TEFview MIDI Playback

menu_play

 

The items in the menu shown here to the left contain controls having to do with the playback of tablatures, MIDI setup and settings.

 

tb_play Play>

This button (or its shortcut [Space bar]) plays from the exact cursor position (or from the beginning of the current measure if the [shift] key is pressed) up to the end of the score  (including all repeats, da Signos, etc indicated by the Reading List). If there is an extended selection, TEFview plays all the notes in the horizontal bounds of the selection.

Shortkeys give you access to additional commands, allowing you to select which portion of the current tablature is to be played back.

[fn][F10] "This measure only" plays only the measure in which the cursor is currently located.

[fn][F11] "Selection only" plays back a selected block of notes. No limitation is imposed on the size of the block.

[fn][F12] "All" plays back the entire tablature from first to final measure no matter where the cursor is located when the command is selected.

To prevent a module from being played, you need to remove the check mark of that module in the MIDI Options dialog box. With a little skill, you can do the same thing very quickly without opening the dialog box by clicking on the small green or red light above the button corresponding to the module. The keys [1] to [9] can also be used to achieve the same result.

When TEFview encounters the text "%Show" in a given instrument during playback, this module is automatically activated and the played measure becomes the first measure on the screen.

The appearance of the tool bar changes during playback:

mtoolbar2

tb_pause Pause

This does pretty much what you would expect it to do. Selecting this item or pressing [Pause] or clicking on the button of the same name will pause playback. Selecting the item (or pressing [Pause]) a second time restarts playback from the point where it was paused.

tb_stop Stop

Immediately stops MIDI playback. Playback can be resumed by re-selecting "Play" from the menu, pressing the tb_play button or pressing [Space bar].

tb_tobegin Rewind

Rewinds to the beginning of the sequence and resumes playback.

The [a_right] and [a_left] keys allow you to quickly advance or rewind the MIDI playback with more control.

Clicking with the mouse on any part of the score during playback restarts playback from that point. Clicking on an inactive module suspends playback and activates this module. If the [a_cmd] key is pressed, the module also becomes soloist. A second click restarts MIDI playback.

Repeat

"Loops" the tablature for continuous replay. You can also activate the repetition mode by clicking on the tb_repeat icon to the right of the time counter.

Relative speed...

di_relspd

This function allows you to vary the playback speed of a piece in percentual increments of your own choosing. Eventual tempo changes within the tablature are automatically converted. The converted tempo change is displayed for informational purposes, only. This allows you to learn a tune more comfortably.

TEFview also allows you to select specific measures to repeat.

If the "Increased speed" option has been selected, the playback tempo is increased at each repetition until it reaches the percentual limit shown in the "Up to:" field.

The [-] et [+] keys change the relative speed when the MIDI playback is running.

Changing the value labeled "Master Tuning" allows you to modify the pitch of the MIDI output in real time.

Metronome...

di_metronom

This simple dialog provides you with a metronome to mark time. There are three settings that can be made here:

"Volume" allows you to set the MIDI volume for the metronome. You turn the metronome off by setting the volume to "0". The metronome can also be activated, while the tab is playing back, by clicking on the tb_metronome icon to the right of the time counter.

The "Patch" popup menu allows you to select the sound to be used for it from the list of percussion instruments supported by your sound card.

The final item in this dialog is the "Metronome only for n measure(s)" check box. If this is selected, TEFview will initiate the metronome for the indicated number of measures prior to commencing MIDI playback. The default value is for a single measure but this can be increased in the field to the right, giving you time to pick up your instrument and to feel the required tempo.

MIDI Options... tb_midi_options

Selecting this option opens the dialog of the same name. This where you make the basic MIDI settings to be used for your tablatures.