PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

1. Look to lower-level programs for purchase if these applications are to be utilized by you or your students.  Many new ones in the $49-100 dollar range have more than enough "bells and whistles" for use in most situations. Products such as NoteWorthy Composer and Cakewalk Home Studio 2002 are available at economical prices. Decide what you want the software to do before you purchase it and then compare products for features and prices before purchase.  

2.  Check for freeware and shareware sequencing programs that sometimes have the same features for half-the-cost of higher priced items.  A PC sequencer package called Massiva, is available at reduced cost and has many features.   There are many additional free plugins available for this package, which enhance performance and are available for download.  MIDIGraphy is  presently a free package for Mac. Freeware should be checked out thoroughly for possible glitches, applicability, and usability. Sometimes it is better to purchase a higher priced package as it has been thoroughly tested and your frustrations with resolving problems will be greatly reduced.

          3. Editing of available files can be quickly done by muting the melody line, thus allowing the rest of the background to serve as a harmonic accompaniment. It may be necessary to change the volume (Controller 7) setting to provide more suitable balance for background accompaniments.

            4. Be aware that patch changes for timbral contrast can make a big difference in the attractiveness of an accompaniment.  I have found that many of the files that I use for recorder become more interesting via adding barred percussion backgrounds rather than staying with the usual continuo of harpsichord and cello traditionally utilized.

              5. Finale,   Sibelius   other notation packages, and specialized MIDI-to-Notation software such as MidiNotate, will allow Standard MIDI files to be converted to sheet music.  With discretion in observation of the copyright law, single parts may be printed out and performed. Tweaking and editing resolution will have to be done to remove artifacts from some files.

  6. If you place a MIDI file on a web page realize that the computers you are sending information to may not reproduce sounds as you hear them from your sound card or synthesizer.    Basic minimums should be developed for accompaniment files.  If at all possible try to hear accompaniments you are creating on another machine.

  7.   Develop countdowns that include within the first measures of your accompaniment file: pitch, tempo, and idiomatic characteristics of the composition.  Usually one measure should suffice.  Try to lower the velocities of each introductory note as this will provide correct tempo in an unobtrusive manner and not take away from the initial impression of the performance by providing a metronome-type introduction (clicking sound on a woodblock patch).  If possible try to provide an introduction in the character of the composition to be played, as it is vastly superior to the “metronome method.”

                8.  Many MIDI players have features that make playing accompaniments more adaptable for practice. WINAMP has a looping feature, which allows the file to be repeated for continuous practice.  Some soft synthesizers have valuable options allowing tempo of a MIDI file to be adjusted, as well as transposition to other keys.

  9.When placing MIDI files on the server be sure that the mode is binary.  Automatic is available on some software but make sure that it allows binary transfer and not in ASCII or text.

              10. Most SMF files are developed as  Format 1, which are multitrack files. Type O utilizes a single multichannel track and also is available, but most sequencers read Type 1 for concurrence to Standard MIDI File format.

  11. Be aware that the General MIDI Standard has a patch hierarchy.    0 level patches are oriented towards pianos, followed by barred instruments, organs, guitars etc. Channel 10 is devoted to percussion. I have found that as accompaniments are developed in the sequencer it is a good idea to conform to this standard before exporting your files to Standard MIDI Format.  There seems to be less confusion for those downloading and reading the files.