importing midi file cannot break down into string quartet
When I import a .MIDI file the instrument defaults to grand piano. I would like to break the score up into string quartet. When I change instruments the notation disappears. I am a beginner so please excuse me if this has been posted. I cannot find it in the FAQs.
Comments
It's not clear what you mean "the notation disappears" - what are you doing specifically, what do you expect to see happen, what happens instead? Please attach the score you are having problems with and precise step by step instructions to reproduce the problem.
Normally, if you have a piano score and you wish to change it to a different, right click a staff, Staff Properties, Change Instrument, select the new instrument should work. But splitting a piece written for piano into four distinct string parts is not something that can be done automatically in most cases. There are tools that can help - see Tools in the Handbook, and Explode in particular - but ultimately it is something you will have to do manually based on your own ideas for how best to translate the piece.
In reply to It's not clear what you mean by Marc Sabatella
All the notes disappear after I go to change instruments. I add the four string instruments for string quartet and remove the piano as an instrument. I expected the notes to reappear on their perspective staffs for each instrument. As mentioned in my previous post, this piece was written originally for two guitars (finger-picked, classical style and one bass). I wanted to transcribe the piece for string quartet so I could hear it in a different context. If you listen to the piece using the piano you hear nothing but trills and the melody lines don't stand out.
Did the imported midi produce all the voices as chords on one piano staff? If so, first goto Edit->Instruments, and add the string instrument staffs below piano. Then select all the notes in the piano staff, and use Edit->Tools->Explode to distribute the chords across. (But if the midi file was any more complicated, this explode may not work.) Could you attach the midi file to a comment here so we take take a look at the exact format?
In reply to Did the imported midi produce by ericfontainejazz
Yes, the imported midi produced an 'impossible to play' transcription on one piano staff (bass and treble cleft). The piece was written for three string pieces originally (two finger-picked guitars, one bass). The .midi file defaults to one piano staff upon import and when I play it back it is full of trills. I'll attach the .midi for your review.
In reply to Yes, the imported midi by jook
Oh, man!!!
This is a very hard job!!!
I guess the easiest way to do this is:
1) Get the original score.
2) Write all the music, into MuseScore, note by note, with your mouse (or keyboard).
3) Voila!!! Solved problem.
In reply to Oh, man!!! This is a very by jotape1960
Yes, this is a complex piece and .midi really doesn't do it justice. The melody line is hard to pick up. I will experiment with this for a while and see what I can do with it. It would have been much easier to record each part separately in .midi and piece it together but this .midi was generated by a .wav file (which makes it much harder to edit). Live and learn. This is my first exploration into .midi so I guessed I expected too much for such a complex piece.
In reply to Yes, the imported midi by jook
When you say the piece was written for two guitars and one bass, do you know who wrote it or what software was used to create it? It might be possible to go back to that original source and something better than this MIDI to work from. Ideally, a MusicXML file, but if the software doens't support MusicXML and only MIDI, then at least maybe it has options to export the MIDI with each instrument on a seaprate track rather than all combined onto one track as it apparently did.
But realize, MIDI is not intended for capturing notation, and will always be an extremely limited way of transferring information between notation programs.
In reply to Did the imported midi produce by ericfontainejazz
I was able to change instruments and transcription by leaving the piano part in and Edit>select all and Tools> explode commands then going back, remove the piano part. Thank you for the input. I was able to listen to it in a different context but I'm still not hearing the melody lines that well.
In reply to I was able to change by jook
Do you have the original score (paper printed score)?
In reply to Do you have the original by jotape1960
No. I recorded this straight to .wav and wanted to produce a transcription so I could hear it in different context using various instruments. I know it's lazy but I know enough about theory to be very dangerous. I could transcribe it by hand but it would take me a while to get it done. I was looking for a faster and easier way to get it done.
In reply to No. I recorded this straight by jook
Mmm.
I suggest that, if you can, try to play all the parts, separately, with some MIDI keyboard connected to your PC and using some software with the capability to recognize at real time the notes. Then you will be able to translate to the MIDI format and, from it, to MuseScore and a final decent professional score.
It isn't the best solution, because you will have to edit a lot, after, if you don't play the piece exactly "in time", but... It's something...
Another solution is if, and only if, you have the instrument parts into separated wave tracks. Then you try to convert all the *.wav files (tracks) into separated MIDI format file (there are more than one software to do that). The transcription will not be perfect, yet, but... I think it will be better than the score you're showing.
BUT... As an old musician, I had some experience with "dark" score pieces (normally hand-written). The best and easy solution is... To get the musicians, whom will play the piece, and put them all into a very isolated room and then... put them all to hear the piece one, two, three, four, five... ten... one thousand times!!! Up... they catch all the idea. They will play the piece, man!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!!!!
In reply to Mmm. I suggest that, if you by jotape1960
I have been playing for 43 years and I must say the most gratifying moment I've ever had playing was improvising with a small group of like-minded players. Being classically trained at it's highest level has some merit but being able to create something deep out of nothing in real time will trump it any day. JMO.