Tempo Changes:
If you're like me, you want to squeeze every little thing you can out of your songs. However, there's no way to have very fast notes *and* very long ones, except by using /parts at different tempos, which are impossible to test in CLTH without messing around with Band Helper.
Or at least, that's the way it was.
Syntax:
The symbol used to cause your song to move at a different tempo is @ followed by the new tempo, i.e. @120 to switch to tempo 120, @73 to switch to tempo 73. You can use @ not followed by a number to set the tempo to the default,120.
You cannot switch tempos whenever you want to, though. You cannot switch tempos when a chord is playing, i.e. @120[ce]4ge@180[df]4a/c will play fine, but @120[ce]6ge@180[df]4ac will not. This is fairly easy to get around, but it can be slightly annoying, at times.
Hints and Tips:
- If you're using /part, it doesn't matter where you divide up your song. Once upon a time the tempo and volume would be reset for each /part, but that is no longer the case.
- Tempo changes are really handy for songs where you want to slow a section down, have a part that gradually slows down, or for switching to a different rhythm. Since @120ce takes the same time to play as @180cde, you can use @ to do triplets and things like that.
- They're also really good for songs where you want to use both long chords and fast notes. If you switch to a tempo half as fast, all notes last twice as long. @60[ceg]8 lasts twice as long as @120[ceg]8, @90[dfa]3 lasts as long as @180[dfa]6, and so on. Since you can't change tempos when chords are playing, this is only useful when the fast notes and long chords aren't mixed. For an example of this in action, take a look at the gitor part in my new trio of Electric Clay.
- Trying to set the tempo to less than 60 or more than 180 won't work. Duh.
Dynamics.
All I can say is, Woohoooooooooo!!!!!!!! :)
Syntax:
The symbol used to change the volume a certain series note is played at is %, followed by a number. It's easiest to think of it as indicating the percentage of full volume you want the notes played at, with the number being multiplied by 10 to reach the desired percentage. % not followed by a number sets volume to the default, full volume. Using i.e. %5ce is half as loud as %ce, %4/c=agd1e1c is 2/3ths as loud as %6/c=agd1e1c.
Alternately, you can use { and }. { followed by a number decreases the volume number by that much. } followed by a number increases the volume number by that much. If they are not followed by a number, CL treats it as though they're followed by 1. i.e. %ceg{5ceg is the same as %ceg%5ceg. If you try to use } and you're already at full volume, nothing will happen.
Chord volume and melody volume are independant of each other. %# inside a chord (square brackets) will change chord volume, outside will set melody volume. i.e. [%7]%9 will set chord volume to 70% of full, and melody volume to 90% of full.
Hints and Tips:
- The possiblities are endless! Try out anything you can think of. :)
- { and } are really handy for loops, especially fade-ins or fade-outs. Other than that, I generally just use %. Of course, I'm wierd.
- To get a little bit louder than the 'maximum', for example %c, you can still do [%c]%c. A chord can only be played at one volume, but you can use chord stacking to get one chord at different volume. i.e. [%c][%8eg] will play a loud C and a slightly softer e and g. Take a look at the harp part of my new Electric Clay trio to see this in action.
- Volumes less than about %4 are really hard to hear.
- Volume settings will carry over /part breaks, so don't worry about resetting the tempo and volume for each /part.
- Volume changes is really handy if one instrument is drowning out another in a duet or trio, since you can set instruments' levels independantly. If one is too loud, start its part with something like [%8]%8.
- You may want to start your Bagpipe song with [%6]%6. ;)