Adapting "impossible" tunes for small scales

 [ John Farmer wrote: ]

> With some tunes I have found it impossible to convert them (to
> a 20-note scale), because some vital notes were missing, and
> the tune just wouldn't sound right if you left them out.

I'd be very happy if you and everybody else in MMD would send me
a list with their so called "impossible" tunes.  I'm always up for
a challenge!

> Although the Piano Roll view in Cakewalk is interesting, I have not
> found it at all useful.  You don't seem to be able to do anything
> with it.  You can't even print it.  (Unless anyone knows better).

For people like me that do understand normal sheet music, it is much
easier to position "holes" (bars) in a piano roll view, than to do so
in the usual sheet music view.

One thing, that is in particular the most helpful so far, is the
"magic staff" that lets you shorten or lengthen a note by decreasing
or increasing the length of the "hole" (bar) in the piano roll view.

It would be (sorry for my choice of words!) an extreme "pain in the
bottom" to do so in the sheet music view: Is it now an 1/8 or a 1/16
or a "1/16."?

If you see music more as geometric shapes and Cakewalk more as a "paint"
programme, then the piano roll view is a gift from the heavens!

 [ Mike Knudsen wrote:

> You need to tell your program what notes your organ can play, and
> find out how to make the program check your arrangement for illegal
> (un-equipped) notes that your organ doesn't have.  Others have said
> that Cakewalk can do this.

with CALs I suppose -- little "Filter-Programms"?

> But first, figure out what musical key(s) your organ plays best in
> (depending on which "black" notes it has), and its range from high to
> low.  Then transpose the given MIDI piece into those keys and see how
> they fit the range, especially the melody.  Also beware of chords
> that your bass section can't support well.

As already was said: this can be done by marking the whole track.

If you have problems with finding how many semitones you need to move
the tune up or down, you can also just "grab" the whole marked tune and
push it up or down (but beware: it might also move ahead or back, so
keep that mouse movement straight!)

> Finally, move out-of-range and un-equipped notes to notes your organ
> has.

or, if no suitable place for them can be found, delete them.

> Play your piece, using appropriate "stops" like Pan Flute,
> Bottle Blow, Ocarina, and Flute.

Ocarina usually works best, but just play around with it a bit and see
which one comes closest to your expectations of the sound of your
organ.

Some members of MMD, who have experience with sound cards, etc., have
mapped (recorded) their (or someone else's) organ to build an organ
sound bank on which to play the MIDIs.  How good that works for
checking on repetition errors I don't know.

> Make sure any repeated notes have enough silence between them so your
> organ valves can close and re-open.  When in doubt, shorten or delete
> notes -- simple is better.

Also you might have to check if notes are "double": underneath a bar
there might just be sitting another bar!  Best way to check on this is,
as has already been mentioned, the Event List.

greetings by(e) InK - Ingmar Krause
Victoria, BC, Canada