Guitar Strumming MS 4
I know this is probably a long shot, but Just curious if there is a way of creating guitar strumming throughout the whole score, or do I have to put the arpeggio symbol on every chord throughout the the score? I am transcribing a piece that has 8th note guitar strumming in the whole piece (up,down, up,down, up, down, etc) - so we are talking 8 arpeggio symbols in every measure. Just curious if anyone has come up with a quick, easy way of doing this in MS 4.
I guess I am thinking like with violins, you can just put the direction "pizz" and the violins know they play pizzicato until otherwise directed and MS 4 knows how to handle the "pizz" symbol throughout the score.
Thanks
Comments
No, there is not. I never even bother with the arpeggio symbol. The difference at any tempo faster than about 100-120 bpm is simply not audible.
In reply to No, there is not. I never… by TheHutch
Thank you. The tempo of this song is about 90. I used the arpeggio symbol for a couple of measure and it sounds fake, but I cant figer out why. What is meant by an arpeggio speed of 1, or 1.5, or 2. Is that seconds? So an arpeggio speed of 1 would mean you strum the whole chord in 1 second?
In reply to Thank you. The tempo of… by odelphi231
I'm definitely not sure, but I suspect it's something on the order of a percentage. "1" would play the arpeggio in 100% of the time of the note, while "0.1" would play it in 10% of the time of the note.
Try this: in a blank score, make a measure or two of a strum pattern. Mark the up and down arpeggios in the appropriate directions for the strum pattern. Now, copy and paste that measure or two several times. In one of the measures, remove the arpeggios completely. In each measure with the arpeggios, highlight all of them and give them all of them in one measure the same Playback speed. Make a measure of "0.01", one of "0.05", "0.1", "0.5", "1", "1.5", and "2". Loop the whole set of measures and hear which you think sounds the best. To my ear, 0.1 sounds best at 90 bpm. (Although really, at any tempo, leaving the arpeggio out actually sounds the best to my ear. *shrug*)
Easiest way that I can think of would be via a plugin. This could be readily achieved in MS3 where plugins can adjust the OnTime of notes but the MS4 plugin API does not yet support this method.
You could define different strumming patterns to choose from. Maybe there is already a plugin for this. Have you checked?
Take a listen to this file.
Guitar players seldom hit all 6 strings on every stroke. often upper or lower strings get left out, depending on the direction of the stroke. Just doing that might help. Not the same as a good strum plugin, of course.
In reply to Take a listen to this file… by bobjp
Thank you for the test file. It looks complicated to get an authentic guitar strum sound.
In reply to Thank you for the test file… by odelphi231
Hi, I had one of my YouTube viewers request this. I have created a breakdown of the basic process to create the pattern. Because we often re-use the same rhythm across different chords, it is possible to create a collection of patterns - one measure for each pattern in your song, and then copy and paste them in. Anyway, have a look and see if it is helpful. Hope so. https://youtu.be/EHIHcg-IiZ4
In reply to Hi, I had one of my YouTube… by bonarharris1
Good video. However, I notice you do some things in ways that are more difficult than they need to be.
For example, to move your chords down an octave, you used the Tools / Transpose dialog. Very useful and important to know, yes. However, since you are going down an octave, you can simply press Ctrl+Down, which moves the selected notes down one octave with a single keystroke.
Similarly, you very carefully made a whole measure of arpeggios and had to select six of them to set their playback delay. Faster and easier: Make an eighth note on beat one. Add notes to make the particular chord you want. Now copy that and paste it once onto the "and" of one. To the first chord add the down arpeggio, to the second, the up. Copy and paste that to all four beats. Finally, click a note in the second eight-note chord and Ctrl+click a note in the fifth eighth-note chord. Press "0" to turn the selected notes into rests.
Another trick you can do to make it sound still more life-like is to include the entire G chord on beat one. Copy it to the "and of one" and add the down and up arpeggios. Copy these to the full measure. Remove the two for your particular strum pattern. Then, on each down arpeggio, remove the highest one or two or (occasionally) three notes, and on each up arpeggio, remove the lowest one or two or three notes. If you copy the original strum pattern to 2-4 measures like this, you can have each strum be different than the last. Copy these measures repeatedly and it will sound still more life-like.
In reply to Good video. However, I… by TheHutch
All these methods show just how much MS4 needs the plugin API functionality that was present in MS3 for setting note ontime and playback length. A strumming pattern plugin would then be possible.
In reply to All these methods show just… by yonah_ag
None of the methods I described have anything to do with the arpeggio functionality. Only with entering, modifying, copying, and pasting notes in the application.
In reply to None of the methods I… by TheHutch
None of my plugins have anything to do with the arpeggio function either.
In reply to None of my plugins have… by yonah_ag
Rephrase: I wasn't talking even about guitar strums. Only about generally entering notes. NOTHING to do with either your plugs-ins, arpeggios, or guitar strums.
In reply to Good video. However, I… by TheHutch
Also the arpeggios are upside down.
A downstroke is an up arpeggio (from lower to higher pitched) while an upstroke is an down arpeggio (from higher to lower).
Sorry, bonarharris1.
In reply to Also the arpeggios are… by Ruben Remus
Ya, I always have to remind myself that down on guitar is up on the staff. Typical guitar player.
In reply to Good video. However, I… by TheHutch
I appreciate your tips on more efficient ways. And they are very good, and much appreciated. However, the video target audience is beginners - guitarists who know next to nothing about scoring, about music theory. I would never include "shortcuts" or efficiencies when creating a beginner video. I go the long way around on purpose. But I will use your notes myself! I have used Musescore quite a bit myself, but always in very narrow ways, so I feel like there's a whole world of stuff in here for me to learn. Thanks very much for watching and I really do appreciate the tips!