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MAM.TXT
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1990-02-16
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|A╔════════════════╗════════════════════════════════════════════╔════════════════╗
|A║ |6Melody Machine|A ║═══════════════ ^1Make-A-Melody |A══════════════║ |6Melody Machine|A ║
|A╚════════════════╝════════════════════════════════════════════╚════════════════╝
^Cby
^CChuck Fain
^1MAKE-A-MELODY^0 provides all the features you need to compose melodies
to play on your PC. If you're not a composer, don't worry, you can also type
songs in from sheet music. Once your musical masterpiece is complete, you
can play it with MAKE-A-MELODY or save it to disk and use PLAY-A-MELODY.
Make-A-Melody requires a graphics adapter. If you are using a Hercules
or compatible adapter, you should load SIMCGA before running this program.
SIMCGA is available on the Big Blue Disk Video Utilities Disk. For your free
copy, call 1-800-831-2694 and one of our operators will be happy to help you.
^1SOME USEFUL DEFINITIONS
You will encounter certain musical terms using MAKE-A-MELODY. While not a
requirement for using this program, you will probably find an understanding of
the following words to be helpful.
Note: The printed representation or notation of a musical pitch upon
the lines or spaces of the musical staff.
Octave: In loose terms, establishes the pitch at which a note is played.
Pitch: An aural musical sound, a visible representation which can be
placed on the lines or spaces of a musical staff as a note.
Rest: A measured silence or pause in a composition equal in value or
duration to the note value it replaces.
Staff: A group of five horizontal lines and four spaces connected by
a brace upon which musical pitches are written.
Flat,
Sharp,
Natural: Terms used by musical convention to determine whether a note is
to be raised or lowered by a half-tone. A ^1Flat^0ted note is
played a half-tone lower than its corresponding ^1Natural^0.
A ^1Sharp^0ed note is played a half-tone higher than its
corresponding ^1Natural^0.
^1MAIN MENU OPTIONS
Once you press a key to get past the opening title screen, the music
editor is displayed. Positioned approximately in the center of the screen is
the MAIN MENU box. The available options are ADD, CHANGE, DELETE, and QUIT.
Use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys to move the flashing highlight box to the
option you wish to perform. You may also press the first character of the
function (for example "A" for ADD) to position the highlight box. Once the
function you want is highlighted, press <ENTER> to perform that option.
You will notice that a box, located near the bottom of the screen, contains
help information. During your use of the program this information will change
to reflect the current options available for the function you are performing.
If you are not sure what to do next, look to this region of the screen for
help.
^1ADDING NOTES
The ADD NOTES function allows you to add musical information to either
an existing song or a new one you are creating. You will only be prompted
for selecting a note placement position on an existing song. If you are
creating a new song, you will skip this step and be prompted for Note or
Rest information first.
Use the <LEFT> and <RIGHT> arrow keys to position the flashing Selector
Box on the Staff (located in the upper region of the screen). You may move
the Selector Box to any location on the Staff that contains either a Note, a
Rest, or the next available position in the composition. Press <ENTER> to
designate the current Selector Box location as the point to add music. If
that location is occupied, any additional musical information you enter will
be placed in front of that position. You may return to the Main Menu at any
time by pressing <ESC>.
Select either a Note or a Rest by pressing the <UP> or <DOWN> arrow
keys. Use the <LEFT> or <RIGHT> arrow keys to position the Selector Box
and press <ENTER> to register your selection. At this point you have
established the length of time to hold the Note or Rest.
If you have selected a Rest, you will not be prompted for any additional
information associated with this position. Once you press <ENTER>, the
selected Rest will be placed on the Staff and a new position to the right of
the current location will be opened. You may return to the Main Menu at any
time by pressing <ESC>.
Use the <LEFT> or <RIGHT> arrow keys to position the Selector Box on the
Octave. Keep in mind that the Octave establishes the Pitch. The lower the
Octave value, the lower the Pitch. Once you have positioned the Selector Box,
press <ENTER>.
Select either Natural, Sharp, or Flat by pressing the <UP> or <DOWN> arrow
keys. Use the <LEFT> or <RIGHT> arrow keys to position the Selector Box and
press <ENTER> to register your selection. While you are establishing the
Natural, Sharp, or Flat you may also adjust the Note and Octave values. A
complete outline of those editing keys is included in the Help Box located at
the bottom of the screen.
Once you press <ENTER> the selected Note will be placed on the Staff and
a new position to the right of the current location will be opened and you
will be prompted to enter Note information. While in the ADD function, you
can repeat this process of adding information as many times as you like. You
may return to the Main Menu at any time by pressing <ESC>.
^1CHANGING NOTES
Similar to the ADD function, use the <LEFT> and <RIGHT> arrow keys to
position the flashing Selector Box on the Staff. Move the Selector Box to any
location on the Staff that contains either a Note or a Rest and press <ENTER>
to edit the contents. Return to the Main Menu at any time by pressing <ESC>.
Select either Natural, Sharp, or Flat by pressing the <UP> or <DOWN> arrow
keys. Use the <LEFT> or <RIGHT> arrow keys to position the Selector Box and
press <ENTER> to register your selection. While you are changing the Natural,
Sharp, or Flat you can also adjust the Note and Octave values. A complete
outline of those editing keys is included in the Help Box located at the
bottom of the screen.
Once you press <ENTER>, the edited information will be placed on the Staff
and you will be prompted to select another Note or Rest. While in the CHANGE
function, you can repeat this process as many times as you like or press <ESC>
to return to the Main Menu.
^1DELETING NOTES
Just like the CHANGE function, use the <LEFT> and <RIGHT> arrow keys to
position the flashing Selector Box on the Staff. Move the Selector Box to any
location on the Staff that contains either a Note or a Rest and press <ENTER>
to delete the contents. You can repeat this process as many times as you
like or press <ESC> to return to the Main Menu.
^1FUNCTION KEYS
There are numerous additional functions available in Make-A-Melody.
Located on the center righthand side of the screen is a list of these
functions. The following list is a description of each:
<F1> -- Note Help
Displays information describing the various Notes, Rests, Tempos,
and Durations.
<F2> -- Set Duration/Tempo
Use the <LEFT> and <RIGHT> arrow keys to move the Selector Box to
the Duration setting of your choice. Press <ENTER> to register your
selection. Repeat the process for setting Tempo.
<F3> -- Play Song
Plays the entire song currently loaded into memory.
<F4> -- Play: Mark to Note
Plays a song from a note you specify (see <F6>) to the current
position of the Selector Box.
<F5> -- Load Song
Use the <UP>, <DOWN>, <LEFT>, and <RIGHT> arrow keys to move the
highlight box to the name of a file you wish to load. Press <ENTER> to
load the file.
<F6> -- Mark Position
Marks the current position of the Selector Box as the position to
start playing from when Play: Mark to Note. The "Marked" Note will
have a set of parenthesis around the Octave value.
<F7> -- Save Song
Use the <UP>, <DOWN>, <LEFT>, and <RIGHT> arrow keys to move the
highlight box to the name of the file you wish to save. If you wish
to store the song with a new name, move the cursor to file name box and
enter the new name (exclude the extension). Remember, a DOS file name
is limited to eight characters.
<F8> -- Play Last 10 Notes
Plays the ten notes prior to the current Selector Box position. This
function is extremely useful while composing and editing a song.
<F9> -- Erase Song
Allows you to erase the current song from memory. NOTE: This function
only erases the song from memory not disk.
^C^1MAKE-A-MELODY requires a Graphics Adapter.^0
To run this program outside ^1Big Blue Disk^0, type: ^1MAM^0.
DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
^FMAM.EXE
^FREST.SPT
^FNOTES.SPT