Copyright: Copyright David Lyszyk (Lishik) 1994


Muzika 3.0
Muzika 3.0 Help Index

 Welcome to the new version of Muzika  .

General topics :

Getting Started
The Muzika Environment
The Toolbar

Menu Commands :

. File . Edit . System . Symbols . Play . Options .

Dialog Boxes :

New Score
User-Defined Instrument
Organize Options
Midi Mapping
New / Change System
Create a View
Key Signatures


Getting Started

When entering Muzika 3.0, you wish to make a Score appear on your screen.
There are two ways doing this : you may create a new Score or load an existing Score from disk.
Loading a Score is done by selecting the  File|Load  menu command.
Creating a new Score is done by selecting the   File|New  menu command.

 See Also : Creating a new Score


The Environment
The Muzika 3.0 Environment

View Windows

When you create a new Score, a window is automatically opened in order to represent it on your screen. This window shows all the instruments used, so that it corresponds in fact to the conductor's score.
But, of course, any instrumentalist has his own score, where the other instruments do not appear. The Muzika Environment allows you to open, one by one, windows which fit those requirements. Such windows are called   View Windows  . Moreover, the concept of one-instrument windows has been even generalized to groups of instruments, ie. you can open windows for any possible combination of instruments. For example, let's consider a symphony : the conductor's view, labeled 'Whole Orchestra', shows all the instruments. There may then be other views for the first violins, for the second violins, for the third clarinet and the bassoon together, and even for the cellos, the oboe and the timpani together.

fs25  See Also : Creating a View

Tool Windows

Each family of musical symbols ( Notes, Rests, etc. ) is handled by a specific 'flying'  Tool Window  .  By 'flying' we mean that the window can be moved anywhere on the screen. Calling a Tool Window is done by pressing the corresponding button in the ToolBar or by selecting the appropriate item in the Menu 'Symbols'. Hiding it is done by exactly the same operation.

In each Tool Window are sets of buttons controlling the symbol attributes. For example, in the 'Notes' Tool Window, one set controls duration, another the accidentals, another one the dots, and a last one for the articulation. When you have defined the desired symbol, the mouse cursor takes its shape, and then you can place the new symbol anywhere in the score.

 See Also : The ToolBar , Musical Symbols .


Menu Commands
The Menu Commands

File
Edit
System
Symbols
Play
Options


The ToolBar

 	Calls Help.

Performs Undo on the last operation (if any).

Transforms the mouse cursor to an eraser.
Left clicking on a musical symbol deletes it.
Right clicking on a staff deletes all symbols in it.

 	Transforms the mouse cursor to a human hand.
Enables you to take and move symbols without any limitation.

 	Calls the Format procedure.

Lets you mark a block for Edit commands.

Creates a MIDI file from the current score
and calls the Media Player in order to perform it.

 	Shows / Hides the Notes  View Window.

Sets / Cancels the Unchord Notes  state.

Shows / Hides the Rests  View Window.

Shows / Hides the Beams  View Window.

Enables you to create Legatos  .

Shows / Hides the Dynamics  View Window.

Shows / Hides the Clefs  View Window.

Shows / Hides the Beats  View Window.

Enables you to change the Midi attributes of crescendi.

Shows / Hides the Bars  View Window.

Calls the New System dialog box.

 See Also : View Windows , Musical Symbols .


File Commands

New :    Creates a new Score.
  See : Creating a new Score.
Redefine :    Allows you to change the constitution of a Score.
The operations are identical to the creation of a new Score.
Load, Save, Save As, Save All :     Score transfer to or from disk.
Print, Print Setup :                Standard printer interface.


Edit
Edit Commands

Undo :   Cancels the last block operation ( including musical processes ).

Redo :   Executes again the last operation cancelled by Undo.

Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete :   Common block edit operations.
Before any block operation, you must mark a block using the appropriate toolbar button, or with Select All .
Before pasting, click with the mouse at the point you wish to paste the block resident in the clipboard.

Mirror :   Makes the mirror inversion of the selected notes in the block. Mirror inversion is a reflection with respect to a horizontal line, which you are requested to define.

Retrograde :   Makes the retrograde inversion of the selected symbols in the block. Retrograde inversion is a reflection with respect to a vertical line passing through the center of the block.

Transpose :   Transposes the notes of the selected block vertically, by an intervall you are requested to define.


System
System Commands

New, Insert, Delete System :   Basic operations which add a new system at the end of the score, insert a new one between existing systems, and delete an existing system, respectively.
For inserting a new system, you must click in the space between two existing systems, or above the first one, or below the last one.

Change System :   Allows you to change the staves' visibility.

Delete System :   Allows you to delete an existing system.

 See Also : New/Change System Dialog Box


Symbols
Symbols Commands

Clefs, Notes, Rests, Key Signature, Beats, Dynamics, Bars, Beams, Tempo, Text :
Show or Hide the corresponding Tool Windows .

Legato :  Enables you to tie two notes. Just select with the mouse the two notes to be tied, which must belong to the same staff or to corresponding staves in two adjacent systems.

Unchord notes :  Disables the automatic chord constitution (ie. all new notes will be separated, even if placed one above the other). Recall that, at any instant, you should use the Format  option in order to see which notes are in chords and which not.


Play
Play Commands

 Midi Mapping :  see Midi Mapping


Options
Options Commands

Colors :   Enables you to choose a color for each family of symbols (ie. one for all the notes, one for all the rests, and so on).
The chosen colors are specific to each Score and are saved in the Muzika 3.0 format files.

Font for ... :   Enables you to choose a font for the title, subtitle, and text symbols occuring in your Score.
The fonts are also saved in Muzika 3.0 files.

Format :   See Format .


Format

The Format is a powerful algorithm which is intended to rearrange your whole Score according to some very specific rules.
It executes the following tasks :
* It rearranges Clefs and Key Signatures in such a way that there is a coherence from one system to another.
* It computes the suitable spacing between the symbols, according to their synchronization.
* It introduces barlines according to the Time Signatures (Beats) you put. The default Time Signature is always 4/4.
* Beams which are found to overlap a barline are simply deleted.
* Successive Clefs and Key Signatures without any note between them are deleted. Successive Time Signatures (Beats) without any note or rest between them are deleted.
* Staves defined as invisible (see New System Dialog Box ) are filled with rests and barlines, coherently with the other staves.


Info
Muzika 3.0 has been developped by David Lishik ( Lyszyk ) and Dan Bar-Hen in spring-summer 1994.


Creating a new Score

Creating a new Score is done by selecting the  File|New  menu command.

You can then define the following attributes for your Score :

Headtitle : This is the title which will appear on the top of your score. If you do not define one, Muzika sets it automatically to 'Untitled #n'.

Subtitle : This is an optional subtitle for your score.

Staff Width : You choose here the width of all the staves of your score. There are three possible sizes : normal (496 pixels), long (656 pixels) and huge (880 pixels).

Choosing Instruments :

You choose the instruments that will appear in your Score by selecting them in the list box labeled 'Instrument Name', and then by pressing the 'Add' button, or alternatively by double-clicking the instrument name. The instruments are added one after the other in the order you chose them, and a global system is shown in an appropriate window. You can define your own instrument by selecting 'Other...' in the list box.

See : User Defined Instrument

Deleting Instruments :

When your score is not empty of instruments, you can delete some of them by pushing the 'Delete' button. The cursor then becomes an eraser and the mouse is enclosed inside the window which shows you the global system. The deletion of an instrument is done by selecting it with the eraser.

Score Organization :

See : Score Organization


Creating a View

While creating a new  View Window  , you must first of all choose to which Score it will be associated, among the Scores resident in memory.
You then simply select the instruments which will appear in that View. The title of your new View will be the list of selected instrument names, separated by a comma. If the title gets too long, some instruments may be omitted, by do not worry, they will nevertheless appear in the window !


New System
New / Change System dialog box

New System ( Add or Insert ) :

Defining a new System requires the selection of the visible parts in that System. What we mean by 'visible parts' follows :
In the conductor's score, only the relevant parts (that is, those which are performing in that precise system) do appear. Part which remain mute do not appear in the system. You are then expected to select the parts which will be relevant in the newly created system.
In View Windows, all associated parts are shown, independently of the 'visibility' you defined for each system. Of course, staves which are not visible in the conductor's score must not contain any musical symbol, so that you should not use them while editing your music. Nevertheless, if you try to insert a musical symbol to staff which is not visible, a corresponding warning is shown and the staff may become visible.

Change System :

Thanks to this option you are able to reselect the visible parts of an existing system. Of course, you cannot make invisible a staff which contains already some musical symbols.


User Defined Part
User-Defined Instrument

You define here your own instrument, by typing its name and abeviation
( which will be used if the name is too long ).
The multiplicity determines the number of staves associated with the instrument ( most have multiplicity 1, keyboards have multiplicity 2, organ may have multiplicity 3, etc. ).
Finally, you choose the staff type, that is, the number of lines in the staff. Most instruments have five-lines staves, but percussions have three-lines, two-lines or even single-line staves. Notice that there are two kinds of two-lines and single- line staves, depending on whether the notes will be placed on the lines or between them.


Organize
Score Organization

Default Sorting :

It sorts the instruments of your Score in a standard order, that of a common orchestra ( woodwinds first, then brass, then strings, then keyboards and unusual instruments ). The order is the same as that appearing in the instruments list box.

User Sorting :

If the default sorting does not suite you, you can sort the instruments in any possible combination. For doing that, you simply select the instruments one by one, from the left list box, in the expected order. They are then automatically transferred to the right list box and appear there in the order you chose.

Brackets :

This option allows you to add brackets to the global system.
Brackets are intended to define groups of instruments, like woowdinds, brass, strings or percussions. To create a bracket, just select the first and last parts of the bracket ; if your selection is legal ( you cannot overlap brackets ) the bracket will be created.


Midi Mapping

The Midi Mapping dialog box enables you to decide which midi channel will perform which part of your Score.
The default is that each part is played by exactly one channel, and the midi program of each channel is set according to the instrument name. ( a midi program is what defines the sound you hear : violins or oboe etc.).
You can, as you wish, change that mapping, and mute some parts, or play a single part on several channels with different midi programs. For doing this, just select the requested channel, either in the 'part' column or in the 'midi program' one. In order to confirm  your selection, click the [image] button.
In order to match some synthesizers' requesites, you should use channel 10 for percussions.

 Default Mapping :  pressing this button sets the midi map to its default form, that is, each part is played by a single channel.


Processes
Musical Process

Muzika 3.0 enables you to perform some sophisticated processing on selected blocks of musical symbols. First select the block, and then choose a process from the menu  Edit|Process.

 Mirror :  Mirror is an inversion relative to a horizontal line, whose position you can select ( it must lie inside the staff ).

 Retrograde :  Retrograde inverts the order of the symbols, so that the first note becomes the last one, and so on.

 Transpose :  Transpose shifts upward or downward all the notes by an equal amount, which is an integer number of half-tones.

Note :  if at least one note cannot be processed ( that is, it may move outside the staff limits when mirrored or transposed ), the whole process is canceled. Process can be performed on multiple-staff blocks.


Key Signature

This dialog box allows you to define very easily key signatures.
You can, as used in Muzika 2.0, choose the number of sharps or flats (but not both of them !) to appear in the key signature, and then press the 'Direct Selection' button : the requested symbol appears in the window at the right.
But Muzika 3.0 offers much more : you can see the name of the selected key signature, and you can also select it using its name. For doing that, just select a mode and a tonal. For example, if you wish to get a C minor signature, just select 'Do' and 'Minor'. At the upper-left of the dialog box, you even have a whole list of musically equivalent key signatures, with which you may learn a lot !