ABC Pitch Composer

Use the Full-screen button ,
and look for the blue show-me how movie icons ,
for instruction videos if you get stuck.

NB: This is a fairly full-featured version of the composer- to demonstrate the range of activities it can do.

There are 2-bar and 3/4 versions of the composer, which are really fun to use, but children start more simply,
with a simple set of shape rhythms (just Square, Circle and Shh) and they start composing and performing
melodies built from just 2 pitches.

Below are some videos on how to use the new Practice options:

How To Practice- Advice in Words and Pictures.

_{Load up the composition if needed.}

Use the load link on the front page.

load

Click next step until you see _.

_{Start Slowly- Use Slow Drum grooves}_:

Start slowly- when you can play the section you are practising
3 times in a row with no mistakes- go a little faster.

Some people prefer to start playing in their own time,
and only play with drum grooves after they
have got the hang of the melody a little.

_{Embrace mistakes!}

Mistakes tell you where to focus your attention?

Work out where you are making most mistakes?

_{Loop the difficult sections.}

Press AB more and loop the most difficult section.
So if it was the second half of Idea B, choose B34 for idea B beats 3 and 4.

loop

_{Adjust the sound and volume...}

you playback

playback vol

There are 4 practice routines to follow-
they start easy, and get a little harder each time.

Start with
1) Any Single Key

^{Choose AB pattern- 4xA 4xB.}^{Play the rhythm of your melody on any key except the spacebar.}

You’ll hear the sequence of pitches of the idea currently playing back,
either Idea A or Idea B.

Play the correct rhythm at the correct time, and you will hear your melody.

Then try...
2) Play The Beats

^{Start with 4A4B. Then try AABA.}^{Now keys 1-4 on your computer each play
a different beat of your melody.}

keys1-4

Play the rhythm for beat 1 on key1 to hear beat 1’s pitches in sequence.

Play the rhythm for beat 2 on key2 to hear beat 2’s pitches in sequence.

And so on...

If you correctly play the rhythm for each beat on the correct key,
you will hear the melody.

Then try...
3) On-Screen Instruments

^{Start with 4A4B. Then try AABA.}

Now, the keys 1-4 on your computer keyboard

are like a mini piano keyboard.

keys1-4

Each key plays a different pitch or note.

So pressing key1 plays bar or pitch 1.
And pressing key2 plays bar or pitch 2,

and so on.

You have to play the correct order of pitches, on the correct keys, in the correct rhythm.

Then go to the next page for
4) The new virtual Chime Bar
App: ABC Instruments

Good Luck and Happy Composing!!

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