Hello all,

As some of you know, I picked up an electric guitar this past Christmas and have really enjoyed playing along with all the songs that come with the WK8 because the chords are also included with the lyrics. Just this past Friday night, my neighbor came over with his Fender Strat, keyboard, guitars, and mics all into the Mackie mixer, than out to a small headphone amp. We're in nice comfy chairs, 13-inch monitor in front of us connected to the WK8. We played for hours.

But here's the big, "I wish". I wish the chords (and notes too, for that matter) could be variables inside the midi file when it comes to the notation. Variables in relation to the transpose key. If the song is done in F and I transpose down one step, I wish the chords (and notes) would follow one step down in the notation.

Why? Cause I can't sing that high! I lost count of how many times I reached for the down transpose button cause the keys the songs were written in are too high (for me). When I did transpose down, I then fumbled with chord calculation on the guitar.

Yeah, I know....I KNOW! Practice, practice, practice. Learn the chords, learn how to mentally transpose, get better, don't look for shortcuts. Right! Here's one thing I know that won't happen no matter how much I practice...This baritone ain't gonna be able to sing soprano. I need the transpose buttons.

I like technology. I would like to think that technology can help me with this. The "master key" of the song is determined right up front before the midi file begins to play (Edit song, Master Track, the very first event is KEY). All chords and notes programmed in the midi file are in a relationship with that data and the position of the Transpose keys.

And I realize that this would be a "switch-able" ability. There would be times when you wouldn't want this to happen. You're playing along with a sax player, the song is written for the key of C, sax player needs you to be down two steps but you need to see the chords and notes as they were written (in C).

Sound possible?

-mike

Hello Mike,

Ask and ye shall receive!

• Load a song into RAM and select it as the current song.
• Press the EDIT button located toward the right side of the panel.
• Use the Cursor buttons to highlight Edit Sequence and press Enter.
• Use the Cursor buttons to highlight Transpose and press Enter.
• Use the Cursor buttons and Data dial to select the desired transpose amount in half-steps (+or-).
• Highlight the In and Out points using the Cursor buttons and the Data dial to set the beginning and ending of the desired transpose section.
  NOTE: This is cool because you may decide that it would be fun to take it up a step during the last chorus so you can transpose by measure in this mode.
• Press Soft Button F7 and Enter to transpose the Chord Symbols in the Score.
• Press Soft Button F8 and Enter to transpose the notes on the staff.

I hope this helps,

Dave


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Wm. David McMahan
Nat'l Product and Support Manager
Generalmusic USA
GEM Community Forums

"Don't you think I would have something better to do at 11pm on a Sunday night?

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 03-13-2005).]

Hey Dave,

Wow, this is great news (for me).

I'll try it tonight when I get home from work and let ya know.

Thanks!!!!!!!

-mike

Isn't it great that there are still new things to discover on an instrument that you have had for a while?

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

PS. Also be sure to register at the GEM Community Forums.


Best Regards,

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
Nat'l Product and Support Manager
Generalmusic USA
GEM Community Forums

Hey Dave,

Well, I'll be damn...I mean darn...I mean, I got it to work! It took a little bit of playing around but I got it. Got some weird results once in a while but hey, I got it and I'm sure I'll get better doing it as I practice.

So, I suppose the next hurdle for me is converting all my standard midi files to GEM Blocks so I can add the chords and then get this wonderful transpose-the-notation feature.

They wouldn't happen to have software for a PC (XP or W2K) that could help me with this, would they?

Thanks again Dave!

-mike

Well, that would be nice, but I'm afraid you will have to do this work on the WK8.

Now if you had the Genesys......
There is a computer keyboard port that allows the connection of a standard ASCI keyboard so typing in lyrics and/or chords is much more entertaining than using the silk-screening below the instrument's keyboard.

Did I mention that the Genesys is backwardly compatible with the WK8?

But seriously, I am glad you got the transpose thing to work.

Best Regards,

Dave


------------------
Wm. David McMahan
Nat'l Product and Support Manager
Generalmusic USA
GEM Community Forums

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 03-14-2005).]

Ya know, that's a great idea. I mean, I don't have problem doing the work at the keyboard except for entering the letters using the keys, the space key is on one side, the comma key is all the way on the other, back & forth, back & forth, gives ya a headache just thinking about it. But I've done it, many times. A computer keyboard would be a very welcome accessory.

Hmmm........

-mike

Hi Mike just happend I looked at this thread and since I am an old user of General music Instruments I thought I let you know that you can do all the work on your computer by using CAKE WALK you can insert the CHORDS + THE LYRICS with Cake walk and then copy to floppy and to your WK keyboard.

To insert CHORDS you use INSERT MARKER in cake walk and to add Lyrics you use the Melody line.

Well I guess you got everything you asked for now.

Enjoy
Tony

Hey Ziggy,

Thanks for the tips.

I have done those very things with General Midi files, but I have yet to convert a GM file to a GEM block (can you believe it?).

So if I was to take a GM file with all the extras added via Cakewalk, load them into RAM of the keyboard, and save them as a Block, all the goodies would be there, right? When I think of all the GM midi files that I've loaded into my board (1500+) and I've never tried to save them as Blocks...I shake my head.



Thanks again for the tips.

-mike

Mike you don't know what you've been missing!!!! When you convert them to Gem Songs you can tell the difference right away, cause the keyboard enhence the file and if you are confident with Reverbs it will sound 80% better the least.

The settings I told you about will still be there when you convert them to Gem Songs ok.

Good luck.

Tony.