Inputting notes in percussion kits

You can input notes on all percussion instruments in percussion kits using any presentation type. When inputting notes in percussion kits, the caret is smaller than when inputting notes on pitched instrument staves.

Instead of occupying the whole height of the staff, the caret in percussion kits is positioned at a particular staff position.

The name of the percussion instrument or slash voice currently selected by the caret, and any applicable playing technique, is shown directly above the rhythmic grid display.

Note

You can only input notes into slash voices in percussion kits when using the five-line staff presentation.

Figure 1. Inputting notes on instruments with five-line staff kit presentation

Prerequisite

If you want to use additional playing techniques for instruments in the kit, you have defined these in the Percussion Instrument Playing Techniques dialog.

Procedure

  1. In Write mode, select an item in the percussion kit and at the rhythmic position where you want to input notes.
  2. Press Shift-N to start note input.
  3. Move the caret up/down to input notes on different instruments in any of the following ways:

    • Press Up Arrow to move it up.

    • Press Down Arrow to move it down.

  4. Select an appropriate playing technique for the instrument currently selected by the caret before inputting notes.

    • Press Shift-Alt/Opt-Up Arrow to cycle upwards through playing techniques.

    • Press Shift-Alt/Opt-Down Arrow to cycle downwards through playing techniques.

    • Play the pitch for the playing technique you want on a MIDI keyboard.

      Note

      You can define MIDI pitches for playing techniques on the Note Input and Editing page in Preferences.

  5. Input notes in one of the following ways:

    • Five-line staff presentation type: Press letters on a computer keyboard or play notes on a MIDI keyboard, corresponding to staff positions for the clef set in Preferences. For example, press B to input notes for the instrument assigned to the middle line of a five-line staff when Treble G clef is set.

    • Grid and single-line instruments presentation types: Press the letter of any note name A to G on a computer keyboard or play any note on a MIDI keyboard to input notes for the instrument on whose line the caret is currently positioned.

      Note

      Notes played on MIDI keyboards are interpreted differently, depending on whether Use percussion map or Use staff position is set for the different kit presentation types in the Note Input section of the Note Input and Editing page in Preferences.

    • Any kit presentation type: Press Y to input notes for the instrument and playing technique shown above the rhythmic grid.

    • Any kit presentation type: Click on the staff where you want to input notes, and at the rhythmic positions where you want them.

  6. Press Esc or Return to stop note input.