This program helps to improve musical abilities. It's aimed at training the user's ability to seize music using musical ear and perform it at once. This gives practical experience no textbook can give, and that can only be obtained by performing music.
This variant is convenient for most users. The program will appear in the list of the installed programs as installation occurs automatically in habitual mode for users.
It is a variant for those users who prefers to create independently shortcuts for program start, or who prefers that the program do not appear in the list of the installed programs. The main file of program, MusicalExaminer.exe, can work even without standard installation, therefore for program removal is simple enough remove a folder with it and other files if they do not become necessary.
Here is what «Musical Examiner» it offers:
Examine your ear for music. Result logs will show your progress and how precise you orientate on keyboard looking the right pitch of sound.
«Music Examiner» examines (and trains) your musical memory. «Music Examiner» has exercises for memorizing not only one tone, but melodic sequences from one to eight notes. All exercises are generated by the program, therefore no duplications of note sequences on every start are possible.
Choice of tasks of two-note sequence on chromatic scale is very useful relative musical ear training exercise.
Suggested mode choice introduces main natural modes. Being based on the «mode sense», practicing in these modes develops ear for music, which is the main solfeggio direction.
In mode tasks the knowledge of scale notes is supposed. Turning the extramode sounds off the selected mode helps to cope with the «Mode and Key» chapter and gives hints during task fulfillment.
Listening skill and ability to recognize the sounded note in specific mode are developed. This ability depends on how good the ear for music is developed and also on music memory that should keep «to yourself» stable mode sounds.
Tasks with two-note sequences in mode develops both mode-sense (transforming instable sounds into stable) and inner ear as well as ability to recognize intervals in mode. Knowledge and ability to hear melodic sound of all basic triad and seventh types chords are given at task selection.
«Music examiner» is provided for the possibility of a real solfeggio test as, during the studying process, the log file is created and it contains information on how often the user had used the program, and how much time it had taken
Exercises results are kept in special log of marks for all kinds of tasks. According to this log a music teacher can evaluate pupil's progress.
Work time is automatically accounted in TimeLog.txt in installation folder (short cut in Start menu for easy access). TimeLog.txt is automatically created after entering the registration code on shutting down the program. The file can be edited or deleted (it recreates and updates automatically). TimeLog.txt allows parents or music teacher to control time pupil works with the program.
«Music examiner» is equipped with 16 channel MIDI sequencer which can be used as an editor for making-up musical phrases (including polyphonic) in studies. Music teachers can participate in making up drills for the program. To do so, contact the developer. «Music examiner» uses MIDI sequencer available in any soundcard.
Additional options include metronome with visual indication and continuous tune oscillator for tuning musical instruments.
Help arranged as built-in step-by-step instructions.
HOW TO INSTALL
Uninstall previous version of this program! To install «Music examiner» unpack the archive in special folder.
Launch Setup.exe file, choose destination folder and other settings, press OK and the program will install.
To start «Music Examiner» use blue «Music Examiner» shortcut on the desktop or go to the Start -> Music Examiner -> Music Examiner.
To uninstall «Music examiner» go to Control panel -> Install and uninstall programs or go to the Start -> Music examiner -> Uninstall Music examiner
Before uninstall it's recommended to create backups of all important files from «Music Examiner» program folder as uninstall will delete all program components because most users prefer complete uninstall.
ATTENTION! MIDI-KEYBOARD CAN NOT BE USED WITHOUT OPERATIVE MIDI IN (DISABLED BY DEFAULT ON MOST OF MOTHERBOARDS). If starting the program you have a message saying that it's impossible to use MIDI keyboard the most obvious reason is motherboard MIDI IN disabled (by default)
In order to use a MIDI keyboard on board MIDI IN must be configured (as recommended for ASUS motherboards). You have to restart your computer, press Del to enter Bios Setup Utility. Go to Advanced-> I/O Device Configuration -> On Board Midi I/O. Turn Disabled into Enabled then Save and Exit Bios. After this «Music examiner» will work with midi-keyboards well. If necessary activate MPU-401 compatible MIDI-device in Control panel.
ATTENTION! IN ORDER TO HEAR SOUNDS IN MUSIC EXAMINER> MAKE SURE THAT MIDI VOLUME CONTROL IN SYSTEM MIXER IS NOT IN THE LOWEST POSITON. All sounds (except the tune oscillator) are generated by the MIDI synthesizer of the sound card. Tune oscillator generates sound in another way and it's regulated by the wav (mp3, wma) volume control in system mixer. Not to hurt organs of hearing before pressing the virtual MIDI keyboard turn the sound volume regulator in system mixer in the lowest position and then pressing a key steadily turn the volume up until you find a desirable position. Regulator in the upper right corner of the program window affects all sixteen midi channels (not the tune oscillator).
ATTENTION! AUTHOR WARNS THAT FILE FORMAT (*.mex) HE INVENTED WILL BE ALTERED. THIS IS CONDITIONAL ON THE AUTHOR'S EXPERIMENT IN MUSICAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. As an alternative the author recommends to use any popular program for professional music recording. Necessity to provide compatibility is rather effortful and slows further development of «Music Examiner» down. Thus, *.mex files for versions 2007.11.23 and 2007.11.25 are not correctly read in current version (instead of music, meaningless sequence plays or the program shuts by error). This problem will be solved once and for all as soon as the author is able to provide a possibility to save recorded music as Standard MIDI file. Possibly *.mex files will be used as scripts made up to save exercises scripts (besides recorded musical fragments all scripts will contain step-by-step instructions and probably Help for created exercises). The author is planning to make it possible for music teachers to create cycles of exercises for «Music Examiner» so that any groundwork could be published and/or selled.
Musical fragment files can be edited. To do so open a file *.mex in Notepad and change necessary parameter. For example any 3-valued line is notes. First figure corresponds to the number of midi channel (numeration starts from Zero, this means that 10th MIDI channel for drums is numbered 9, and first MIDI channel is numbered 0). Second figure corresponds to the start time of note (a note sounds until next note start. Of course these are not professional midi files but rather the author's experiment in programming, so if you don't like the abilities of the sequencer just do not use it). Time of a note start is evaluated in ticks from the beginning of a musical fragment. Every tick equals 1/12 part of a quarter note. That is a quarter's duration equals 12 ticks (in professional sequencers a quarter note equals from 96 to 480 ticks). Third figure corresponds to the number of a note on the basis of the lowest C. On 37 keyed virtual MIDI keyboard corresponds to 0, and the highest C corresponds to 36. If a number goes out the 0 to 36 limit the program will close itself.
It is possible to USE FREE this program as much as long.
Restrictions of free use:
Program will require input registration key and a name of the user each time it starts.
As exiting the program there will be a reminder that the bought program has some advantages.
Program is capable to work free of charge only 10 minutes. Then it can be restarted and used again for 10 minutes.
Free use of the program does not allow to take pleasure in possibility automatically to write down all your actions and results in log files, but it is possible to do it manually (for example, using pencil and paper).
Sequencer is accessible even to not registered users, but to save the created musical fragment files is only for registered version.
