Re: [Denemo-devel] Denemo-feedback

[Richard Shann]

On Wed, 2013-12-18 at 16:52 +0100, David Kastrup wrote:
> Richard Shann <address@hidden> writes:
> 
> Some more feedback:
> 
> I just tried working with MIDI entry, and the workflow does not cut it
> for me.
> 
> For one thing, entering the rhythm first is a really bad idea.  I mean,
> like REALLY bad.
> 
> Why?  Because it means that the _second_ phase, namely entering the
> pitches, is where you have to get everything _right_ or things will get
> ugly.  And correcting the ugly things requires the _computer_ keyboard
> rather than the MIDI device.
> 
> You'll probably say I should get used to having one hand on the computer
> keyboard and another on the MIDI device.

Well, if you play a wrong note then you want to move the cursor left;
and I guess you are right that with a MIDI keyboard you could do this
with the other hand. But you don't have to play so fast that playing the
wrong note is something that happens often.


> 
> The MIDI device in this case is an accordion.  It is filling my lap.  It
> wants holding with the left hand (which is threaded through a strap) and
> keying with the right hand.  They computer keyboard is not easily
> reachable, and when I _do_ reach it with my right hand, for example to
> type backspace, I lose the place on the accordion which is a chromatic
> button accordion, meaning that the "keys" pack one homogeneous area with
> circular buttons in a staggered-row pattern and the only orientation is
> relative.

You mention the backspace - that would delete both rhythm and note -
what you need is cursor-left, then you just repeat the note.
The solution to getting a cursor left lies with setting up a suitable
MIDI signal to do this. I had originally envisioned turning these into
user-settable short cuts (like key and mouse shortcuts are), but didn't
get round to it yet. But there are the hooks there: for example, on my
MIDI controller there is a large wheel called "Modulation" and I use it
to push the set of sharps and flats in either direction (when the piece
changes key so much that it is using d-sharp instead of e-flat for
example). The other one that is set up by default to enter chords is the
foot pedal - that could be used to issue a cursor left.
I am not sure how it would work if you simply wanted to assign some
little-used note to this task - there is a general MIDI intercept which
leaves it up to you to process all the incoming MIDI. I think you would
be writing a few lines of scheme then. (There is an example, the Angry
Delete command, where you play a note above a certain velocity -
loudness - and it backs up and overwrites the previous note). It's been
some years since I did this stuff, and the scheme makes me blush to look
at but it is there in the menu system (right click and Get Script).



> 
> So when I do the pitches, I don't want to do corrections.  That means
> pitches need to go first, not durations.  Because otherwise my bad notes
> cause things to go out of sync.  If there is nothing there yet, nothing
> can get out of sync.
> 
> How would that look? 

I guess it will look like this:


https://vimeo.com/81814901

uploaded yesterday!


>  Basically, I'd expect to enter pitches by having a
> bar-less system where I just get to see noteheads.  Like some old form
> of hymnal notation.
> 
> Deleting spurious bad notes can be done in the second, computer keyboard
> phase as I have a backspace for that.  Alternatively, backspace over
> them in the input phase by hitting a cluster.  Though clusters make it
> more difficult to keep position again.
> 
> Now of course, the accordion also has a left hand: bass buttons and
> chord buttons.  It would be nice to press a chord button and _get_ a
> chord rather than a sequence of three notes.

With the method shown in the that demo you can use the Ins key to
collect up the chord while you are putting in the rhythm.

Richard