All Windows/Play, Rhythms and Bounce/Rhythm/Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl 228)
From Bounce Metronome
Next: Harmonic Interval Trainer
Controls Common to Many Windows
Screen Shot (More)
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This is what you get in the More version of this window (you use the More button to show it).
Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats
Set a rhythm by entering a beat pattern of different note sizes - with examples...
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.
Quick Start
1. Select a rhythm from the drop list of Example Rhythms (Alt + X)
2. Press Make Rhythm now. (Alt + M).
3. Play your rhythm, adjust tempo etc as usual.
4. If you want to swing your rhythm, switch on Lilt or swing (Alt + W) and adjust the amount of swing in Beats - Set beat times and volumes individually (Ctrl + 31) or Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76) or Beats As Text (Ctrl + 77).
5. When the rhythm has several parts, for instance for paradiddles, you may want the balls or drum sticks or batons for each part to bounce in a different section of the window so that you can pick them out more easily. To do that go to Bounce Options (Ctrl + 220) and under SPLIT DISPLAY set it to sections of 1 part each.
Making your own rhythms
To make your own rhythms, edit the rhythm (keyboard shortcut Alt + Y).
You can just use the buttons to insert notes - or copy / paste notes to make your rhythm. It's in the Bach musicological font which lets you work with rhythms in the same way as normal text.
Anything before an exclamation mark ! is part of the description of the rhythm and doesn't change the way the rhythm is played.
NOTE - no support yet for triplets or other n-tuplets or grace notes - those are on the wish list for the future - see [ http://robertinventor.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bounce_Metronome_Pro_Wish_List#Wishes_for_the_drum_metronome Wishes for the drum metronome]
For blind users - or if you want a simpler text notation which you can copy / paste and save as plain text etc, then change to the abc notation in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228).
Or you can use the O notation.
With the O notation, you can use = - O o . " ' for the different sizes of beat in order, from = for the whole note down to ' for the sixty-fourth note. Or use a b c d e f g for the different sizes of beat (probably easier for blind users).
Place * before the beat for a rest e.g. *O or *d for a quarter note rest, *o or *e for a eighth note rest etc. You can use * on its own as short for *O or *d.
Use | for measure beats. The measure beats will be played in a separate part.
You can set a rhythm for several parts at once as well e.g.
Cascara with Son Clave !
Part 1 O o o *o o *o o | O O o o *o o
Part 2 * O O * | O *o o * O
Example Rhythms (drop list) (Alt + X)
Some example rhythms to show how the notation works...
The drop list just gives a few examples of different types of rhythm to get you started.
Here are some links if you want to find out more about the examples included in the list.
For drum rudiments, many sites, just search google or youtube for "drum rudiments" - here is the wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudiment
Interesting discussion here about paradidles: What is the point of a paradidle
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50457
Standard bell pattern of African and Afro-cuban rhythms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pattern
About the clave rhythm:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clave_%28rhythm%29
The seven wheels of Bembe are from this site:
http://www.rhythmweb.com/shed/bembe.htm
Subtle timing, ghost notes, and instruments for beats
The rhythm notation used here just has the note values, with no way to show dynamics or timing variation.
However you can adjust the timing and volume after you make the rhythm. To do that you probably want to make sure that "auto remake" is switched off - because the volumes and timings will get reset if you edit the rhythm even if you don't change anything.
You can vary the volume and e.g. make ghost notes by adjusting the volume for the part in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76).
Also you can set different instruments for each beat with the option to right click on the right bottom corner of a beat in the bouncing balls display to set the instrument for just that beat.
Also you can also adjust the subtle timing of individual beats by hand in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76).
Make rhythm now (button) (Alt + M)
Some example rhythms to show how the notation works...
The drop list just gives a few examples of different types of rhythm to get you started.
Here are some links if you want to find out more about the examples included in the list.
For drum rudiments, many sites, just search google or youtube for "drum rudiments" - here is the wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudiment
Interesting discussion here about paradidles: What is the point of a paradidle
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50457
Standard bell pattern of African and Afro-cuban rhythms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pattern
About the clave rhythm:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clave_%28rhythm%29
The seven wheels of Bembe are from this site:
http://www.rhythmweb.com/shed/bembe.htm
Subtle timing, ghost notes, and instruments for beats
The rhythm notation used here just has the note values, with no way to show dynamics or timing variation.
However you can adjust the timing and volume after you make the rhythm. To do that you probably want to make sure that "auto remake" is switched off - because the volumes and timings will get reset if you edit the rhythm even if you don't change anything.
You can vary the volume and e.g. make ghost notes by adjusting the volume for the part in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76).
Also you can set different instruments for each beat with the option to right click on the right bottom corner of a beat in the bouncing balls display to set the instrument for just that beat.
Also you can also adjust the subtle timing of individual beats by hand in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76).
Make rhythm now (Alt + M)
Edit the rhythm here - when you have finished, click "Make rhythm now" - or you can switch on "auto remake"...
You can edit the rhythm directly here, Nothing will happen until you use the "Make Rhythm Now" button to make your new rhythm.
If you want the rhythm to update automatically whenever you edit it, them make sur you have Auto Remake selected. You probably want to switch off the Auto Remake if you want to edit the volumes or timings of hte beats (whenever the rhythm is remade the volumes and times are reset).
Notation for the rhythms
The preset is to use musical notes in the Bach musicological font. However you can also use the O notation which is a simple notation devised for Tune Smithy - or abc notation (rhythms only, pitch ignored).
For details of the three notations you can use, see below.
You can also use the buttons to enter notes. The buttons insert the note at the current editing position (which is usually indicated by a flashing "caret").
Many more options
If you are using the Drum and Dance main window, then you can find many more options in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228))
For instance you can change the notation, have many more buttons to enter notes, and a larger area for entering the text/
You might find the notes too small (or too large)- if so, you can show the text for the rhythm larger or smaller in size using Ctrl + the scroll wheel on a scroll mouse to zoom in or out.
For all the notations
Use | for measure beats. The measure beats will be played in a separate part.
You can set a rhythm for several parts at once as well like this:
Cascara with Son Clave !
Part 1 O o o *o o *o o | O O o o *o o
Part 2 * O O * | O *o o * O
You can place a description at the head of the rhythm, followed by ! Anything before an exclamation mark ! is treated as part of the description.
Set custom pulse for rhythm or for individual parts
If you want to set a pulse, then you can do that using the word Pulse followed by the pulse in the current notation. E.g. in O notation, use Pulse Oo for a dotted quarter note pulse.
HOW IT WORKS
This Pulse is used for the "Pulse for this part" in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76). This changes the way the accents get applied for swing and lilt.
HOW TO SET THE PULSE FOR ALL PARTS, OR FOR INDIVIDUAL PARTS
If you set the pulse before any parts in the rhythm, it gets used for all the parts. If you set it within a part, it gets used for that part only.
How to make polyrhythms or polymeters
Normally the rhythms in all the parts are synchronised - so that they all use the same size of note for a quarter note (for instance) even if some have more beats than others. The shorter parts are padded out with extra notes to make all the parts the same length.
Combine the parts as polyrhythms or polymeters
You can change this setting in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228), in the drop list where it says "Pad out with extra notes" choose the option to play as a polyrhythm or polymeter. With a polyrhythym, the various parts are played faster or slower as necessary to make sure they all take exactly the same amount of time. With the polymeters option then all the parts play their notes with the same size of quarter note, but not padded out with extra notes, each part just starts again from the start of its rhythm when it reaches the end, as a polymeter.
Another way to do it
Another approach is to add "PolyrhythmAnyway" to the text of the rhythm. Has same effect but does it just for the current rhythm. Try the Triplet Pattern Rhythms in 1/8 up to 16/8 preset in the drop list for an example,
This can be useful if you normally want to keep the parts synchronised for most rhythms and find it easier to make a rhythm polyrhythmic by editing it to add "PolyrhythmAnyway" to the rhythm .
You can similarly add "PolymeterAnyway" if you want to do it as a polymeter.
Bach musicological font
Easiest way to learn it is to just use the buttons to insert notes.
You can also edit it in the normal way and copy and paste notes from one part of the rhythm to another. In the More version of Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228) you can find a couple of text boxes with the notes, and rests which you can use for copy and paste as well.
Beamed notes can be a bit tricky in Bach notation - because you need to use different symbols depending on the notes position and which other notes it connects to.
Easiest way to use it is to use the Auto Beam on edit - or to use the option to beam the highlighted notes together in the More version of Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228)
You can read how it works here:
http://www.mu.qub.ac.uk/tomita/bachfont/index.htm
- look under "Font definition"
abc notation
You need to set the smallest note size in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228). Then use a for that note size, and a2 for double it, a4 for four times its size, and so on. So e.g. if you set the smallest note to sixteeenth notes, then a2 is an eighth note, a4 is a quarter note and so on.
Use - for ties. For rests use z so e.g. z2 would be an eighth note rest if you have smallest size set to sixteenth notes.
There are other abc rhythm options as well - but they are NOT YET PROGRAMMED - such as , < and repeat symbols.
Eventually I'll add in other abc features including pitch - so then you'll be able to do pitched melodies with this feature. But at present it is just the minimum rudiments of abc needed for most rhythms.
To find out more about abc notation, see:
O notation
This is a notation I invented for the drum metronome, now included mainly for backwards compatibility. It is also the notation used for the rhythms in the drop list - which get auto converted to your current notation when you select from the drop list.
Notation - From largest to smallest beat:
= (equals) whole note
- (minus) half note
O (uppercase O) quarter note
o (lowercase o) eighth note
. (period) sixteenth note
" (double quote) thirty-second note
' (apostrophe) sixty-fourth note
Alternatively you can use the letters in the alphabet:
a whole note
b half note
c quarter note
d eighth note
e sixteenth note
f thirty-second note
g sixty-fourth note
Place * before the beat for a tied note e.g. *O or *d for a quarter note tied to previousnote, *o or *e for a eighth note tie etc.. You can use * on its own as short for *O or *d.
So for instance
O *o is the same as Oo
Place % before the beat for a rest (silent note) e.g. %O or %d for a quarter note skip, %o or %e for a eighth note skipetc. You can use % on its own as short for %O or %d.
Auto Remake (check box)
switch ON to automatically update the rhythm whenever you edit it. When switched OFF you must use MAKE RHYTHM NOW to update the rhythm when you are ready.
If you switch this off, it lets you keep the old rhythm until you have have finished editing the new one.
So you may prefer it that way.
Also the automatic updates of the rhythm can slow down the editing depending on your computer speed (and how fast you type).
When switched off then the bouncing balls display show the old rhythm, and when you play it, you hear the old rhythm. They update only when you press the Make Rhythm Now button (or select a rhythm from the drop list).
Pulse varies to fit emphasis (check box)
Changes how auto accents, swing, and accents work for these rhythms...
This changes where the accents occur in the rhythm when you press the Accents button - and how the auto accents, and swing works when you use those features.
Preset
The preset is SELECTED for the Flamenco "clock" metronome, and UNSELECTED for other metronomes.
What it does, with Flamenco "Clock" as example
When UNSELECTED then always uses a quarter note pulse.
When SELECTED then the pulse may vary depending on which notes in the rhythm are emphasized more - by emphasized notes - that means notes played in several parts simultaneously.
So for instance for the Flamenco "clock" rhythm, then when UNSELECTED, iyou use a quarter note pulse, like this:
TWELVE one TWO three FOUR five SIX seven EIGHT nine TEN eleven
where the count is in eighth notes, and the count for the Flamenco clock starts at 12 instead of 1.
So, that's a steady quarter note pulse throughout.
When SELECTED - the more natural choice for the Flamenco "clock" - the count would go
TWELVE one two THREE four five SIX seven EIGHT nine TEN eleven
So that's a dotted quarter note pulse for the first six beats and a quarter note pulse for the last six beats.
How it works
When this is SELECTED then whenever you make or remake the rhythm, then it is made with "set pulse" unselected in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76). This then means that the pulse will vary to fit the emphasis as desired.
When it is UNSELECTED, the rhythm is made with "Set pulse" selected, and set to whatever number of beats is needed to ensure a quarter note beat.
eighth notes (editable)
Normally quarter beats - so 2 eighth notes. Changes the way the rhythms are swung or lilted...
You can set the pulse as part of the rhythm. E.g. if you want a pulse of a dotted quarter note, then enter the word Pulse followed by a dotted quarter note. E.g.
Pulse Oo
(if using O notation)
For details see the help for the "Edit selected rhythm here" field in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228)
This option configures what happens if you don't do that.
Show 1 bar at a time - debug only (check box)
For rhythms with more than one measure - as marked out with | bar lines...
This check box shows up if the rhythm has more than one measure, which you can do with the | bar lines.
You also need the measures to all be the same length.
When switched on, the bouncing ball display shows only one measure of the rhythm at a time. When the bouncing ball reaches the end of the measure the display changes to show the next measure.
You can still see the entire rhythm for each part in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76)
Special Instructions (drop list)
Various special instructions you can insert into the rhythm...
Pulse
The pulse sets the pulse in eighth notes for swing and auto accents for the part. Changes the Pulse for this Part in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76).
You can either add a number of eight notes (including decimal or fraction e.g. 0.5) or you can use the musical note symbol
Example
Pulse 2
or
Pulse ±
Count
You can use an instruction like
Count 4 sub 2
to set a counting system to use for the part. This gets turned into a custom beats per measure count in Beats Per Measure for Counting System (Ctrl + 248).
This is a simplified version with just a single number or token for Count and sub, sub is ignored if Count is left out.
For a more complicated pattern use Count ... EndCount
e.g.
Count 8 sub 2 skip 2 coalesce 2 EndCount
Some rhythms have an automatically generated cusotm beats per measure. For these, your desired custom Count is added at the end of the auto generated custom beats per measusre for the part in Beats Per Measure for Counting System (Ctrl + 248)
VaryTempoBy, VaryNotesBy and AllAsNTuples
Use VaryTempoBy and VaryNotesBy, and AllAsNTuples to change the tempo for any of the parts in the rhythm independently of the other parts...
VaryTempoBy value varies the tempo, and VaryNotesBy varies the length of each note. So for instance, VaryTempoBy 4/3 has the same effect as VaryNotesBy 3/4.
Note: be sure to enter fractions like 3/4 or percentages like 101% here WITHOUT SPACES e.g. 3/4 is okay but 3 / 4 is treated as 3 because everything after the first space is ignored. Similarly enter percentages as 101% not 101 %.
These options change the way the notes are played but don't change the way they are displayed in the Bounce window and tempo dial.
AllAsNTuples plays all the notes in the part as ntuples e.g.
AllAsNTuples 5
to play all the notes as quintuplets.
This one changes how they are played and also changes how they are displayed, so they get shown as ntuples.
Example
Part 1 ± à µ ± à µ à ± à ± ±
Part 2 ± à µ ± à µ à ± à ± ± VaryNotesBy 101%
- if you copy / paste that into the text area it gets turned into musical notes. The VaryNotesBy 101% sets it to play the notes of the second part 1% longer than the ones in the first part (so, it gets played 1% slower)
Always played as polymeter or polyrhythm
This option only works with the Play as Polymeter or Play as Polyrhythm options - if you choose the Pad or Extend last beat, then it is played as a polymeter anyway, because that's the only way to do it.
How the notes are displayed - details
VaryTempoBy and VaryNotesBy options change the way the notes are played but don't change how they are displayed.
To do that, they set a Note multiplier (in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228)) to make sure that the notes are displayed in the same way. So for instance if the part has quarter notes speeded up by 101% it will continue to display them as quarter notes.
AllAsNTuples changes the way the notes are played and the way they are displayed as well so it doesn't set a Note multiplier.
AllAsNTuples notation
The number you enter is automatically divided by the largest power of two below the number you enter.
AllAsNTuples 5
has the same effect on the timing of the notes as VaryNotesBy 4/5
Similarly AllAsNTuples 9 changes the timing in the same way as VaryNotesBy 8/9
etc.
If you use the ntuple notation with the divisor after a :
AllAsNTuples 7:5
then your numbers are used exactly as entered, and has same effect on the timing as
VaryNotesBy 5/7
(the : is used in the same way as a / in this notation).
Insert Special (button)
Inserts special instruction selected in drop list after current caret (editing position) in the rhythm
Insert Special (editable)
DISPLAYS NOTES with larger or smaller note values in the Bounce displays or Tempo Dial. Set automatically. Anything you enter here is ERASED WHEN YOU REMAKE THE RHYTHM...
This makes no difference to how the notes are played. If you want to change the timing of the notes for each part, investigate the VaryTempoBy or VaryNotesBy option (see the tool tip help for "Edit selected rhythm here")
Works in exactly the same way as the other note multiplier - any number here changes how the notes are displayed, so for instance a 2 will double the note values so that an eighth note is displayed as a quarter note and a sixteenth note as a quarter note.
The difference is, this one is auto set when you remake the rhythm. So - if you want to enter numbers by hand use the other note multiplier or your numbers will get erased.
The numbers here change the way the notes are displayed - make no difference to how they are played.
This field gets auto set for VaryTempoBy and VaryNotesBy
You can use VaryTempoBy and VaryNotesBy to change the tempo for any of the parts in the rhythm independently of the other parts.
VaryTempoBy value varies the tempo, and VaryNotesBy varies the length of each note. So for instance, VaryTempoBy 4/3 has the same effect as VaryNotesBy 3/4.
Example
Part 1 ± à µ ± à µ à ± à ± ±
Part 2 ± à µ ± à µ à ± à ± ± VaryNotesBy 101%
- if you copy / paste that into the text area it gets turned into musical notes. The VaryNotesBy 101% sets it to play the notes of the second part 1% longer than the ones in the first part (so, it gets played 1% slower)
When you make that rhythm, then you will see that this Display Multiplier gets set as well - that's to make sure that the notes for the second part are displayed correctly as quarter notes, eighth notes etc, even after your adjustment in note length.
Note multiplier (auto set) (editable)
Changes the DISPLAYED NOTES ONLY for tempo dial and bounce, e.g 2 to show eighth notes as quarter notes, or 1/2 to show quarter notes as eighth notes etc - also lets you show notes differently for each part...
This makes no difference to how the notes are played. If you want to change the timing of the notes for each part, investigate the VaryTempoBy or VaryNotesBy option (see the tool tip help for "Edit selected rhythm here")
How it works
You can enter any value as decimal or a fraction e.g. 2, 1/2, 4/3, 1.01 etc.
Changes the way the notes are displayed in the Bounce windows and the tempo dial.
Example set this to 2 to double the note values. So for instance, all quarter notes get shown as half notes, all eighth notes as quarter notes, all sixteenth notes as eighth notes etc.
You can enter a s different value for each part - just enter the number for each part in order, separated by spaces, e.g.
2 4 1
multiplies the notes in the first part by 2, the notes in the second part by 4, and leaves the notes in the third part unchanged.
This option doesn't make any difference to the way the notes are played. It only changes the way the notes are displayed as musical notes.
Quintuplets example
Example, to play the second part as quintuplets, edit the rhythm to add VaryNoteBy 4/5 at the end of the second part, and then you can edit this extra note multiplier to read 1 4/5 so the notation matches the rhythm changed
How to reset to the default
If you want to reset to the default, enter 0 here, or erase the text.
How this relates to the auto set note multiplier
There's another option to change the displayed notes in Dance rhythms - or any other rhythms with skipped beats (Ctrl + 228) which is needed for some of the rhythms you can make and is auto set. If both numbers are set, then they are multiplied together.
So for instance, if the auto set number is 3 and this one is set to 2 then each note is multiplied six (2*3) times. In that example, a note that would normally be displayed as a sixteenth note gets displayed as a dotted quarter note.
O notation (radio button)
This is a notation I invented for the drum metronome, now included mainly for backwards compatibility example: O o o O...
It is also the notation used for the rhythms in the drop list - which get auto converted to your current notation when you select from the drop list.
ABC notation (radio button)
Enter the rhythm in abc notation - example: a2 a a a2 for quarter note, eighth note, eighth note, quarter note...
How this notation works depends on choice of the smallest abc note. Often this is set to the eighth note. But if you need smaller note intervals, you need to make it smaller. See the drop list:
smallest note 1/ ...
Musical notes (radio button)
Shows the rhythm as musical notes which you can edit...
It's in the Bach musicological font - which lets you enter rhythms as musical notes, up to sixty fourth notes and with beams.
You can find out more about it here (though no need to do so to use it in Bounce Metronome)
http://www.mu.qub.ac.uk/tomita/bachfont/index.htm
Smallest note 1/ (drop list)
Smallest note type used for the rhythm e.g. 8 for eighth notes. You can select ANOTHER SIZE from the list to CHANGE THE NOTE VALUES throughout the rhythm...
If the rhythm has dotted notes, or double dotted notes, then takes account of that e.g. a rhythm consisting of two dotted quarter notes has the smallest note value an eighth note (for the dot).
Change the note values
You can select from this drop list to change the smallest note value used for the rhythm.
If you try to make the largest note value larger than a whole note then you'll get a message and can't do it - but apart from that you can make the smallest note value whatever you like.
E.g. maybe you want the paradiddles shown using eighth notes - well just select 1/ 8 from the drop list and the entire rhythm will be updated accordingly.
Example, if the rhythm is (in O notation)
O o o O
Smallest note is o i.e. 1/8.
Change to 1/16 and the rhythm changes to
o . . o
Beam every (editable)
How many notes to beam together - in eighth notes - TIP - you can enter more than one value e.g. 3 3 2 2 2 for Flamenco - with option to set the numbers separately for each part...
Set this to 2 to beam together in quarter notes (preset value) - as is normal in simple time rhythms.
Set to 3 for dotted quarter notes (as is normal in 6/8 and other compound time rhythms).
Complex beaming arrangements with more than one value e.g. for Flamenco and other additive rhythms
You can also enter more than one value e.g.
2 3 2
to beam as pair, triplet, pair (e.g. for time signature 2 + 3 + 2 / 8)
or 3 3 2 2 2
to beam as triplet, triplet, pair, pair (Flamenco clock preset)
etc.
Beam each part differently
You can set a different number or numbers for each part too. This can be especially useful for polyrhythms, where you may want to beam different parts in different ways.
To do this, place a -1 between the numbers for each part like this:
Example:
2 -1 3
to beam quarter notes in part 1 and dotted quarters in part 2.
Example:
3 3 2 2 2 -1 2
to beam the first part as for the Flamenco clock preset and second part as quarter notes.
Fractions and decimals also okay
Fractions and decimals okay - e.g. set this to 1.5 eighth notes (you can also enter it as the ratio 3/2) to beam together in groupings of three sixteenth notes.
Auto Beam (check box)
Use this to keep the notes beamed together as desired all the time whenever you edit them
Beam All (button)
Use this to beam all the notes in the rhythm automatically...
Way this works - if set to beam in 2 eighth notes for instance (quarter notes) then it will go through the rhythm and beam notes together if they are within the same quarter note as each other.
Any notes separated by rests will be unbeamed, same for ties.
You can use this button just the once, then use the Beam highlighted notes to adjust the result to your liking. Or you can switch on the Auto beam feature so that the rhythm remains beamed together as desired whenever you edit it.
Unbeam all (button)
Switches off Auto beam and unbeams all the notes so they become separate notes
Beam highlight (button)
Beams all the highlighted notes together as one unit - switches off auto beam...
To use this:
Highlight the notes you want beamed together. Then press this button. Repeat as desired.
This only changes the highlighted notes - and of course, any beams joining the highlighted notes to adjacent notes have to be removed.
But apart from that, the rest of the rhythm remains unchanged.
Which notes can you beam together?
This follows the musical rules for beaming notes. So, you can only beam together quarter notes or smaller and you can't beam across rests.
You also can't beam across ties - i.e. you can tie notes, or you can beam them, but you can't do both at once. (tied beamed notes are permitted musically so the only reason you can't do it here is for techy reasons).
Techy reasons why you can't tie beamed notes here: The font doesn't have enough characters to do this except for quarter notes. I could do it for quarter notes but it didn't seem worth the extra programming since if you do it for quarter notes only it would probably be confusing as user would expect it to work for other note sizes as well.
Un-beam highlight (button)
Unbeams all highlighted notes - switches off auto beam...
To use this:
Highlight the notes you want unbeamed. Then press this button. They will be unbeamed and made into separate notes. Repeat as desired.
This only changes the highlighted notes - and of course, any beams joining the highlighted notes to adjacent notes.
But apart from that, rest of rhythm remains unchanged.
Add new part (button)
Use this to add an extra part to the rhythm, played simultaneously with the other parts...
Adds a new line Part ... using a different part number from any existing parts. If necessary makes the existing notes into Part 1.
The new part will have its own boucing ball or drumstick or baton which you can show or hide. You can also set to play on a different instrument in Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9) and adjust its pan postion in Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50) etc.
You can easily add a new part by hand in the same way. Just add a new line which starts Part ... with the new part number. This is just a slightly quicker way of doing it which may save a bit of typing.
Do you want to make POLYRHYTHM or POLYMETER? First, make a rhythm with two or more parts of different length. (drop list)
Adjusts how much of the rhythm fits within the bouncing ball display- makes no difference to the conducting patterns...
This defaults to the longest measure to make sure you can see the entire polymeter in one go within the window.
To fine-tune this, you can vary the % of the selected measure to display.
Do you want to make POLYRHYTHM or POLYMETER? First, make a rhythm with two or more parts of different length. (editable)
Sets how much of the measure to display in the bouncing balls window at a time for BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH, left to right, or inside or outside oval - or set to over 100% e.g. 200% to show two measures - but makes no difference to the conducting pattterns...
For the conducting patterns - this changes how the blocks are displayed below the bounce window - but makes no difference to the way the patterns are displayed.
The conducting patterns are normally chosen to follow the counting system used - you can set a custom count for your rhythm if needed with the Count special instruction.
If you want the conducting patterns to work some other way independently of the way the rhythm is counted, then you can do that too.
To configure how the conducting patterns are shown in detail, go to Beats Per Measure for Counting System (Ctrl + 248) - the values there are usually set automatically but you can switch off the auto find and set them manually by hand or edit and change them manually for each rhythm after it does the auto find.
64th note
insert 64th note
32nd note
insert 32nd note
Sixteenth note
insert sixteenth note
Eighth note
insert eighth note
Quarter note
insert quarter note
Half note
insert half note
Whole note
Insert whole note
Dotted 32nd note
insert dotted 32nd note
Dotted Sixteenth note
insert dotted sixteenth note
Dotted Eighth note
insert dotted eighth note
Dotted Quarter note
insert dotted quarter note
Dotted Half note
insert dotted half note
Dotted Whole note
Insert dotted whole note
Tie
insert tie
64th note rest
insert 64th note rest
32nd note rest
insert 32nd note rest
Sixteenth note rest
insert sixteenth note rest
Eighth note rest
insert eighth note rest
Quarter note rest
insert quarter note rest
Half note rest
insert half note rest
Whole note rest
Insert whole note rest
Dotted 32nd note rest
insert dotted 32nd note rest
Dotted Sixteenth note rest
insert dotted sixteenth note rest
Dotted Eighth note rest
insert dotted eighth note rest
Dotted Quarter note rest
insert dotted quarter note rest
Dotted Half note rest
insert dotted half note rest
Dotted Whole note rest
Insert dotted whole note rest
Make Roll (button) (Alt + R)
Insert dotted whole note rest
Make Roll (editable) (Alt + R)
Insert dotted whole note rest
Buzz... (check box) (Alt + B)
Makes the notes faster and quieter like the "buzz roll" effect used by drummers - CLICK AGAIN TO SWITCH OFF...
This sets the bouncing balls to bounce faster and lighter like the bounces of a ball bouncing repeatedly - or a drumstick buzz roll,
After you switch this on you can adjust the amount of swing, and what to lilt the volumes to, in Beats volumes and times (Ctrl + 76)
If you have set a custom swing level and want to keep it when you switch this on / off then use use SHIFT + CLICK when you switch on to keep the swing amount.
Similar effect to a buzz roll
You get a drum roll by holding the drum stick somewhat loosely, just enough to get a buzz effect as you hit the drum head - with the notes getting faster and lighter through the roll. For more about this, try some of the videos on youtube:
Video tutorial of a Buzz roll on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEIuuerxYUM
This option creates a similar effect to that.
You need gentler amounts of swing in the Swing slider to get same effect
Normally when you click on this button, you set it up with a medium swing of 250 to 150. This has roughly the same effect as a hard swing of 300 to 100 in normal use if you use it for e.g. a drum roll using two parts.
That's because this option switches on "Swing all parts by same amount" in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232) which increases the strength of the swing if you have more than one part which can be swung.
If you want to use your existing amount of swing, then use SHIFT + CLICK on this button which switches on all the features needed for the buzz roll except that it keeps your existing level of swing whatever it is.
What this button does in detail
To get the most natural effect visually and for the sound, quite a few changes needd to be made:
Switches ON "For 3 or more subidivsions, adjust last subdivision towards first" and Switches OFF "For Volumes, adjust up beats and last of 3 or more subdivisions in the same way" in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232).
Switches ON Swing all parts by same amount in that window - this is useful for polyrhythms when you adjust the amount of swing.
Switches OFF "Shuffle - Auto pulse as 2 subdivisions if possible" - again in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232) - because you want to do rhythms with e.g. 4 subidivsions as a four beat buzz roll not as an alternating subdivisions type shuffle.
Also switches OFF "Shuffle entire Measure (i.e. shuffle alternate beats)" in the same window if you happen to have it on.
Switches on Lilt or swing, and Auto Accents.
Set the swing to a hard swing.
Sets the volume to lilt to to 40
Switches to stereo pan to follow the bounces in Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50) to help make it a more immersive experience.
Switches OFF "Exaggerate small bounces" in Bounce Patterns in Bounce Patterns (Ctrl + 227) to make the motion as much like the natural motion of a bouncing ball as possible.
When it is switched off
All of those things are reversed unless they were preset settings:
Switches ON "For Volumes, adjust up beats and last of 3 or more subdivisions in the same way" in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232).
Switches OFF Swing all parts by same amount and switches ON Swing part with most beats only.
Switches ON "Shuffle - Auto pulse as 2 subdivisions if possible" - again in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232)
Switches OFF Lilt or swing, and Auto Accents.
Switches to auto pan by parts in Stereo Pan (Ctrl + 50).
Switches ON "Exaggerate small bounces" in Bounce Patterns in Bounce Patterns (Ctrl + 227).
Adjust Swing (slider)
Move slider to adjust the amount of swing - OR click here then use LEFT and RIGHT keys, Page Up, Page Down, Home or End...
Buzz... (editable) (Alt + B)
Sets the volume of the OFF BEAT notes - as a percentage. Set this to the volume of the UNACCENTED BEATS for normal rhythms, or set this to over 100% to for syncopated (jazzy) rhythms...
For rhythms with three or more subdivisions, this the volume of the quietest subdivision - as percentage of the main beat volume. The quietest note is usually the last or the second last, depending on the settings in Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232)
Auto switch off buzz roll settings - with message - when another rhythm is selected (editable)
For the Rhythm Phasing button - sets the variation in temop for each part - suitable format: percentages 101%, decimals like 1.01 or ratios like 5/4...
Whatever you enter here is used exactly as shown, placed after the "VaryTempoBy" instruction in the new rhythm.
So if you want it to be a %, be sure to add the symbol % and be sure to leave no spaces e.g. between 101 and % in 101%.
Also enter the same number of values here as the number of parts you want for rhythm phasing.
If you want one of the parts to be played at the original tempo then enter either 100% or 1 as its value for the VaryTempoBy
The number of parts with rhythm phasing is the same as the number of values you enter here.
Make Rhythm Phasing Version (button)
Plays the selected rhythm using rhythm phasing as in some of Steve Reich's compositions...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasing
Update time signature to match rhythm (check box)
This updates the main window time signature to match the total number of notes and the type of note in the rhythm...
The time signature field in the main window isn't actually used to make the drum and dance rhythm, which instead is made using the rhythm you enter using music notation. So this is done just for informational purposes.
You may find it helpful, but might also be confusing, so good to say a bit about how this works.
You only see this option if there is a time signature field in the main window, e.g. for Bounce Metronome Professional. You won't see this option for the Drum & Dance metronome types.
How this works
Take for example, the default Waltz rhythm. As there are six eighth notes in the rhythm, the main window time signature field updates to show 6/8. I know the Waltz rhythm is really 3/4, but Bounce Metronome has no way of knowing just from the entered rhythm as musical notes that it is 3/4 and not an unsual rhythm in 6/8.
Any attempt to try to program it to recognize the time signature case by case is bound to have at least a few failures. That's because e.g. in this case there is a remote chance if you enter the same notes as the waltz rhythm, there is a remote chance you actually did mean to enter a 6/8 rhythm in the form quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note..
Also if this automatically sets the main window to 6/8 and then you click on the 6/8 button at least you end up with the same number of beats per measure in the first part (altough it adds an extra undesired part).
If you auto set the main window time signature to 3/4, then click on that time signature it will make a new rhythm with only three quarter notes to the measure.
So - the main value of this option is that it gives extra feedback about the notes you entered, the type and the number of the smallest type of note.
It also means you can swap to a time signature with the same number of beats in the measure and then e.g. that might be useful for building polyrhythms and so on. So practically this could be a useful option on occasion.
BTW if you want to keep the skipped beats used to make the rhythm when you click on the time signature buttons, then you can do that if you go to Swing and Auto Accents - Preferences (Ctrl + 232) and switch on "keep skips" in the ON CHANGE TIME SIGNATURE section of that window.
Make African Style Syncopated Polyrhythm (button)
Based on a technique from African Drumming, beat shifted polyrhythms with a syncopated feel...
See http://bouncemetronome.com/video-resources/polyrhythms/syncopated-4-3-type-polyrhythms
These are based on a technique from African Drumming. When you play a polyrhythm such as say 4:3, you can shift the rhythms so that the two rhythms meet each other at different places in the measure, not just at the measure beat. This creates a syncopated effect - a feeling that you are playing "off the beat".
Open... (button)
Open all the settings for the window selected in the drop list
Save As... (button)
Save all the settin
Next: Harmonic Interval Trainer
Controls Common to Many Windows
