Klarinet Archive - Posting 000772.txt from 1997/03

From: Jack Kissinger <kissingerjn@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Music Programs
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 13:25:04 -0500

Frank Nagy wrote:

I found The Introduction, theme and variations by Rossini ... but it
only had the orchestra part in the piano style and no clarinet part, and
when I went to play it back, instead of the music I had weird precussion
sounds and nothing else.

I also use Rhapsody. The program is positioned between Music Time and
Encore in features and price. It can read and write Music Time's .mus
files (but not Finale .mus files -- same extension but different format)
but not Encore files.

The Rossini (and apparently all the other midi files from this source on
Sneezy) are accompaniment files like music minus one unless a clarinet
part is mentioned with an acknowledgment, so I guess you'll just have to
play the clarinet part yourself, Frank. To get a piano or string
orchestra accompaniment instead of the percussion requires some
adjustments from within Rhapsody (these will probably also work with
Music Time and Encore).

First, on the menu across the top click on Windows. From the pull down
menu which results, click on staff sheet. This allows you to specify
the instruments you want to hear during playback. In the Rossini, only
one instrument is used. In that instrument's settings, click on the
"box" under the column heading, "chnl" (i.e., where it says A10 -- that
is the culprit). You should see a heading that says "Choose
Channel/Port." All the A10 buttons are probably dark. After making
sure the "Change Together" box at the bottom of the screen has an X in
it, click on the A1 button by Voice 1. This should darken all the A1
buttons (while lightening the A10 buttons). Then click OK. At this
point, if you back out to the score, it should play (mine sounded like a
string ensemble).

Optionally, while you are in the "staff sheet," you can specify an
instrument. Click on "None (faint letters)" under the column heading,
"Program Name." A window headed "Choose Instrument" will appear. Click
in the box that says "Generic" (the Device), and choose one of the other
options that appears. (Unless you have an exotic sound card, General
MIDI is probably your best choice.) Then have a ball. Would you like
to hear the accompaniment played on accordions? You got it. Grand
Piano? No problem. Personally, I like string ensemble. It makes all
the "piano reduction" midis (including, e.g., Oliver Seeley's) sound
like string orchestras (or fuzzy organs depending on the quality of your
sound card). After you have selected, click OK and back up to the score
for playback.

If I've lost you by now, go to your owners' manual and read the section
under "staff sheet" (p. 171 in my manual but I have the first version of
the software).

You will probably want to change the tempo for most of the movements.
This adjustment is located under the "Measures" option on the top menu.
Be sure to set the range from measure 1 to the end of the movement.
Also, it is a good idea to save your changes to a rhapsody (.rhp) or
music time (.mus) file so that you don't have to go through this process
every time you want to play the music.

Sorry to be so wordy. Hope this helps.

Jack Kissinger
kissingerjn@-----.edu