New Vision Concepts
EZReader - Music Composer Help

    

Table of Content

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 OverView

EZReader Music Composer displays a piano keyboard from which a user can create, record and play melodies. A few sample melodies are installed with EZReader.

The main screen consists of 3 textboxes which contain a file name, device/tempo/time signature settings and the music notes. It also has a graphic control which displays a piano with 31 keys - starting a few keys below middle C.

Click a key on the keyboard to play and record the note. New notes are added at the end of the current melody. Users can manually edit the recorded notes.

The toolbar buttons on the main screen are helpful in editing the music.

Music can be entered as one long string of notes which wraps at the edge of the screen or it may be entered a multiple lines of notes.

Finally, text such as comments or lyrics can be embedded in the music. Start and end comments with an asterisk. This is most useful when putting the lyrics immediately below the corresponding music.

As music is played, the played notes are underlined, making it easy to follow the playback.

While the displayed keyboard contains only 31 notes, users may manually enter notes up to two octaves in either direction of the octave containing middle C.

The user can specify which key (quarter note or eighth note) is recorded when a key is pressed. If a different key is desire, the user can manually edit the note.

Also, a setting is available which enables Music Composer to detect the amount of time a user presses a key and to use that to selected the note to be recorded.

 Music Notation

The EZReader Music Composer records music as text, without the use of a graphic staff or note symbols.

All recorded notes are composed of a pitch, note and octave.

To simplify the number of characters needed to write a note, values considered "defaults" need not be written down. Defaults are described in this table:

Here is an example of how hiding default values can simplify recording notes:

Hiding default values provides the most benefit when working with keys from the middle C octave.

Rests are written simply as R1, R2, R4, R8 or R16.

Here's a simple "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" melody containing several notes:

And written with defaults hidden, the music notes reduce to this:

Music Composer can be used to insert bars into a melody, or the user may manually enter bars themselves.

Other features will likely be added to the note structure as the Music Composer grows in capabilities.

 Music Composer Main Screen

The Music Composer main screen has 4 rows of icons, accessed by pressing the rightmost button on the toolbar.

The toolbar icons perform the following functions:

Row 1 Icons

Row 2 Icons

Pressing Enter while focus is on the textbox containing the file name will save the file.

The currently opened file is automatically saved when exiting from Music Composer.

Files are automatically saved when leaving Music Composer and then automatically reloaded in the next session.

Row 3 Icons

Row 4 Icons

Special Actions

Each of the screen elements provides special actions when right-clicking on the element.

 Files Screen

Music Composer opens and saves files from a single folder. Additional subfolders cannot be created by the user.

A file contain a song title, the device chosen to play the music, the tempo, the time signature and the music notes. Content of a file looks like this:

A list of available files can be displayed as in the following image:

A file may be selected from the list to be opened, renamed, or deleted. A new file may also be created.

Music files must end in ".mus", but the extension is not displayed in the list.

The toolbar icons perform the following functions:

 Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are available within all EZReader applications by pressing F1 or right-clicking on the Exit button.

Thank you for considering EZReader!