MDL Notation playback help?
I'm composing a quad feature for a drumline I'm in and I'm having trouble changing the note head and getting the program to playback what I want. I want to notate crossovers with a different notehead. What I've been doing is using the inspector panel to change the Head Type setting but the options are very limited. There's the Edit Drumset option and while I'm able to create notes with different heads, they don't make any noise in the playback. I just want to use the same sounds that already come with the program to notate crossovers and a behind the back shot on drum 4. Any Tips?
Comments
For drum notation, you don't use the Inspector to changes heads - you change the drumset definition (e.g., the Edit Drumset button on the drum palette). In order to get the playback, you have to assign the right MIDI pitch.
Since you say you want to use the same sounds that are already there, you don't need to add a new note, just change the way that pitch is displayed. See the handbook for more info.
In reply to For drum notation, you don't… by Marc Sabatella
I've looked all over the handbook and I can't find a solution. It shouldn't be that hard to just change a notehead. Why not just let me change heads in the inspector like everything else? I've spent hours on this problem and it's driving me insane.
In reply to I've looked all over the… by fofobrofo64
It would be a ton more work to have to change noteheads one at a time in the Inspector rather than changing them all at once in the drum set definition. You don’t which step of the instructions specifically is confusing you, but if you attach your score and say which pitch you want to display differently and how you want it to loom instead, we should be able to have you sorted in no time.
In reply to It would be a ton more work… by Marc Sabatella
All the notes that currently have a half note head are cross overs and should be circled or have a line through them. The one whole note head is behind the back and I'd just like the option of choosing a different note head for that. I'm trying to get them to sound like the default drum hits when played since its the same note just played in a way that needs a different definition. Thanks!
In reply to All the notes that currently… by fofobrofo64
So are you saying the playback is already how you want it, you just want to change the way the notes displayed using half note heads look? If so, why are only some of the "hit drum 2" notes notated this way? I get the sense you intend for it to be played differently and thus actually sound different, but it isn't clear what other sound you want. Or, if the intent is to sound the same, why you are trying to notate it differently. If it's a normal note but should have a circle around it or line through it for some reason, those can be added form the Symbols palette. Changing noteheads is normally only something you'd do if you want a different sound. So assuming you find a sound that represents the special effect you are going for, you'd simply define the MIDI pitch for that sounds. So click through each note in the drum palette until you find one that gives the sound you want, then use Edit Drumset to define the appearance for that note specifically. Then change the notes that currently have the half note head to this new note.
In reply to So are you saying the… by Marc Sabatella
So the world of quad drumming is a little strange. A common way to notate that your hands are crossing over is to change the note head. The hand that is on top when crossed over (aka the hand doing the crossing) gets the crossover noteheads. For example, if I'm playing the 3 and 4 drums at the same time without crossing, the notes are normal. But If I'm crossing my arms for visual effect or to set up another phrase with the right arm on top, drum 3 would have a normal notehead and drum 4 would have a crossover head. If the left hand is on top, drum 3 would have the special notehead and 4 would be normal. 3 different ways of hitting the same drums with the same sound. I'd like to be able to make certain note heads look different to tell the reader how the hands flow so there's no confusion on how to play a phrase. Through my years as a tenor drummer, this is the most common and most effective way to notate crossovers. I'm able to go and create new notes in the Edit Drumset window but I can't make them playback in the MIDI file that I want to give to my peers to practice to. There doesn't seem to be a Symbols palette in the drumline plugin. I understand this is probably a very unusual request and I really appreciate you helping me figure this out.
In reply to So the world of quad… by fofobrofo64
OK, I do think I understand, in which case, I think you should bring this up with the rest of the MDL community (over on musescore.com is probably the best place to reach them?) and come up with a good design. For instance, one thing that occurs to me is that the drumset definition could contain an "alternate notehead" that is automatically used when you apply a special "crossover" marking. If it's truly a common and generally useful thing, it seems it would be better to support it directly than force people to rely on manually changing heads in the Inspector.
That said, I'm not opposed to providing that override either. This was specifically disabled years ago as I recall so that people would be encouraged to take advantage of the drumset definition and not be misled into thinking they would need to manually set each and every notehead. Probably there is a better design for that too, though.