Contextual menus and MIDI data modification |
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Contextual menu of a note [Light] [Beginner] [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Light] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist] By clicking on a note (or a rest) with the
mouse right button (Alt-click on Mac), a popup menu gives access
to various operations to do with that note. Open the Ex077 document:
With the mouse right button, click on the dotted quarter note
. The following menu appears: The first three boxes are activated only when the note was
played on the MIDI keyboard, i.e. when it was recorded in
real time or when it comes from the transcription of a MIDI
file. This dialog box lets you modify the playing parameters.
When a note is introduced with the mouse, the three boxes are
disabled. In such a case, Pizzicato considers that the
velocity of the note is specified in the instrument view or
possibly modified by symbols. It is similar for the MIDI
duration and start. This dialog box lets you modify or remove
information of velocity, duration and start associated with
this specific note. Velocity is expressed between 1 and 127 and corresponds to
a complete scale of available nuances in a synthesizer. MIDI duration is expressed as a percentage of the graphic
value. A quarter note with a 100 % value will thus be played
as a quarter note. Quarter note with a 50 % value will be
played with the duration of an eighth note. MIDI start is also expressed as a percentage and specifies
an advance or a delay, by a value proportional to its
duration. If the score was recorded in real time or comes from a
MIDI file, you can thus modify a specific note to give it a
force (velocity), a duration or a different MIDI start. If the score was encoded with the mouse, modifying the
parameters of a note will personalize the performance. You
may then amplify a specific note, lengthen a duration or
shift a start back
It gives you a better control on how
the score is played. The Justification frame influences the way in
which automatic justification acts on the note. By default,
this is managed by the tools of Pizzicato, but this dialog
box lets you visualize these adjustments. When the Manual stem direction box is checked, it
means that you have used the stem direction tool on this
note. From there on, Pizzicato remembers the state of the
stem with the note. When Pizzicato justifies the measures, it
remembers it and takes it into account. If you disable this
box for a note, the stem will again be automatically managed
by Pizzicato at the next justification, because the manual
modification will have been forgotten. The Manual stem length acts in the same way, but
for the length of the stem and the angle of the beams. The same principle applies for the way in which Pizzicato
connects beams for several notes. When a note is introduced,
the choice by default is Automatic beam. When you
modify beams manually, this change is memorized so that
Pizzicato can take it into account at the next measure
justification. The Draw the note on frame is only present in
advanced versions of Pizzicato and may be used to change the
staff on which the note is drawn with the purpose to realize
cross-staff beaming. See the lesson on cross
staff beaming. The Grace note frame is also only present in
advanced versions of Pizzicato. It is used to manage grace
notes. See the lesson on grace notes. The Tablature frame is related to the guitar
tools. Se the lesson on the guitar tools. The Custom color box is used to specify the color
used to display the note and its stem. The Do not play the note attack check box removes
the MIDI message sent to the sound card to start the note. It
is useful for instance in the case of a repeat when a note is
hold across the repeat bar. At the second passage, the note
is already playing, so the note should not be started again
but should be stopped at its end (otherwise the note will
play forever). The Do not release the note (hold the note) check
box keeps the note playing until the end of the score. The
MIDI message to stop the note is not sent. You may use this
for special effects or to send a MIDI Note ON message without
a MIDI Note OFF. By selecting one of the suggested values, you can thus
change a note into a rest or vice versa, and also modify the
note or rest value. To get the same result, you could erase
the note and add another note value. Contextual menu of a measures selection [Light] [Beginner] [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Light] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist] When one or more measures are selected, the Edit menu
contains a series of choices to treat the selected measures.
These choices are also available by clicking in the score with
the mouse right button (Option-click on Mac). Select for example
measure 1 and click with the right button. Take care not clicking
on a note or a rest, in which case you get the note contextual
dialog box. The contextual menu of measures appears: The various items of this menu are explained separately in the
various lessons of this manual. They are the same as their
equivalents of the Edit menu. Modification of MIDI data [Beginner] [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist] Pizzicato lets you to add, remove or modify various MIDI
information influencing the score performance. It gives you a
better control on the performance of the score by a synthesizer.
These MIDI data are stored either in each note separately or in
the MIDI track associated with the staff. To reach these modifications, select one or
more measures on one or more staves and then select the Data
modification... item in the Edit menu (or using the
contextual menu of measures). The data modification dialog box
appears: The left multiple choice specifies the type of data to modify
and the right multiple choice specifies how the data will be
modified. Let us first see the types of modifiable data: Once the type of data has been specified, select the way to
modify them: Most combinations are allowed between the types of data and
the modifications. Some combinations are incompatible (for
example, it is not possible to remove the width of a measure, it
does not make sense because a measure must always have a graphic
width). By clicking OK, the selected measures are affected by
the operation.