All Views/Polyrhythms like 4/4 : 4/3
From Bounce Metronome
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Controls Common to Many Windows
Polyrhythms like 4/4 : 4/3 Main Window
Polyrhythms like 4/4 over 4/3 with mixed note types - main window - see F1 Help window for QUICK START...
This tip is shown when you hover the mouse over the title bar or the background of the main window. Hover mouse over individual controls for their help.
You may need to use the RESET METRONOME button first if if you have come here from one of the other metronomes.
Polyrhythms like 4/4 over 4/3 Metronome
If time signatures such as 4/3 are new to you, it may help to read the wikipedia article about them here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature#.22Irrational.22_meters
So in 4/3 you have four beats each a third of a whole tone. While in 4/4 each beat is a quarter of a whole tone. When you play them together then you get two rhythms both in 4/4 time, but one is played faster than the other, by just the right amount so that three beats of the 4/3 are played for every 4 beats of the 4/4.
BTW though these are known as "irrational meters" that's a different use of the word from the mathematician's "irrational" meaning numbers like PI or the golden ratio which can't be expressed in fractions at all. Rhythms which can be expressed using simple fractions like 4/3 aren't irrational in the mathematician's sense.
But you can play irrational rhythms here as well - e.g. 4/PI together with 4/4. For that one, just enter PI as the note value. Or 4/G for the golden ratio.
Quick Start
1. Select one of the preset additive rhythms such as 4/4 with 4/3.
2. Then set the tempo and click the Play button to hear the result. Shortcut keys BACKSPACE to set tempo, and RETURN to start / stop play.
See Quick start for all the time signature based metronomes below for more details
Quick start for any of the time signature based metronomes
The rest of this help is as for Bounce Metronome Basic.
1. Select one of the preset rhythms.
2. Set the tempo using the tempo dial. Or tap at desired tempo with BACKSPACE.
3. Use the STOP sound or PLAY sound button to stop and start the sound. Or use the RETURN KEY to stop or start the metronome.
4. To hear each beat split up into smaller subdivisions, use the appropriate button . Or to just hear the main beat, set the number of subdivisions to 1.
If you choose four subdivisions you will see an extra check box "Also 2" appear - this lets you emphasize two subdivisions as well (e.g. eighth notes as well as sixteenth notes). If you choose eight subdivisions you can use this check box to emphasize 2 and 4 subdivisions (e.g.sixteenth notes and eighth notes as well as thirtysecond notes) - and so on.
The bounces start and stop automatically with the sound. Click the button: STOP Bounce or START Bounce to stop and start the bouncing balls on their own - e.g. to stop the bounces with the sound still running, or start the bounces without sound for a silent metronome.
To choose which device on your computer to use to play the notes, use Choose OUT DEVICES and PARTS to play for each device (Ctrl + 41) in the Play drop menu.
This is the main window - when you close it, Bounce Metronome Pro will exit.
Other Visuals
To see the bouncing balls in a larger window use Metronome Bouncing Ball (Ctrl + 219). You can get to this quickly with the magnifying glass icon at top right of the bouncing balls display in the main window - or choose Bounce >> 2D Bounce - larger window from the Bounce drop menu.
For the 3D animations with bouncing ball, drum stick or conductor's baton style visuals use 3D Bouncing Balls, Drum stick or Conductor's baton (Ctrl + 224)
To resize the tempo dial and bouncing balls separately you can split the main window into several different windows. To do this, go to SPLIT MAIN WINDOW in the Options drop menu. To get back to a single main window go to ALL IN ONE WINDOW in the same drop menu.
Try out the many ways to display the bouncing balls in the drop lists in the bouncing balls windows.
To adjust colours go to Colours (Ctrl + 7) in the Visuals drop menu.
Keyboard Shortcuts
To set the tempo to the tempo of your taps, tap with the BACKSPACE key. To stop or start the metronome press the RETURN key. This works almost anywhere in Bounce Metronome. It gives an easy and quick way to adjust the tempo or stop and start the metronome at any time, e.g. while practicing with a musical instrument (since the BACKSPACE and RETURN keys are large and easy to find on the keyboard).
The BACKSPACE key is normally used to erase text. But you seldom need to use it in Bounce Metronome Pro and can use the Delete Key as an alternative in the few situations where it is needed. To use BACKSPACE as a tempo tap even when editing text, go to Tempo Dial - Preferences (Ctrl + 223) and select "enable BACKSPACE tempo tap even when you edit text in Bounce Metronome". (Keyboard shortcut CONTROL + BACKSPACE to switch the backspace tempo tap on or off even for text fields).
You can also silence or enable individual parts with the number keys. Just press 1 to silence or enable part 1, 2 to silence or enable part 2 and so on. Obviously this interferes with normal use of the number keys so it is normally disabled whenever you work with text fields in Bounce Metronome.
To switch this feature on even when you use text fields, use SHIFT + SPACE. Then when finished, use SHIFT + SPACE again to switch this feature off.
There are many other keyboard shortcuts which you'll find as you use Bounce Metronome.
Adjusting your rhythm
You can change the timing for any beat, skip beats, change the instrument to play or show / hide the bouncing balls for any of the parts.
Adjust individual beats
To change the timing or volume of any beat, go to Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76).
Adjust individual beats in the bouncing balls display
Or to adjust directly in the bouncing balls display, e.g. in the main window, switch on ADJUST BEAT TIMES in Bounce Options (Ctrl + 220).
Then, in the bouncing balls display you need to see the individual beats as BLOCKS at the bottom of the bouncing balls display. If they are hidden, show them with a click on the grey half circle to the left of the display.
Then LEFT CLICK and drag on the BLOCKS on the line between the beat and the next beat to adjust its timing.
To skip an individual beat, LEFT CLICK on its diamond in the bouncing ball display. It will change to a grayed out ellipse to indicate that the beat is skipped. To adjust accent RIGHT CLICK on the beat.
Change Parts
Your rhythm is made up of several parts. Usually there is one part to play the bar beat, then other parts play the main beat, and any subdivisions.
To see a list of all the parts and adjust the instruments, volumes, and individual bouncing ball colours, go to Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9). To adjust the stereo pan position of any instrument go to Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50)
Change any of the parts in the bouncing balls display
You need to show the controls to adjust the parts - so if necessary click on the grey ellipse to the left.
Then use the diamonds, circles and rectangles to the left of the individual parts to hide any of the bouncing balls, change the instrument for a part, or silence any of the parts.
Use the triangles to the right to change the number of beats for any part, or increase or decrease the number of parts.
To find out what any of these controls does, just hover the mouse over it to bring up its tool tip.
You can use the controls in 3D Bouncing Balls, Drum stick or Conductor's baton (Ctrl + 224) similarly.
Tunes for your rhythms, and the harmonic metronome
To see these options, go to Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9) and switch on Add melodic instruments, tunes & harmonic metronome,
You will then see options to make a new fractal tune in Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9). You can also make a metronome based on the harmonic series using Harmonics Metronome (Ctrl + 229).
The non melodic instruments in Non Melodic Percussion (Ctrl + 21) either don't have a clear pitch, or always play at the same pitch. So to play melody lines or to try out the harmonic metronome you need the melodic instruments, which get added to the Instr. drop menu. You can use Instruments (Ctrl + 8) - the standard midi instruments on your soundcard or synth. Or you can use Modify Wave Shape Instruments Menu (Ctrl + 196) - new instruments designed for Bounce Metronome.
You may also like to try the melodic instruments for normal rhythms in place of the non melodic percussion instruments. If you want to keep the rhythm and the selection of instruments but switch off the harmonic metronomes and the fractal tunes, use the Reset to no tune button in Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9).
To raise or lower the pitch of the fractal tune, rhythm or harmonic metronome use Pitch of 1/1 of Scale (Ctrl + 10).
Metronome Type - DROP LIST
Select YOUR METRONOME from the drop list...
The main window will change depending on which metronome you choose from the drop list, and then you can check the help for the main window for that metronome (hover mouse over main window title bar and see the F1 help for the main window for the metronome).
Here is a quick summary of what each one does:
Bounce Metronome Basic
Basic metronome with time signature, and subdivisions.
Bounce Metronome Pro
All the features of the PRO metronome acessible within one window. If you want to focus on one particular feature then try one of the more specialised metronomes.
Swing Metronome
Use this to practise swing or to use lilt for a more lively rhythm.
Drum & Dance Metronome
For drum rhythms such as paradiddle, and dance rhythms mixing quarter notes, eighth notes and so on. You can select from a drop list of rhythms or enter a new rhythm.
Polyrhythm Metronome
Use this to practise polyrhythms (cross rhythms) such as 2 beats to a measure with 3 simultaneously, or 3 with 4, 3 with 5 etc.
Additive Metronome
to practise additive rhythms such as 2 + 3 (i.e. 5/4 divided into two beats followed by 3 beats) or 3 + 2 + 3 etc.
Rhythm cycle Metronome
Here you can make a cycle of rhythms and polyrhythms one after another. Useful for long additive rhythms with many rhythms one after another - or a cycle that combines ordinary rhythms with polyrhythms.
Fractional Rhythms Metronome
Fractional rhythms here are ones with either a fractional (e.g. 2.2) or irrational (e.g. golden ratio or PI) number of beats to the measure. The beats drift in and out of phase with the measure line.
Tap out a rhythm
Use this to tap out a rhythm and then play the bouncing balls metronome to follow the rhythm of your taps.
Harmonic Metronome
Here the idea is that each number of beats per measure is assigned a pitch, so e.g. 7 beats to the measure corresponds to the seventh harmonic, 5 beats to the measure corresponds to the fifth and so on.
The results sound harmoniously together as they use pitches from the harmonic series.
This idea is related to the Lambdoma arrangement of pitches, and to Theremin's Rhythmicon. Originally suggested by Barbara Hero and may be of interest for music therapy.
Harmonic Rhythm Cycle Metronome
Play a cycle of rhythms or polyrhythms one after another with the pitches following the harmonic series.
Fractional Harmonic Metronome
Here the idea is that you can use fractional or irrational rhythms e.g. involving the golden ratio or PI and combine that with the idea of using pitches corresponding to the number of beats to the measure.
So PI / 4 will be played using two pitches at a ratio of PI to 4 to each other.
The golden ratio rhythms are particularly interesting here because the golden ratio rhythm is in a sense the most polyrhythmic possible rhythm (ratio of beats most hard to approximate using a rational number). Similarly the golden ratio pitch interval is the most inharmonic possible pitch interval. It's a pleasant interval actually on most instruments - some inharmonic pitch intervals are very pleasant sounding (the ones that are often hard on the ear are e.g. detuned fifths, close to a very pure interval such as a fifth, octave or fourth,but obviously not hitting it).
So this combination gives the most polyrhythmic possible rhythm combined with the most inharmonic possible interval.
A Version of Theremin's Rhythmicon
Lets you play a version of Theremin's Rhythmicon using the number keys on your PC keyboard and the first six keys of the first row of letter keys e.g. q w e r t y as the keys of your instrument.
Theremin's Rhythmicon is an instrument with sixteen keys. Each key silences or plays a rhythm with a different number of notes to the measure, starting from 1 for the first key, 2 for second key all the way down to 16 for the last key. Each key also plays a different note of the harmonic series.
see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythmicon
Fractal Tune Metronome
Play the rhythms using fractal tunes. This is just a taste of what can be done in this way. It may give some idea of what your rhythm will sound like melodically. It also introduces you to the fractal tunes you can make with Fractal Tune Smithy.
Note - at present Bounce Metronome Pro is at version 3.2. but FTS is still at 3.0. Bounce Metronome Pro has many capabilities not in FTS such as the skipped beats for instance. So most of the tunes you make here can't be played in Tune Smithy itself until the release of version 3.0 hopefully some time in summer or autumn 2009.
Car - Tunes Metronome
Show a ball bouncing on the lyrics as for the Song Car Tunes in early movies.
This metronome is left out of the drop list of metronomes for blind users at present. Perhaps there is something one could do here without the bouncing ball graphics - i.e. to display the words of the lyric in time to the rhythm, perhaps arranged so that the screen reader reads out each word just before it is sung - but I'm not sure at present how useful it would be or how exactly one would do it.
All the other metronomes are accessible to blind users.
Hide graphics
Hide Graphics - use this button if you are blind or prefer keyboard to mouse
/ Show volume as a number (Alt + /)
Change between the volume as text box, or as a graphic...
Click to change from volume as a text box to volume as graphic, and back again.
1 subdivisions
Just play the beats without subdivisions (1 subdivision)
2 subdivisions
Split each beat into two subdivisions
3 subdivisions
Split each beat into three subdivisions
4 subdivisions
Split each beat into four subdivisions...
With this option you will see an extra check box "Also 2". Select that to get an extra part that plays 2 subdivisions of the original beat as well.
You can use it to help you practice e.g. eighth notes and sixteenth notes as well as the original quarter notes.
Beats subdivisions - first time signature
How many subdivisions to play for each beat of the time signature...
Example, set this to 2 to play two subdivisions for each beat.
Example, 4/4 with the subdivisions set to 2 will play the quater notes, and then using another part (which you can set to a distinctive instrument sound) it will play beats for every sixteenth note.
You can set which instruments play each part and the volume for each part etc. in Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9)
Fractional subdivisions (rarely used feature)
You can make this number fractional. For instance, you can set it to 3.1 or even an irrational number like PI which you can enter as a decimal 3.14159 or as the word PI.
This lets the subdivisions drift with respect to the main beat - if you aren't quite sure what this means, just try it out to see what happens.
It's an unusual effect but may be of interest on occasion. For instance try playing a tune along with a rhythm with drifting subdivisions - it is quite hard and may help one deal with distractions while playing. Or composers may find it of interest for its own sake.
For details of formulae you can use see the help for {{w81}
Number of subdivisions - SPIN (Alt + N)
Increase or decrease number of subdivisions for time signature
Tempo for Part 1... (Alt + T)
Tempo in Beats per Minute - Vary this to play the rhythm faster or slower. You can type any tempo here including fractional BPM. Or TAP AT TEMPO with BACKSPACE - or use the ARROW KEYS to change by one NOTCH or one BPM. The tempo is in BPM like heart rate...
This normally shows the tempo as beats per minute (BPM). So for instance 60 is 60 beats a minute, i.e. one beat per second. For more about BPM see the tool tip help for the tempo dial Tempo Dial (Ctrl + 222).
You can show the tempo for any part in the rhythm, using the "Show tempo for PART". So for instance if the rhythm beats quarter notes and eighth notes you can choose which of those you want to show the tempo for.
You can see the tempi for all the parts in the rhythm in the bouncing all display in the main Bounce Metronome window and in Metronome Bouncing Ball (Ctrl + 219), also as a text field in the More version of Tempo Dial - Preferences (Ctrl + 223).
You can see the tempo as a tempo dial in the main window or in Metronome Bouncing Ball (Ctrl + 219).
About the Parts and the Tempi for Parts
Many of the rhythms use several tempi at once. You can see all the tempi listed in the bouncing ball display. The tempo dial is colour coordinated (so long as you leave it at the preset setting of colour coded) to match the colours of the bouncing ball for the same part.
For instance with the preset 6/8 rhythm, you will see three tempi. These are for the measure beats, for the two beats to a measure rhythm which beats the centre beat - and for the six beats to a measure.
If unsure which part is which, select Show Beats in Bouncing Balls - Other Visuals (Ctrl + 225). Then you can read the number of beats for each part in the rows for the Bouncing Balls display.
To choose which part to show the tempo for, adjust the number in the "Show tempo for PART" text field. Or you can left or right click on the part number at top left of the dial as a quick way to skip to the next or previous part.
When you set the tempo for any of the parts, the tempi for all the other parts will be updated to match.
E.g. in 6/8 if you set the eighth note tempo to 120 BPM say, then the dotted quarter notes will have a tempo of 40 BPM (a third of the tempo because the individual notes are three times longer).
Tempi
Tempo in Beats per Minute - OR : TAP with BACKSPACE key at desired tempo - OR USE LEFT, RIGHT, UP or DOWN ARROW keys to increase or decrease tempo by one BPM or one NOTCH - or step through a preset list of tempi and rhythms...
The tempo is measured in beats per minute, like heart rate. For more about this scroll down to read about What do the numbers mean?
Lilt or swing (Alt + W)
For a more natural feel or practice Jazz rhythms, Scottish folk music etc...
I'll start by going through some typical ways to use this feature for a quick start. Scroll down if new to swing or lilt to find out more about them - see http://www.robertinventor.com/wiki/swung_notes.htm further down this page - also later in this page you can find out more about how the swing is implemeneted in Bounce Metronome.
Some typical ways to use this feature
Swing
You can use this to practise swing rhythms such as for Jazz. To do that you set up a rhythm with two subdivisions of each beat - and then as you adjust the swing, the first beat in each pair of subdivisions gets longer and the second beat shorter.
Lilt
Or you can use this to add a gentle lilt to the rhythm as a whole. You can use it like this with a rhythm without subdivisions such as 4/4. Just switch this on but set the slider to a small amount towards the left of the range. This will make the beats in the measure slightly uneven and more natural sounding which you may find helps with practice.
Scottish Jigs and other swung 6/8
If you use this option with compound time rhythms like 6/8 then the triplets get swung. In a triplet swing then the first beat is long, second beat is shorter third beat is between the first two in duration. It's similar rhythm to a triple stroke buzz roll on a drum - the triplet beats get shorter and shorter - then there's a slight pause before start of the next triplet just like the (very slight) pause you get as the drummer lifts the drum stick between buzz rolls - not really a pause - just a gap that is a bit longer than the gap between the last two strokes of the buzz roll.
Buzz rolls
You can also use this option with rhythms with more than 3 subdivisions of each beat. Each one will be played like a buzz roll on a drum of the same number of beats. Again you can use this with a hard swing for an n-tuplet version of the scottich swung triplet or for a buzz roll effect - or with a gentle lilt just to make the n-tuplets a bit uneven in an interesting way. If you want a buzz roll effect with 4 or more subdivisions, make sure you switch off the "Shuffle - Auto pulse as 2 subdivisions if possible" option in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232)
Swing part with most beats only=
Normally you swing just one of the parts, most often the part with most subdivisions. But when musicians play, the beats themselves are also uneven slightly, as well as the subdivisions. To set up a rhythm like that then you can switch off "Swing part with most beats only" - also switch off "Swing all the same" both in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232).
Then you can set the swing or lilt independently for each part. You might set the subdivisions to a hard swing for instance, and the individual beats to a gentle lilt.
You can also adjust the timing of any individual beats by hand in Template:W - what you might do is set up the rhythm first using swing and lilt for all the parts - then listen to it and then micro-adjust the individual beats to your preference to get the rhythm you like.
The way of doing lilt here for more than two subdivisions is only one way of doing it..
Swung notes
Swung notes are a feature of many types of music. Notes are played alternately longer and shorter than usual though normally notated all the same length. See the wikipedia article on Swung Note. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swung_note
Types of music that use swung notes include jazz, Celtic music, some dance and country music, and early music particularly France from the middle of the 16th century to late 18th century.
the early music use (notes inégal) see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_in%C3%A9gales
and the Dolmetsch site on notes inégal
http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory20.htm#egal
For the precursors much earlier in the Ars Antiqua rhythmic modes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythmic_mode
Gentle Lilt
In nearly all types of music the beats in a bar are uneven in a subtle way. You notice this especially if you compare it with computer generated music with the notes all exactly the same length. Varying the beat with a gentle lilt makes the music much more natural sounding and it is likely to be easier to play along with.
So, if you find it easier to play along with other musicians than a metronome, it may well be because you are used to playing with a lilt and can't adjust your playing to the strict clock like beat of a metronome. This gentle lilt in your playing is something good, to foster. So when you do metronome practice, it is good if you can adjust the metronome to play a lilt :-) (unless you need to play a clock-like strict beat for some reason for a particular piece say).
To do this in Bounce Metronome Pro, just use the gentler settings for swing, such as Gentle lilt. You may also want to unselect "Swing parts with most beats only". This lets you apply a bit of lilt to all the parts in the rhythm, e.g. do the four beats of 4/4 with a lilt to them - a gradual change of timing through the bar. You probably only want a small amount of lilt for this. Then you could use a larger amount of swing if you want to swing eighth notes subdivisions of each beat.
Amount of swing
With swung notes, you can feel that the beats are uneven in a more noticeable way than a gentle lilt. The second beat in a pair is normally faster than the first.
The amount of swing can vary. So for instance you can have a light swing with the beats in a ratio of 3:2 or a hard swing of 3:1 or a medium swing of 2:1. Or the swing can be in between those amounts, it's not a fixed thing that it has to be 2:1 for instance.
A medium swing has the same timing as a triplet quarter note followed by a triplet eighth note (UK crotchet followed by quaver). However it isn't really a triplet rhythm - the second note you would expect in a triplet is missing. It is usually notated as a pair of eighth notes - understood to be played with a "swing feel".
You can set any of these amounts of swing in Bounce Metronome Pro by adjusting the slider.
" Triplet Swing" - really a swung duplet with triplet timing
The medium swing is also called a triplet swing because of the triplet timing. But it isn't really in compound time because of the missing second note. It is a beat with two subdivisions with an uneven rhythm. So, it is really, more accurately, a swung duplet with a triplet timing.
Jigs are played with Swung Triplets (not to be confused with triplet swing
Sometimes though you get true swung triplets - I mean triplets of three notes played with a swung feel to them, as in jigs in Scottish Folk Music. So in those, you have three different note lengths there rather than just the two note lengths of ordinary swing. The usual two numbers such as 2:1 for a medium swing aren't enough to specify the amount of swing of a swung triplet.
To find out more about the swing rhythm for jigs in Celtic music see Jigs: Trickier than you probably think
http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/tricky.html
There are different ways to play the swung triplets of a jig. For a discussion thread see:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/12135/comments
Indeed there are many more ways you could play a triplet, with three notes - you could choose any note to be the shortest, then any other note to be the longest, giving six possibilities (L M S, L S M, M L S, S L M, S M L, M S L), and that's not taking account of all the subtle variations in timing within each of those options.
However, one natural and straightforward way is inspired by the way a drum stick behaves if you drop it lightly on the drum. It plays several subdivisions one after another each faster than the previous one, followed by a slightly longer beat to raise the drum stick for the next beat. You get the same rhythm if you drop a bouncing ball from a height. So that's the L S M option. That is exactly how it's played in the various styles of jig rhythm - whether that's a coincidence or not I don't know.
So that's how it's done in Bounce Metronome Pro. So you play the first beat a bit slower than usual, and the next beat a bit faster. That's followed by a medium length beat to raise the drum stick before the next series of bounces. So - just like the way you play the rhythm in a Celtic Jig.
Another subtlety about Jigs is that they are often played with the second triplet in the 6/8 slightly faster than the first so with a very slightly uneven step. Hardly noticeable, but if you listen carefully you hear it.
Also the bars vary in timing too with a lilt - again if you lisen carefully, the first bar may be normal speed, second bar a little faster, third back to normal, fourth a bit slower than the first, the tempo varying very slightly in waves like that. That's common in many styles of music but perhaps a little more noticeable in Celtic music.
Swung notes with four or more subdivisions
When you have four or more subdivisions, then Bounce Metronome Pro does it in the same way, each beat is played faster than the previous one, like the bounces of a bouncing ball or drum stick. So in a four subdivisions swing, the first note is slower than normal, then the next one is a little faster, the third note is the fastest of all, then followed by a slower note again for the lift of the drum stick before the next main beat.
Of course there are many other types of rhythm or "grooves" with uneven timings. Or you may want to vary the swing in subtle ways in the bar.
If that's what you need, you can also set the timings of the beats individually or tap out a rhythm for the bar yourself.
Auto Accents (Alt + C)
Varies volumes of the beats automatically. For notes in triplets or more notes, makes them gradually quieter, in the way a drumstick bounces if you let it fall loosely...
When lilted in pairs then the second beat is quieter than the first in each pair. When lilted in triplets or more than three notes, each beat is quieter than the previous one exactly in the way it happens with a bouncing ball or drumstick (exponential decay).
To get syncopation and Jazz type accents, set the amount of the auto accents larger than 100.
Automatic choice to lilt in pairs, triplets, or more notes
The automatic choice to lilt in pairs, triplets, or more notes depends on the reinforced beats.
For instance in the 6/8 preset the third beat is reinforced, as it is played in both of the first two parts. So this rhythm is lilted or swung as two triplets.
In 3/4 with each crotchet split into eighth notes, the second and fourth beats of the six beat part are reinforced. So this time, the six beats (of part 2) are lilted or swung in pairs.
In both of those examples the number of beats to the measure is the same, six beats for part 1.
You can override this by setting the metrical pulse yourself in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76)
You can set any number as the metrical pulse and indeed, one can get interesting rhythms by using a pulse that doesn't match the rhythm, e.g. a metrical pulse of 4 in 6/8 or whatever.
Accent
click to switch on NORMAL ACCENTS - ON THE BEATS - then after that with each click switches between normal accents and Jazz accents, then back again...
This button will be labelled Accent when the volume is set to normal accents, or Jazz if set to Jazz accents.
You can then press the button to switch between the two at any time. If set to normal accents, changes volume to 300 for Jazz accents. If set to Jazz accents, sets this to 50.
How this works is configured in {{w232]]
If you already have the desired type of accent you can use SHIFT + click on the button to set it to the preset value without switching the type of accent (saves need to click twice to get back to desired type of accent).
You need the volume to be over 100% for Jazz type accents between the main beats of the rhythm.
You need it to be below 100% for normal accents - emphasize first beat in each subdivision.
Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76)
Adjust the amount of the lilt or swing, or adjust individual beats...
Lets you adjust individual beats by hand. That's the only feature available here for Bounce Metronome Basic. The swing and lilt options are available for the other metronomes.
For a more natural feel or practice Jazz rhythms, Scottish folk music etc...
Beats - Set beat times and volumes individually (Ctrl + 31)
Set the beat times and volumes individually for each of the rhythms.
Reset Metronome
Resets rhythm and anything that changes its sound...
This resets the options such as tempo, timing, instruments, controllers etc, that change the sound of the rhythm.
Leaves visual options as they are e.g. whether to show as conducting patterns, bounce inside ovals, colours, textures etc.
You can make a custom reset for any view using File >> Custom
Reset nearly all settings
If you want to do a reset to get nearly all the settings back to the way Bounce Metronome was when you first installed it, then File | Reset Nearly Everything will probably do the trick.
Reset settings for a particular window
You can also reset the settings for any window in Bounce Metronome.
To do that click on the O (Organise Windows) icon in the window and in Organise windows (Ctrl + 51) you will find options to reset the settings for the window
Gradually Changing Tempo etc (Ctrl + 42)
Configure the gradually changing tempo...
To use this feature first you have to switch on "Gradually Changing Tempo".
You can set it to vary gradually over a time period in minutes and seconds, or over a number of measures. To use measures, switch on "Show Measures"
Changing tempo (Alt + E)
This lets you vary the tempo slowly over a number of minutes or seconds. You can do it either at a steady rate or changing more slowly at the beginning and end of the tempo variation for ultra smooth tempo transitions...
Helpful for practicing gradual changes of tempo - accelerando or ritartando - or to practise a rhythm slowly at first then faster and faster over a number of seconds or minutes.
To set the amount of tempo variation and how long to take to change the tempo, use Gradually Changing Tempo etc (Ctrl + 42)
How to change tempo drop list
You can also choose how it gets varied in the How to change tempo drop list in Gradually Changing Tempo etc (Ctrl + 42).
Choose Following sine wave there for ultra smooth transitions so that you change tempo imperceptibly to start with.
Choose or linear if you just want to change tempo at a steady rate.
See the tip for the drop list in Gradually Changing Tempo etc (Ctrl + 42) for more information about this
Lilt measures (Alt + R)
Helps to give a more natural feel to the rhythm by varying the timing subtly from one measure to the next...
When you play or sing a tune, while keeping to a steady overall tempo, it's natural to vary the timing very slightly from one measure to the next. Playing all the measures exactly the same is a bit like walking with all your strides exactly the same like a robot. It isn't wrong to do that - it is done sometimes - especially with music based on repeating sound loops. However it is more common for the measures to vary in a subtle way from measure to measure.
Often the measure timing varies with the melody line and the feel of the tune, so this can't be preset in advance. But a fairly common pattern is to start at normal tempo, second measure is a tiny bit faster, third is back nearly to normal tempo and fourth measure is very slightly slower than normal, then continue in that way in waves of subtle tempo variation, slower and faster.
So this is the preset pattern.
You can vary the amount of the lilt. You can also set the instant tempo for each measure individually for as many measures as you like.
This option may make the metronome feel a bit more lively and make it easier to play along with. It is also good practice for playing with other musicians and help make your own rhythms more organic and lively.
go SILENT briefly
Switches the sound off for a few measures at a time - this can help you learn to play at a steady tempo and to play tricky rhythms WITHOUT THE METRONOME...
You enter the numbers of measures to play and to be silent for in Gradually Changing Tempo etc (Ctrl + 42).
The idea here is that you continue to play when the sound stops. Then when the sound comes back again, aim to be exactly in time with the metronome, or as close as you can get to it.
You can try this either with or without the bouncing ball visuals as an extra cue to help you stay in time.
One reason to do this is to help you to learn to keep a steady tempo without a metronome. You can also use it when you learn tricky rhythms e.g. polyrhythms etc, to see if you can keep them going during the measures when the metronome is silent.
You can easily look away from the screen when the sound stops if you want to avoid the visual cues - but can't close your ears to sounds in the same way - so that's why I did a check box for the sound, and not the visuals.
What this does is to play the rhythm with sound for a few measures, then switch off the sound, then play it again alternately like that.
Bounce Preferences (Ctrl + 220)
Includes: SYNCHRONISE BOUNCES WITH SOUND - configure LEFT MIDDLE AND RIGHT MOUSE CLICKS on the bouncing balls display - KEYBOARD TAPS AND SHORTCUTS - and other options for the bouncing balls.
Measure beat ball
Display a bouncing ball for measure beat parts (parts with one beat to the measure)
3D Bouncing Balls, Drum stick or Conductor's baton (Ctrl + 224)
Show in 3D as drum sticks, conductor's batons, or bouncing balls...
For options for the 3D visuals, see 3D Bouncing Ball Visuals (Ctrl + 226)
Lyrics
The preset list has lullabies and nursery rhymes most for 4/4 time...
The lyrics are only shown for parts with the right number of beats per measure. Other parts are shown as beat numbers. When you change rhythm, automatically selects a lyric to fit the current measure if available.
Most of the preset lyrics are suitable for a metronome at 4/4 (4 and 1 beats to a measure)). Some are sutiable for 6/8 or 2/4.
To edit use the Edit Lyrcs drop list button. Or use Edit Lyric and Lyrics Options (Ctrl + 231)
In the future I'll update this so that you can edit the text directly in Bounce Metronome itself - and also easily add your lyric to the drop list - and also have separate files for different lists of lyrics, e.g. you could have separate lists for nursery rhymes, and lullabies or whatever.
Some day I plan to add an option to enter the melody lines as well, probably in abc notation, so that Bounce Metronome can play the tunes for the lyrics.
BouncingBall
Shows balls bouncing in time with the rhythm, and various controls you can use to adjust the rhythm...
Quick start for the Bouncing Balls controls
LEFT CLICK ON THE GRAY SEMICIRCLES to Show / hide the blocks and the parts adjustments.
LEFT or RIGHT CLICK on BLOCKS to ADJUST INDIVIDUAL BEATS, e.g. to skip beats, accent beats, or change volumes. Hover the mouse over a beat for more information.
You can also LEFT CLICK on the main display to restart the measure. This only works if the balls are bouncing silently. When the sound is playing the bouncing balls always synchronise with the sound.
You see this tip when you hover the mouse over the bouncing balls themselves. hover the mouse over the title measure of Metronome Bouncing Ball (Ctrl + 219) for background information.
More Details
The gray semi-circles to left and right can be used to show the beats for each part as blocks below the bouncing balls - and to show controls you can use to adjust the individual parts in the rhythm.
Each row of shaded blocks shows one of the parts. For instance 6/8 has three parts. One of the parts plays the six beats to a measure (as eighth notes). Another part plays two beats to the measure, so that you can hear the middle beat clearly. Another part plays the measure beat.
Each row is the same colour hue as its bouncing ball, though lighter in shade. In each row, the blocks show the individual beats in the rhythm, and the size of each block shows the duration of the beat. The blocks are all done with the first beat of the measure to the left, and last beat to the right (and shown reversed when the balls bounce from right to left).
If you have the display set up so that all the balls bounce together then the balls for each part bounce on the divisions between the beats. However you may have the balls bouncing in opposite directions for polyrhythms like 3 with 4 / 4. If you have a setup like that and also beats varying in size, then the balls may not bounce on the divisions between beats for all the parts.
How to use the blocks to adjust the rhythm
You can LEFT CLICK on a beat to SKIP it, or to adjust the timing of individual beats. You can RIGHT CLICK to ACCENT it, and MIDDLE CLICK or SHIFT + CLICK to adjust the volumes. For more details hover the mouse over the blocks.
Tap out rhythm
You can RIGHT CLICK on any of the parts, to tap out an entire new rhythm. The last click ends the measure so for instance to tap out a measure with four beats, tap four times for your rhythm, then add a fifth tap for the start of the next measure.
Right click on the part you want to adjust the rhythm for - as the rhythm is used for the currently highlighted part.
Another way to tap out an entire rhythm is to use the SPACE BAR on your keyboard. Again, right click on the desired part first to choose the part to set the rhythm for.
Then use Ctrl + SPACE to switch on the SPACE BAR RHYTHM TAPS. Then tap out the rhythm. Use CTRL + SPACE to switch the taps off again when finished
How to play your rhythm back at speed
To play your rhythm at the speed you tapped it, set the beats tempo in the main window to 60 beats per minute. Set it faster than that, or slower. if you want it speeded up or slowed down.
Parts adjustments
You can ue the diamonds, circles and rectangles to the left of the bouncing ball display to hide any of the bouncing balls, change the instrument for a part, or silence any of the parts.
You can use the triangles to the right to vary the number of beats in each part or the number of parts.
To find out what one of those controls does - just hover the mouse over it.
How the blocks work for scripted additive rhythms
These rhythms show up as separate measures along the bottom of the window, one after another, with only one of them highlighted.
With these rhythms, you can click to select one of the measures of the rhythm - this lets you change between the sections of the script manually.
These rhythms are made automatically by Bounce Metronome by creating a script for Tune Script (Ctrl + 171). Because the rhythm is scripted, you can't adjust the beat timings by hand for these rhythms, at least not permanently. If you do adjust the individual beats (for instance using Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76)) then the next time that measure is played the script will just set the beats back to the way they were before.
However you can play these rhythms with swing.
You can also make your own scripted rhythms with skipped beats or using any of the other features of Bounce Metronome using Tune Script (Ctrl + 171) - explore auto script in that window.
For instance, one way to do it, if you switch on auto script and then play the rhythm slowly until the script highlight reaches the measure you want to adjust, you can then adjust the beats using Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76) as normal and your changes will be added into the script at that point.
Beats per bar - first time signature
Enter the number of beats in the measure such as 3, 4, 5, 6 etc...
You can alternatively adjust the number of beats in each part in the main window or using Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76) or Beats - Set beat times and volumes individually (Ctrl + 31)
It is especially useful to do it with time signatures as its done here if your rhythm has subdivisions. Your rhythm will be remade automatically with the correct number of subdivisions of each beat.
You may prefer to adjust the number of beats in each part individually in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76) or the main window if your rhythm has no subdivisions, or you want to make polyrhythms.
You can find this control in the main window for some of the metronomes and in Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217). Note, Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217) isn't available in the Basic metronome.
Extra check boxes
For some time signatures check boxes appear in Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217) to let you emphasize some of the beats in the measure.
NOTE these check boxes don't appear for the Polyrhythm Metronome or the Basic Metronome.
Compound time
This is for time signatures such as 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 etc
You'll see a check box to beat compound time. In this rhythm the eighth notes are played in groups of three, so every third beat is emphasized.
You see this option If the number on top is a multiple of 3 and the number on the bottom is 8 or any other number higher than 4.
Beat quarter notes
For time signatures such as as 8/8, 12/8, 16/8 etc you can switch on an option to beat quarter notes.
You see this option when the number on the top (denumerator) is a multiple of 4 and the number on the bottom is 8 or a higher multiple of 4.
Fractional numbers of beats to a measure
You can also have fractional values here e.g. 3.1 or even an irrational number like PI. You can enter a number like PI as 3.14159 (as many places as you like - up to 14 decimal places will be used to make the rhythm). Or in the case of PI you can use formulae - just enter it as PI.
With fractional numbers of beats to a measure, the beat will drift with respect to the measure lines - if unsure what that means, just try it out to see what happens.
You can use any formula here. Some simple examples include PI, G (golden ratio), E (natural logarithm of 1), R(2) (for square root of 2), ...
For details of formulae you can use for these fractional beats, see the help for {{w81}
Type of beat - first time signature
Type of beat - quarter note, eighth note etc...
This number shows the type of beat. So it's 2 for half notes, 4 for quarter notes, 8 for eighth notes, 16 for sixteenth notes.
This text field is in the main window for some of the metronomes and in Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217). Note, Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217) isn't available in the Basic metronome.
Time signatures such as 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 are often played with a slight emphasis on every third beat - this is known as compound time. You would count them as e.g. ONE two three FOUR five six, or 1 la li 2 la li (other syllables and mnemonics also used).
So, to do this automatically, there's a "Compound time" check box in Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217). You can switch it on / off in the Pro metronome. In the Basic metronome the assumption is that you'll not want to change this setting but if you do then just change to the Pro metronome in order to change it, then go back again to Basic.
Extra settings in Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217) (pro metronome)
For time signatures played one after another or all at once, this number changes how they dovetail together
When the measures follow one after another, then 3/8 will be played with beats half the time (so twice as fast) compared with e.g. 3/4
So for example
4/4 + 3/8 one after the other
will play 11/8 as measures of 4/4 with four beats to the measure alternating with measures of 3/8 with three beats to the measure - the beats in the 3/8 here are eighth notes so are played at twice the tempo of the beats of the 4/4.
The same thing applies with polyrhythms played all at once - except there the convention I use is that if all the polyrhythms are /4, e.g. 5/4, and 4/4, then the measure beats are synchronised so 5/4 will play 5 beats for every 4 beats of 4/4. If you mix them, then e.g. 4/4 mixed with 5/8 then the 5/8 is played twice as fast (so giving two 5/8 measures, or 10 beats to the 4/4 measure)
To achieve a rhythm like this you need to be sure to select the check box "Vary these rhythms according to the beat type, e.g. /8 has two beats for every /4 beat."
= With some time signatures you get check boxes to emphasize every so many beats in
If you have just the one time signature, the only difference this makes is that with some of the sizes of note you will get an extra check box in Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217) that lets you emphasize some of the beats.
For instance in 6/8 then every third beat can be emphasized in compound time, and in 16/8 then every fourth beat can be emphasized to beat the quarter notes. For details see the tool tip for the top number in the time signature.
Irrational meters
You can edit this by hand e.g. to make "Irrational" meters like 4/7 etc - this can make a difference if you use the option to vary the polyrhythm (or additive rhythm) by the time signature denominator.
Just edit the number after the / to be what you want e.g.
/ 7.
You can also make it a fractional value e.g. 3.5.
You can even make it a truly irrational number like PI which you can enter as PI.
For details of formulae you can use see the help for Calculator (Ctrl + 81)
Beats per bar - second time signature
Second time signature denumerator...
E.g. 3, 4 etc.
If the denominator is more than 4, and you set this to 6, 9, 12 or any other multiple of 3 from 6 upwards, you will have an option to play it as compound time. This will emphasize every third beat.
E.g. 6/8 plays a middle beat in the measure, 9/8 plays three beats and so on.
You can also make this a fractional value e.g. 3.1 or even an irrational number like PI which you can enter as e..g 3.14159 or as PI. If you do that then the beat will drift with respect to the measure lines - just try it out to see what happens.
For details of formulae you can use see the help for {{w81}
/ - SPIN
Increase or decrease number of beats in the measure for second time signature
Type of beat - 2nd time signature
Type of beat for second time signature - quarter note, eighth note etc.
This number shows the type of beat. So it's 2 for half notes, 4 for quarter notes, 8 for eighth notes, 16 for sixteenth notes.
With some time signatures you get check boxes to emphasize every so many beats
If you have just the one time signature, the only difference this makes is that with some of the sizes of note you will get an extra check box that lets you emphasize every so many beats.
For instance in 6/8 then every third beat can be emphasized in compound time, and in 16/8 then every fourth beat can be emphasized to beat the quarter notes. For details see the tool tip for the top number in the time signature.
For time signatures played one after another or all at once, this number changes how they dovetail together
When the measures follow one after another, then 3/8 will be played with beats half the time (so twice as fast) compared with e.g. 3/4
So for example
4/4 + 3/8 one after the other
will play 11/8 as measures of 4/4 with four beats to the measure alternating with measures of 3/8 with three beats to the measure - the beats in the 3/8 here are eighth notes so are played at twice the tempo of the beats of the 4/4.
The same thing applies with polyrhythms played all at once - except there the convention I use is that if all the polyrhythms are /4, e.g. 5/4, and 4/4, then the measure beats are synchronised so 5/4 will play 5 beats for every 4 beats of 4/4. If you mix them, then e.g. 4/4 mixed with 5/8 then the 5/8 is played twice as fast (so giving two 5/8 measures, or 10 beats to the 4/4 measure)
To achieve a rhythm like this you need to be sure to select the check box "Vary these rhythms according to the beat type, e.g. /8 has two beats for every /4 beat."
Irrational meters
You can edit this by hand e.g. to make "Irrational" meters like 4/7 etc - this can make a difference if you use the option to vary the polyrhythm (or additive rhythm) by the time signature denominator.
Just edit the number after the / to be what you want e.g.
/ 7.
You can also make it a fractional value e.g. 3.5.
You can even make it a truly irrational number like PI which you can enter as PI.
For details of formulae you can use see the help for Calculator (Ctrl + 81)
Combine Rhythms (Ctrl + 217)
Combine numbers of beats per measure as polyrhythms or one after another..
This lets you combine rhythms to make a polyrhythm, or one after another as an additive rhythm (long measure or hypermeasure).
To find out about time signatures, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature
Single bounce pattern - skipped beats
Switch ON to show as ONE PATTERN IF POSSIBLE and adjust individual beats, or switch OFF to show EACH MEASURE AS A SEPARATE PATTERN with individual beats all fixed...
Does it as a single pattern if possible. For some combinations of rhythms, the measures need to be shown one after another, and for those this check box will have no effect
It also changes how the balls bounce. E.g. for 2/4 + 3/4, then when this option is switched ON then the balls bounce through a five beat pattern - for instance if set to bounce back and forth you get five bounces from one side to the other for the 2/4 + 3/4 as a single pattern.
When switched ON you use the SAME NOTE VALUE THROUGHOUT with SKIPPED BEATS used to make up any larger note values or to mark out the individual meters such as 2/4 or 3/4.
With it switched OFF, then you will see the pattern of bounces change for each of the short measures that make up the mixed meters pattern. So this time the balls bounce across the window in two beats for the 2/4, and then back again in three beats for the 3/4.
More about what happens when this is switched off
When it is switched OFF then you will see all the rhythms across the bottom of the bouncing balls display with one of them highlighted - and one rhythm at a time is played.
You can click on any of the rhythms to change to that rhythm, but you can't click to adjust individual beats to accent them, skip them, change instruments for a part, or change the number of beats, number of parts, volumes etc.
That's because it is all done using a script for Tune Script (Ctrl + 171). So if you want to change the rhythm you can either vary the time signature (which auto generates a new script) or hould edit the script by hand.
More about what happens when this option is switched on
You can use the options to adjust individual beats when you have this option switched ON. The entire long measure pattern of mixed meters is made using the shortest note value for any of the shorter measures that make it up.
An example may help. For instance for 4/4 + 7/8, with the option switched ON you will see a long measure in eighth notes, since that's the shortest note value needed for the mixed meter.
Then the quarter notes for the 4/4 are done as pairs of eighth notes with the second note in each pair skipped to make it into a single larger beat. The eighth notes for the 7/8 are left unchanged since it uses the smallest note value anyway.
So you end up with a part with fifteen beats in total for the two time signatures one after another, with the second, fourth, sixth and eighth beat skipped in the 4/4 section of the rhythm.
Then to mark the start of the 4/4 and the 7/8, an extra instrument is added in a separate part, again with fifteen beats. So to make sure it plays only at the start of the 4/4 and the 7/8, all except the first and ninth beats in this part are skipped.
Finally you have the measure beat which adds an extra instrument which plays every fifteen beats to mark the start of the entire long measure.
Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50)
Set stereo pan positions for each part for a more immersive experience...
You can use this to place individual instruments in different locations to get a more immersive experience. For instance in a string quartet, the violin is to left, then second violin, then viola then cello in that order.
See also Standard orchestral layout below.
Auto
With Stereo Pan, you hear the notes played spread out in space. Switch this on if you want to set the stereo pan automatically. Configured in Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50)...
You can auto pan by part, by position in seed, by position in scale, and various other options.
Auto pan is configured in Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50).
You can also set the stereo pan positions for each part manually as well, again in Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50).
Of largest - SPIN
Increase or decrease number of beats in the measure for first time signature
Next: Additive Rhythms like 3 + 2 + 3 / 4
Previous: Polyrhythms like 4 : 3
Controls Common to Many Windows
