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Percussion entry with MIDI

Entering percussion with an external MIDI device.

A percussion staff can include several different instruments on one line or space. Since one percussion staff can also be used to write for dozens of instruments, SongWriter uses Percussion MIDI Maps (Percussion Maps) to assign Note Types to each instrument. Using these maps, SongWriter is able to match the correct playback sound for each instrument, as well as interpret information from a MIDI keyboard to place the correct percussion instrument on the staff.

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  1. Enter notes with your MIDI keyboard
  2. Add notes to a Percussion Layout

Entering percussion notes with a MIDI keyboard

When entering percussion music with a MIDI keyboard, SongWriter treats each note on the keyboard as a different instrument. With that in mind, it’s easy to quickly create an orchestral percussion part. For this example, we’ll create a new document.

To create a new document with a percussion staff:

  1. Choose File > New > Document With Setup Wizard.
  2. Ensure that Create New Ensemble and Engraved Style are selected and click Next.
  3. Select Percussion.
  4. Double-click on Percussion to add the staff.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Skip title, signatures, etc. and click Finish.

To enter percussion with a MIDI keyboard:

Note. See Configuring your MIDI system for information of hooking up your MIDI keyboard with SongWriter.

  1. Click the Simple Entry tool . The Simple Entry caret appears at the beginning of the first measure.
  2. Type 4 to change the Simple Entry caret to an Eighth note.
  3. Play middle C on your MIDI keyboard (that's C4 or MIDI note 60).
  4. Type 5 to change the Simple Entry caret to a quarter note.
  5. Play middle C again.
  6. Enter the rest of the passage as shown.

  1. With some percussion writing, it is conventional to enter different instruments on separate layers. Let's add the second part on layer 2:
  2. Choose View > Select Layer > Layer 2.
  3. Enter the Bass Drum as shown by playing C2 (MIDI note 36) on your keyboard.

Adding accents and rolls

You can add accents, staccato marks, subdivisions, rolls, and other figures using the Articulation tool. Let's add a few accents and a buzz roll.

To add accents and roll indications:

  1. Choose the Articulation tool . We should still be in Layer 2.
  2. Double-click the first note to open the Articulation Selection dialog box, where you can double-click the accent articulation to add it.
  3. Choose View > Select Layer > Layer 1.
  4. In the same way, add the remaining accents shown here.

  1. To add a buzz roll, click the half note in measure 4. The Articulation Selection dialog box appears. Notice the various percussion figures.
  2. Scroll down and double-click the figure (slot 40). SongWriter adds the marking to the stem.

Note. See Percussion for more information on managing and entering percussion notation.

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