Richard's tips and tricks

[Richard]

Hi all -

Thought I'd post some quick tips and tricks that help me to make Hyperscore music. I'll follow up from time to time and post new stuff. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

There are a couple of things I always try to do which help me to make music in Hyperscore. The first and most important thing is to start with a sense of what you're trying to do! Don't just draw lines randomly and hope it sounds good. Come to the blank Hyperscore slate with a song in your head, and then try to replicate that song. As you work with Hyperscore to get the core of your song down, you'll get new ideas for embellishments and changes. But if you don't have a basic concept in your mind, you'll be inclined to scribble, which typically leads to music that might sound ok but doesn't have a lot of structure.

The single biggest tip I can think of is this: listen to every single change you make. You just added a note to a melody window? Listen to it! Does it sound right? Does it have the right duration?

You just drew a line in the sketch window? Listen to it! Does it start where it's supposed to? Does it end at the end of the melody or does it end somewhere in the middle? Does it repeat the number of times you want?

The most important places to listen to closely are the interfaces between changes in the song. Does the transition from the verse to the chorus flow smoothly? Make sure to get this to sound just the way you want it (by listening and revising a few hundred times, of course)!

Getting used to the spacebar as the way to start and stop music is imperative. Always listen to every change you make, and remember that you can undo (ctrl-z) anything you did. So don't be afraid to try to something!

Little nudgings of lines in the sketch window are very important. You may want for a bassline and a drum track to start at the exact same time, but the sketch window is extremely sensitive. If they are off a beat, click on the arrow tool, select one of the lines, and use the arrow keys to nudge the line you want in the right direction. And don't forget - UNDO!! Always remember undo. Undo is my favorite Hyperscore operation.

Another key point is the curvy vs. straight line phenomenon. It's very tempting to draw curvy lines. But keep in mind that this has a drastic effect on the melody you are drawing. Most of my music uses straight lines, so the melody that comes out sounds exactly like the melody I made in the Melody Window. You can draw straight lines by holding down the SHIFT key.

Finally, use the Music Library. There are lots of starting points in there so you can skip over melody creation and get right to line drawing.

Good luck making Hyperscore music!

Post other questions up here if you have any, and I or someone else will try to answer them.

Cheers,
Richard

[jamie]

how do u make music

[Guest]

[Devils Dog]

ur smart, so i gotta question, where do i get the full licenced version of hyperscore, where i can make the loner melody,percussion and sketch windows 'n' stuff? i looked on hamonyline and hyperscore.com, whcih is both the same site and i found notin except the school thingy ma bob....... also i would like a stupid mug that has the word "Bill" on it if u can get one.

[Hyperscore Dude]

Explain VP's actions:

1. How do you move a note above the melody motive?
Song Applied to: H-Lounge Menagerie, Farewell

2. How do you uncheck the words "From Motive"?
Song Applied to: H-Lounge Menagerie, Swarm

I really want to know!!!!

[yaywahoo]

How do you print sheet music off of Hyperscore if I want to play it on an instrument? Thank you.