Using the MIDI Keyboard

The MIDI keyboard/piano is a very helpful tool to find the keys of songs. It can also serve as a general purpose MIDI controller for those who don't have one. You can use it to play internal and external synthesizers, controlled by the computer keyboard and mouse.

Here's a brief overview of the features:

• Instrument: You can choose from the general MIDI instrument list in the bottom left. If you are controlling an external synthesizer this sends a program change event. You can use the left and right arrow keys to change the instrument.
• Volume: The slider bar on the right side controls the volume (standard MIDI range 0-127). You can use the up and down arrow keys to control the volume.
• Pitch: The slider bar on the left side controls the fine tuning of the pitch, in cents. Moving the slider all the way up shifts the keyboard up one note, and vice versa. You can use the home and end keys to alter the pitch.
• Shift: Controls the overall pitch range of the keyboard, in octaves. The higher the shift value, the more the keyboard is pitched up from the lowest possible MIDI note.
• Octaves: This determines the number of octaves to draw on the keyboard. The higher the number, the more keys will be seen. This is useful when resizing the keyboard.
• Chord Type: This determines what will be played when using the mouse or keyboard. The default is to play a single note, however, you can select from a range of chord types.
• Ear Training: This enables training features to develop your ear for perfect/absolute pitch. See Ear Training for more details.

The easiest way to control the MIDI keyboard is to use your computer's keyboard. The top 2 rows (the one containing the numbers and below it) control a range of 2 octaves, starting at C. The top row covers the black notes, so it is slightly spread out. The row below it controls the white notes. The 2 rows below them (starting with the caps lock and shift keys) play chords, the default being major and minor. These rows of chords both start at C and are useful in determining keys of songs. Also, the page up and page down keys will shift the octave range that the computer keyboard controls.

You can configure the keyboard in the options menu under the “audio” tab. Here you can select the MIDI output device, as well as the chord types for the bottom 2 rows, referred to as row 1 and 2.