Window 62

=  Accidentals symbols and special opts =

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Accidental symbols, && choose how keys play notes in between notes of arpeggio

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This is for notes from midi in that can be interpreted as either the flat of the note above or the sharp of the note below, e.g. black keys with the white keys playing diatonic in 31-et.
(Various methods to select alternative pitches when available

Mixed # / b
Play some of each e.g. C# Eb F# G# Bb (depends on arp)...

Example, in nineteen equal, played from the white keys, with no pedal etc pressed, then plays C# Eb F# G# Bb

The actual mix of #s and bs varies depending on the arpeggio.

This corresponds to the design for split key keyboards.

The normal layout for split keys is to put the C sharp, E flat, F sharp, G sharp and B flat towards the front of the split black keys, and the other accidentals behind. Those notes are the ones for the scales closest to C major - you use them to play the C, D, F, G, A, and B flat major scales.

We need some way to generalise this so that a layout can be automatically made for any arpeggio and keyboard mapping.

The way Tune Smithy does it is as follows:

The near accidental is a flat if the step to the next note in the arpeggio has less scale degrees than the step to the note in the arpeggio after that, and is a sharp otherwise.

For instance, in the nineteen-tone major scale, the step from D to E is 3 notes of the scale, i.e. 3 scale degrees, and from E to F it is 2 scale degrees. Since the E to F step is smaller than the D to E step, the black key between D and E will play a flat as the near accidental, i.e. E flat. Since the step from C to D is the same as the step from D to E, the black key between C and D will play a sharp, i.e. C sharp.

You can also get a small black E+ / F- note between E and F on the 19 tone keyboard. The near accidental here is the natural - i.e. when you don't use the key or pedal you get the natural. The far accidental is the black note, which is what you get when the key / pedal is held down.

The small black note between B and C works similarly, as does any accidental in any arpeggio which happens to lie between B and C or between E and F on the keyboard.

Enable alternative pitches only if arp. starts @a
Select to allow alternative pitch selection only for arpeggios prefixed with @a...

When this is selected, if you want the alternative pitch selection options such as sustain for sharp, etc to be used, then place @a in the arpeggio window before any of the arpeggio numbers.

This is a precaution you can use to make sure these options are only used for particular arpeggios.

For instance if you are working with the sustain for alternative pitch option selection - maybe most of the time you still want the sustain pedal to work in normal fashion as a sustain pedal and only function as an alternative pitch selector sometimes, maybe only for particular arpeggios.

Or, when this check box is switched on, you can just use the @a check box as a quick way to switch the alternative pitch selection feature on / off.

Re-assign patch for accid.
Accidental symbols, && choose how keys play notes in between notes of arpeggio

Favour Sharps
Example, favour C# over Db when there is a distinction...

When unselected favours Db over C#.

See the help section Playing Fine shades of accidentals from the keyboard for details.

For scales like thirty one equal with many sharps and flats, then depending on the number of keys available to play the accidentals, it is

Selected, plays C+ C# Db D- from available keys working upwards

Unselected, plays D- Db C# C+ from available keys working downwards.

If there are four keys available in this case there is no difference between the two approaches. But if there are less than four available, then, e.g. if there are two available, the keys play

C+ C#

if set to favour sharps

and

Db D-

if set to favour flats

and if three available:

C+ C# Db

if set to favour sharps

and

C# Db D-

if set to favour flats

Help = F1
Click for help for this window. Or F1. Other opts: Shift, Alt, Ctrl + click...

F1 or click shows the help for the current window in your web browser.

Some windows may have no help yet in which case the help icon is shown crossed out with a red line.

Shift + F1 or Shift + Click brings up the tool tips extra help window (this window) to show any extra help for a tool tip.

You can tell if a tool tip has extra help if it ends ... like this one.

Ctrl + F1 or Ctrl + click takes you to the list of keyboard shortcuts for Tune Smithy.

Alt + F1 or Alt + click (alternatively Caps lock physically held down + F1 or Click) takes you to the on-line page at the robertinventor.com web site about the current main window task - which gives a short introduction to it for newbies to the program. If there is no on-line page specific to a task, takes you to the main tune smithy page on the web site.

Since the help for Tune Smithy is currently a bit out of date and needs to be redone completely for the new 3.0 release, then you may find the on-line page for some of the newer tasks particularly useful.

Organise Windows = F2
Or F2 - Reset / save / open for individual windows, right click for cat. list...

Shows the Organise windows window - which you can use to reset all the parameters for the current window - or save them all, or open previously saved parameters for just this window. Also has a drop list of all the windows and their shortcuts.

You can also right click on this icon as a quick way to get the floating drop menu of all the Tune Smithy windows organised by category

Midi In Dialog Star
Tip of the day - Relaying category - right click for neighbouring windows...

Left click for a tip of the day in this category.

Right click to see a menu of neighbouring windows.

The neighbours are the ones you most often move to after this one or within a minute of this one, arranged by popularity.

So as you continue to use FTS, it will learn your habits, and the neighbouring windows listed here, should be the ones you most often visit after this one.