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Topic: Output to on-screen Keyboard while score plays in NWC? (Read 3384 times) previous topic - next topic

Output to on-screen Keyboard while score plays in NWC?

Hello,

Apologies if this is not the right place to post (or the right product!!).  I did do a search but didn't find an answer to the following.

I am trying to learn to read music notation.  I have this notion that if I can hand-enter sheet music in NWC, then play it back to an on-screen virtual keyboard, I can see the note in the notation play at the same time as the key on the on-screen keyboard, and then I can make the visual-physical-mental map between the sound, the notation, and the key(s) to press.  As (mostly) a guitar player, I don't have all the scales and patterns on the keyboard ingrained and this seemed like a good approach -- especially since I have books and books of sheet music that I can transcribe into NWC.  That may seem tedious but I think if I get good at that I can further cement the link between the notation, the sound, and the physical action.

What I'm really looking for is a version of the old Deluxe Music Construction Set from the Amiga days, but there doesn't seem to be anything like that for the PC. 

In my searching, NWC is by far the nicest tool for entering notation -- the keyboard (PC keyboard I mean) support is FANTASTIC!  But I simply can't find a combination of a good notation program and a playback via onscreen (piano) keyboard feature in one program.

Possibly I can get an onscreen keyboard midi (instrument) and use that to play back, but I am not sure if that would even work.

Anyway, suggestions about how to use NWC in this manner, or other things to try, would be most welcome.

Thanks for reading, and thanks very much in advance for any suggestions you may have.

-C


Re: Output to on-screen Keyboard while score plays in NWC?

Reply #1 –
I may have a pretty kludgy way that might do this...  Rather than present it now, I'd rather wait to see if someone has a better answer.  It involves a little VST task I've been working on...

Sorry guys, it doesn't do what I thought it did...
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: Output to on-screen Keyboard while score plays in NWC?

Reply #2 –
Well following on from where I think Lawrie was going, I believe that it can be done.
(With either NWC 1 or 2)

Set up VST is the way Lawrie described in his "VST for Dummies Like me" introduction.
Make sure it is all working.

Having done that, go to the VST program and in the View Menu, select "Keyboard Bar"
Also in the View menu, select "configure Keyboard bar"
In there select Channel 1 on the wheel in the keyboard tab.
Also select key labels if this will help.

Go to NoteWorthy and load in a piece of piano music.
Make sure that both the Treble and Bass staves (left and right hand) are set to channel 1.

Now, you will need to arrange your screen so that both programs share the screen. - Say NWC on the top half of the screen and VST Host on the bottom half. (Actually, the VST host will need much less because the virtual keyboard will remain at the bottom of the VST screen.

So now, you have NoteWorthy with the piano music and VST with a Virtual Keyboard.
Set the focus on NWC and press F5 to play and there you go.

As NWC plays the piano music, the Virtual keyboard in VST shows which notes are being played (with key labels if needed).
What you can also do of course, is to set the tempo in NWC to suit your learning speed.

Hope this is what you meant !

Rich.

Re: Output to on-screen Keyboard while score plays in NWC?

Reply #3 –
Thanks Rich,
I failed to check which channel my piano was on in my test file - thought it was on channel 1 but it wasn't - confuddled me!

Your answer is exactly where I was going - great minds eh?  ;)
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: Output to on-screen Keyboard while score plays in NWC?

Reply #4 –
Thanks guys for the suggestions.  Kind of a crazy week/weekend so I haven't gotten around to attempting this yet, but I definitely appreciate your suggestions and help.  I'll report back once I have a chance to try this out.

Thanks again!!!!

-C