Percussion

Whether you are creating music for drum set, orchestral percussion, or a drum line, SongWriter allows you to easily create, notate, and playback percussion parts.

Staves configured for percussion entry can be added with the Document Setup Wizard. These staves automatically ignore key signatures and transpositions, and are configured for intuitive entry whether you are using a mouse, computer keyboard, or MIDI keyboard for entry.

To ensure your percussion notation is configured properly for your playback instrument, select the appropriate Percussion MIDI Map in the ScoreManager.

To enter percussion with Simple Entry

1. Click the Simple Entry tool .
2. Use the mouse or caret to enter notes as you would regularly. See Simple Entry. All instruments available in the staff's percussion layout will be available for entry.

If your percussion staff includes more than one instrument on a single staff position (e.g. snare and side stick both on the fourth space), you will be able to scroll between them by dragging up or down with the mouse or using the up and down arrow keys. Refer to the visual cue that displays the note you are about to enter.

Configuring Percussion Playback 

Note. SongWriter reserves channel 10 on bank 1 for percussion to accommodate MIDI devices that require channel 10 for percussion sounds. If, for example, you added a percussion Instrument in the Setup Wizard, and then attempted to play through an external MIDI device that reserves channel 10 for percussion, the percussion Instrument would play correctly. The second percussion Instrument added to bank 1 is assigned to the next consecutive available channel. Banks other than 1 do not reserve a channel for percussion automatically. If NotePad's automatic channel assignments for percussion, or any instrument, do not work for a device, you can change the channel manually in the ScoreManager. (See also MIDI Setup dialog box).

Non-pitched percussion sound libraries differ from pitched sound libraries in that each MIDI note represents a different percussive instrument rather than a different pitch. Imagine playing a MIDI keyboard set to a certain percussion patch; each key plays a different percussion instrument. Change the percussion patch and the keys play different sounds, sometimes completely different instruments altogether. SongWriter’s percussion output works the same way. If you change the way SongWriter plays back (select a different MIDI Out device), the messages (MIDI notes) sent from your percussion staves may be interpreted as different percussion instruments. Therefore, when you change your playback device, (or send your file to a different computer with different sound libraries), you must also tell SongWriter how your percussion MIDI notes should be interpreted. Fortunately, SongWriter includes preset maps for all included percussion playback options, and you can define a percussion MIDI map for any external MIDI device.

The Percussion MIDI Map is set under the right-most column of the ScoreManager. Ensure the Percussion MIDI Map selected in the ScoreManager matches the playback device specified in the so that your percussion staves playback properly.

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