by Prof. Lydia Ayers

Exploring Music Lab 3 by Prof. Lydia Ayers

Objectives • Practice music notation, using Noteworthy Composer, on your rhythm composition, which is due in the lab today (see next slide) • Make a sequence of your composition using samples in CoolEdit

Composition DUE in This Lab • You should have completed the following composition for this lab – if not, you will need to write one very quickly • Write an 8-bar rhythm composition in a meter of your choice • Hint: it’s often good to end on the first beat of the last measure • Set nonsense words below your rhythm • Examples: skoo be doo tuk chuk dum tak ka ba da • Try to make it sound interesting, but don’t use too many kinds of sounds because it will take too long to record them all

Composition DUE in This Lab • Write another part to accompany your composition using your drum and shaker sounds • Optional: You can add additional parts if you want to • To print music paper from the Web: https://www.cs.ust.hk/~layers/Password_Only/exploringmusic/image/blank_music_paper.gif

Noteworthy Composer • Noteworthy Composer is a music notation program • Practice using it on your rhythm composition • Your TA will show you how to use it to notate rhythms and lyrics • You should have one staff for each part – at least two parts: • A nonsense syllable track • A rhythm track

Noteworthy Composer Basics • Create a new score using File  New • Select “Blank Score”, and click “OK” • Fill in the author/title info as you like! • Add a second staff • Staff Menu  New Staff • Insert the Time Signature (e.g. 2/4, 9/8) • Insert Menu  Time Signature… • Enter the information as appropriate • Repeat for both staffs • Should be the same value for both lines • No need (for Lab 3!) to insert Clef, Key Signature

Noteworthy Composer Basics • Add notes, rests, bar lines • Click on the desired staff, location • For a note/rest, select the duration • For a note, hit the Enter key

Noteworthy Composer Basics • Add notes, rests, bar lines • Click on the desired staff, location • For a note/rest, select the duration • For a note, hit the Enter key • For a rest, hit the Spacebar key

Noteworthy Composer Basics • Add notes, rests, bar lines • Click on the desired staff, location • For a note/rest, select the duration • For a note, hit the Enter key • For a rest, hit the Spacebar key • For a bar line, hit the Tab key

Noteworthy Composer Basics • Remember to beam notes together correctly! • Highlight the notes to beam • Click on the Beam button

Noteworthy Composer Basics • To insert lyrics • Select the staff that you want the lyrics to be “attached” to • Click the Lyrics button

Noteworthy Composer Basics To insert lyrics (con’t) • In the pop-up window • For Line Count, select 1 Lyric Line • Select the Lyric 1 tab • Enter the lyrics, each syllable separated by a space or hyphen (“-”) • Click “OK”

Noteworthy Composer Basics • To play, click the Play button • All notes will be on a piano • Lyrics are not sung

Record Samples • Record any new sounds required for your composition using the SoundEditor, as you did last week. • Record the nonsense syllables • Record any new percussion sounds that you may have added

Prepare the Sounds • Clean up the sounds using CoolEdit, as you did last week. • Convert your .wav file to 22050 sampling rate. • All the .wav files must use the same sampling rate • Convert your .wav file to mono. • This exercise will be easier if all your sample files are mono • Make sure you have only one sound in each file. • Get rid of any unnecessary noise at the beginning and the end of each sound.

Create a Sequence • Copy and paste your recorded samples into a new file to make a sequence • Use one channel for each part • If you have more than two channels, you can use more than one track, but you will only be able to hear left and right channels on your headphones • However, for 3 parts, you could put one in the left channel, one in the right channel, and the third on another track in the middle of the two channels • Listen to your composition and change anything that you want to improve • You may want to repeat it with some variation

Changing the Pitch • Listen to your composition • If you want to have some higher and lower sounds, you can use Effects -> Time/Pitch -> Stretch • The following example raises the pitch 7 half steps • -You can also have fun raising and lowering it randomly

Changing the Pitch • If you want to have some funny sounds, you can use the pitch bender (Effects -> Time/Pitch -> Pitch Bender) • The following Squirrely example makes the sound bounce up and down

Changing the Pitch • The Doppler Shifter is also quite funny (Effects -> Time/Pitch -> Doppler Shifter) • The following Rotating Point Source example makes the sound bounce around

by Prof. Lydia Ayers