Score within a Midi file

• Apr 11, 2021 - 16:38

Please excuse if I explain my problem in non expert dialogue.
I have a Yamaha Clavinova CVP709 and plug in my USB stick with Midi files.
I call up the score which contains numerous pages for each instrument/sound and it's an onerous task to trawl though each page looking for the melody line.
Is there a way using my PC before I transfer the files to USB, that I can "open" the Midi file, access the score and delete all but the melody line, so I can recopy back to my USB stick for quick and easy use on my keyboard ??


Comments

You can open any MIDI file with MuseScore:

1) Go to "FILE" menu.

2) Select "OPEN" option.

3) Select the MIDI file you want to use from your USB stick.

4) You will get the full score.

5) You can choose two ways to get just the melody:

a) Erase all the staves you don't want to hear in your Clavinova device, or...

b) Go to MuseScore Mixer and silence all the channels you don't want to hear.

6) Save the edited score as a new MIDI file, into your USB stick, with "FILE" menu; "EXPORT..." option; "MIDI" format file.

Inside your USB stick, you will have a new MIDI format file, compatible with your Clavinova device, and with just the melody you want to play.

BTW: According to the Yamaha Clavinova CVP709/CVP-705 Reference Manual, chapter "MIDI Adjustments" (page 80 in the Spanish version), you can choose which MIDI channel will sound, and which not. So, with the original MIDI file, you can get just the melody channel to sound, silence the other channels. It is the same to my Casio CTK-601 MIDI keyboard, and I guess it is available with all General MIDI device.

That's all, folks!!!

In reply to by jotape1960

Jotape1960
Many thanks for your reply,
If you could bear with me a little longer:
Thanks to you, I can now see the score on screen. If I want I can adjust the various voices on my Clavinova without using the Musescore Mixer, though this is something I may well look at.
What I want to do is isolate the melody line. Once identified in MuseScore, how do I delete unwanted staves/parts, just leaving me with the melody to read and play.
If I delete the stave, does it automatically delete the associated voices ?
Ideally I want the full backing instruments, and melody line to read and play. (and chords ? )
Am I looking for something that is not attainable ?
Regards
Paul

In reply to by lph114

Sounds as though you possibly might want a few different things.

  1. A printed (or screen) copy of a melody line. You can do that in Musescore if you import the Midi to MuseScore, and then identify the line you want. Delete all the other lines and print the result.

However - while this might work for simple pieces, some pieces when rendered in Midi actually generate horrible notation due to the timing of individual notes. You can see that if you generate a Midi file on your keyboard by playing a piece in, recording it and exporting the Midi. With no disrespect to your playing, the chances are that the notes won't be exact crotchets, quavers etc. and the notation which will reappear in a notation tool when you import the generated Midi file will not look good. Notes might not even line up "properly" in the correct bars. Down at the hardware level Midi doesn't really know or care about bars - just timing and instrument lines.

Some Midi files - particularly the ones used for teaching - are generated by editing in Midi piano roll editors, and they will very possibly give good notation if re-input back into a notation editor.

Midi files which have been generated from notation software should be easier to convert back to "good" notation than ones which have been generated directly from Midi instruments.

A lot depends on where you get the Midi file from whether the notation will be good.

  1. You may also want to delete the melody line in your score, to leave your keyboard (or your computer) to only play the backing tracks. Depends whether you want to play along with the melody in the midi, or fill it in yourself. You can then decide whether to export that as Midi back to your keyboard, or you might be able to play your keyboard directly from Musescore by connecting your computer to your Clavinova with a cable - or using a Bluetooth interface.

In reply to by dave2020X

Hi
Thanks for your input.
I am happy to adjust instrument part levels in my Clavinova Mixer.
My problem is literally how to delete unwanted score on Musescore screen, leaving only the melody line on screen. It's not just a case of highlight and delete so looking for best advice on this.
Also silly question, if I delete (say) the bass score, does that automatically delete the bass audio on playback ?
Thanks chaps
Paul

In reply to by lph114

Now I'm more confused, but that's nothing new! You have a score on the Musescore screen. You identify the melody line. Is it just one staff/stave or is it now a piano or similar part on a grand staff?

Let's assume it's just one instrument to start. Click in the score and press 'i'. A list of instruments similar to the attached should appear. Instruments.png OK - so in this example I put in a piano as well - and deleted the LH line - but let's live with that.

In the right hand of this panel select the lines you want to remove, and press the "Remove from score" button in the middle.

That will probably do most of what you require - if you've identified the melody in a single instrument line.

If the melody was in the piano part and doesn't cross staves you can delete either the RH or the LH stave using the technique above.

In the worst case the melody you want might be mixed with other notes on the same stave or even across instruments. Then you'd probably need to isolate those notes as a separate voice - and it would require more work. With luck you might be able to use tools such as Explode or Implode (see the Tools menu) to separate out notes, though in some cases it might require even more work. There has been extensive discussion of the use of Voices recently - but I suspect you don't actually need to go there.

In reply to by SteveBlower

Here is a screen shot of a current score. Melody is contained in Wi.
Question I ask is how to delete the other parts just leaving Wi.
Removing the other parts, does this automatically remove the corresponding sound files ?
Is there a way to see chords ?

I guess my lack of knowledge of this makes me give misleading info, ie not asking the right questions !
Thanks
Paul

Attachment Size
Sufer Girl score.docx 214.46 KB

In reply to by lph114

That is not a midi file. Not providing what is asked for doesn't make it easy to help.

But, guessing again, you see the import column at the left of the bottom pane has ticks. Untick everything you don't want and leave ticked what you do want The original midi file will not be changed.

In reply to by lph114

Dave 2020
Re read your post "Click in the score and press 'i'. A list of instruments similar to the attached should appear. "
I missed the "i" on first reading and couldn't figure it out, now I've had a light bulb moment and I think I'm on my way to getting somewhere !!

Thanks to everyone who contributed and I'll leave you in peace !!
Paul

In reply to by dave2020X

Thanks Dave2020

I think I have enough to work on, without winding up more knowledgeable and more proficient members of this group with inane questions !!!
One last question, as my musical playing enjoyment is usually gained through Buskers type books, is it possible in Musescore to call up relative chords, if not evident from the score ??
Then I promise not to ask any more questions !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I'm guessing he means chords relative to the nominated key. Tune in D, then the III chord is F sharp A Csharp.

I'd probably use Roman Numeral notation for that, but I'm not sure that MS will actually fill in the chord, or sound it. I'll have to experiment to check. Maybe the Nashville notation does that?!

As far as I can see only the Nashville notation (Add->Text ->Nashville Number and chord entry (CMD or CTLR-K) produce audible output as well as readable output - with the Tools ->Readable Chord Symbols option.
The Nashville notation does seem to be sensitive to key signature. The Roman numeral analysis and Figured bass options don't seem to produce audible output, or readable output.

It would be could if these could all be consistent - with a similar interface - shortcuts etc., as right now they look as though they were developed independently.

In reply to by dave2020X

Roman numeral analysis does not play back, in part because the whole point of it normally is to use in addition to the existing notes or chord symbols, in part because the way analysis works, the actual key center used is not always the same as the key signature, so there is no way to know the actual chord intended.

Nashville notation, though, like ordinary chord symbols, do playback.

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