your computer in various ways. Some come in the form of expansion cards you install inside your computer. Your best bet, however, is to find an interface that simply plugs into the back of your computer. This way, you avoid having to open up the computer, which can damage the delicate circuit boards inside. You can find MIDI interfaces that plug into your computer's serial (modem) port, parallel (printer) port, or USB port. If your peripherals already occupy the serial and printer ports, you may want to go with one of the newer USB types. Your MIDI interface will include specific instructions on how to install it, so I won't go into that here. All MIDI interfaces connect to your keyboard in the same way. When you look on the back of your keyboard, you'll probably find two connections labeled MIDI In and MIDI Out. You may also see a third connection labeled MIDI Thru, but you don't need to concern yourself with that for now. These connections are MIDI jacks, and you'll also find them on your computer's MIDI interface. By connecting the MIDI jacks on the back of your keyboard to the MIDI jacks on your computer, you can send MIDI messages between the two devices. To make the connections, you'll need a couple of special cables that carry MIDI data. Each end of a MIDI cable has a plug with five pins inside. You'll notice that all the MIDI jacks have five holes available, which means you can plug a MIDI cable into any of the available jacks. What matters is how you connect the MIDI jacks on your keyboard to the ones on your computer's MIDI interface. One simple rule to remember is that MIDI data coming out of something must go in to something. So if you want MIDI data to flow from your keyboard into your computer, you have to connect the MIDI Out on your keyboard to the MIDI In on your computer's MIDI interface. And if you would like the computer to send MIDI data back to your keyboard, you have to connect the MIDI Out on your computer's MIDI interface to the MIDI In on your keyboard (see Fig. 1). Don't worry if you make a mistake by connecting a MIDI Out jack to another MIDI Out jack or a MIDI In to a MIDI In. Special circuitry inside each MIDI interface prevents any damage — the connection just won't work. Don't worry either about plugging in cables when your equipment is turned on. You won't get an electric shock from a MIDI connection. Click
here for Fig. 1. One of the easiest things you can do with your new setup is record a performance and then have your computer play it back. To do this, you'll need a software application called a MIDI sequencer. A MIDI sequencer reads MIDI data coming into the computer's MIDI interface and then stores the data in the computer's memory. The sequencer can read the data from the computer's memory and send it back out through the MIDI interface into whatever you've connected there (for example, your keyboard). You can think of it as a kind of tape recorder for MIDI, but it can do much more than that. You can record your music in real time, so the music gets captured as you perform it. Or, if you're not a very proficient keyboard player yet, you can enter music into the sequencer using step-record mode. Step recording allows you to enter music one note at a time by simply choosing a step size (the amount of time between each note) and a note duration (how long each note will play). To input the pitch and loudness of each note, just press the appropriate key on your keyboard. This process is simple, but recording a long piece of music can take quite a while. Once you've recorded a performance into the sequencer, not only can you play it back, but you can edit your music and correct any mistakes as well. Most MIDI sequencers let you view the MIDI data that represent your performance via an event list or a piano roll. Some programs also provide a staff window showing your music as standard notation, but they don't have as much functionality as a stand-alone notation program, which we'll talk about later. The event list and the piano roll show the same basic information displayed in different ways; they provide different ways to edit the information, too. The event list shows every MIDI message you've recorded, putting each message on one line and showing when you recorded the message. You can edit any part of a message by typing in new values. The piano roll is a little more intuitive: it displays all the notes in your music in a grid format that looks a lot like a player-piano roll (see Fig. 2). Notes usually appear as horizontal bars. The vertical position of each horizontal bar represents its pitch, the horizontal position represents its timing, and the length of each bar represents its duration. You can edit notes much more easily here than in the event list. To change a note's pitch, just drag it up or down with the mouse. To change its timing, drag it left or right with the mouse. To change its duration, drag the right edge of the note's bar to make it longer or shorter. Click
here for Fig. 2. MUSIC
NOTATION Think of a notation program as being a word processor for music. You can enter notes on a page, organize measures and staves, add dynamic markings and lyrics, and then print it out just as you would a letter or any other document. (See “Joining the Staff” below for tips on choosing the right notation-software program.) You enter music into notation software the same way you enter it into a MIDI sequencer, either in real time or via step recording. The difference here is that in addition to recording your performance, notation software converts it into notation. As you press keys on your keyboard, the notes you are playing appear onscreen with their pitch and duration values. Step recording is also a little different because instead of picking a step size and note duration from a menu, you can actually use your mouse to drag and drop notes and symbols onto the staff. You can even type in lyrics and have the syllables automatically line up with the musical notes above them. Most notation programs also let you enter chord names and will show guitar fretboard symbols, complete with fingering and fret position. Of course, entering music by dragging and dropping notes can be just as tedious and time-consuming as step recording in a MIDI sequencer, but it's still a lot easier than writing out your music by hand. So put down your pencil and paper — notation software lets you edit your music with ease. In addition, you can do a lot of tasks much more quickly than you ever could by hand. For example, if you need to transpose your music to a more comfortable key for your singing voice, you can do so with only a few clicks of the mouse. The other advantage is that even if you know how to read music, you may not know all of the rules for writing it. Notation software takes care of a lot of these issues, like making sure clef symbols repeat at the beginning of each staff. Good notation software lets you present your music in a variety of ways, such as booklets, standard sheet music, and even whole orchestral scores. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO? Although MIDI sequencing and notation are among the most popular applications for a computer connected to a keyboard, they're certainly not the only ones. You have your choice of other software applications on the market to do a variety of things. For example, you can compose songs by simply specifying the chords you want to use and letting the computer fill in the rest. You type in the chords for your song and choose a tempo and a style (rock, jazz, and so on), and then the program composes a full arrangement according to your choices, complete with drums, bass, keyboards, and guitar. Some programs can act as a virtual backup band, accompanying you while you play and performing all the supporting instruments to follow your lead. As you change the aspects of your performance, such as how fast you're playing (the tempo), the virtual band “listens” to you and makes the same adjustments. It's a very cool way to practice playing or even to give performances. Of course, if you'd like to learn how to write your own music or play your instrument better, your computer can help with that, too. All kinds of music-education products out there can help you to become a better musician.
As you can see, connecting your keyboard to your computer system gives you a multitude of new options. You can record performances, print out your own sheet music, compose songs, and take interactive piano lessons — all in the comfort of your own home. Sure, you have to make a few extra purchases on top of what you've already paid for your instrument, but it's well worth it when you consider how much more fun and educational your keyboard experience will be. Scott R. Garrigus has been using computers to compose, score, and teach music since his high-school days. You can find him online at www.garrigus.com Joining
the Staff Music-notation programs are a complex and varied lot. They range in price from less than $50 for basic entry-level programs to several hundred dollars for the high-end applications that professional copyists use. As with other types of music software, the balance between ease-of-use and power is an important part of the design. The top-of-the-line offerings may be a bit more sophisticated than the average person needs, while the low-end products might prove to be too rudimentary for serious projects. Finding where your needs fall within that spectrum can be tricky if you've never used notation software before. When
shopping for a notation program, the best approach is to consider
what kinds of scores you're likely to need and then compare specific
features that are relevant to those scores. The following several
important features are worth your close scrutiny before you choose
one program over another. Entry-level programs may only let you have a few staves in a score; high-end programs typically provide 100 or more staves. If you write big-band arrangements or symphonic scores, the number of available staves is an important consideration. For large-scale works, you may need 30 or more staves. If your needs are modest, having a large number of staves may not be important. You should, however, choose a program that offers at least 16 staves, so you can assign a different MIDI channel to each staff for playback. The
best programs also let you create specialized staves such as 6-line
staves for guitar tablature or 1-line staves for percussion parts. In addition to having plenty of staves, a good notation program should offer a complete collection of time signatures, clefs, and key signatures. All programs offer the basic treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs, but the best programs include several other less-common clefs (see Fig. 3). A percussion clef for nonpitched instruments is also essential for orchestral scores. All programs let you insert any key signature from the circle of fifths, but a few programs let you show natural signs in a new key signature to cancel the old key signature — very handy.
Click
here for Fig. 3.
TAKING NOTES All notation programs can import Standard MIDI Files and translate the tracks into standard music notation. Many programs can even transcribe real-time performances from a MIDI keyboard. Remember, though, that with either method the quality of the transcribed music depends on the sophistication of the transcription algorithms; some are more intelligent than others, so results may vary from program to program. If your keyboard skills are not yet up to par, you can step-enter notes and rests with the mouse and sometimes also from the computer keyboard. Notation programs typically offer a variety of note and symbol palettes or pop-up menus for selecting items to deposit in the score. The best programs let you use the mouse along with the keyboard (MIDI or computer) to speed up the note-entry process. STATUS
SYMBOLS If
you frequently work with lead sheets, the program you choose should
include flexible handling of lyrics and other kinds of text as
well as chord symbols with and without guitar-fingering diagrams.
And don't forget the other essential elements, such as alternate
note heads, dynamics markings, and measure numbers as well as
page-layout tools for moving and adjusting ties, slurs, beams,
and bar lines.
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