Adding a slur and creating a blank 'loop'

Question

Adding a slur and creating a blank 'loop'

Hello,

I'm using garageband with a number of string instruments (violin, viola & cello) plus midi keyboard, IO dock and Berringer USB mic.

I want to input some music and use this as a "practice track" so I can practice the violin whilst the cello isn't there. I've worked out how to input the music onto the score and can play it via a software instrument or via midi but I cannot work out how to add slurred sections or ties. I've created ties by accident and deleted them to recreate them as untied but I still cannot work out how to actually do it on purpose. I am using GB to change the key that the music was created in too and it does pretty much everything I need without resorting to Sibileous or Logic Pro so sorting this final thing will be a great help......

Oh and one other little thing.... In order to create a place to stick my notes I have to create a blank "loop". I cannot work out how to do this so end up having to hit record then press a couple of notes to create a loop then delete the notes. How do I just create a loop that is blank?

Thanks

GarageBand (Mac) '11, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Dec 28, 2012 4:38 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

léonie

Level 10

194,685 points

Dec 28, 2012 4:44 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

Oh and one other little thing.... In order to create a place to stick my notes I have to create a blank "loop".

That part is easy: Just command-click into the track, where you want the new region to appear - I learned that from Christoph Drösser. 🙂

Creating slurs depends on the instrument you are using - at least with the Jam Pack instruments I am using - each has different modulation settings. Which instruments exactly are you using?

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Answer 2

Dec 28, 2012 4:49 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

but I cannot work out how to add slurred sections or ties.

Do you write the notes in the notation view? You can edit them much more precisely in the piano roll view where you can give each note a precise length and create e.g. staccatos and legatos which the notation editor doesn't allow you to do.

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Answer 3

Dec 28, 2012 4:50 AM in response to léonie

I am basically using Garageband, in this instance, to create sheet music for the violin, viola and cello so although it would technically play through garageband it is not actually a requirement. It is useful for transposing and for making clean tidy versions of old works etc.

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Answer 4

Dec 28, 2012 4:56 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

Yes, I almost exclusively use the score. I do have a keyboard attached but I'm not a pianist. It is used for the occasional bit of backing and tuning :-)

It is all about how it LOOKS in the printed form. I am trying to avoid having to spend silly money on buying Sibelius or something like that!

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Answer 5

léonie

Level 10

194,685 points

Dec 28, 2012 4:57 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

I am basically using Garageband, in this instance, to create sheet music for the violin, viola and cello so although it would technically play through garageband it is not actually a requirement.

O.k., so the different articulations using the automation curves will be useless for your purpose, since you cannot see them in the printed scroe.

Then Christoph's suggestion to use the piano roll will be your best bet.

Have you considered to invest into notation software, to be able to create more professional musical scores?

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Answer 6

Dec 28, 2012 5:02 AM in response to léonie

Ignore the bass cleff, This is basically what I am trying to re-produce. Garageband does it all perfectly well except for the slurs as shown above. I have accidentally created ties (which look the same but tie two notes of the same pitch together often across bars) but cannot work out how I did that OR how to do the same with notes as above. Bowed instruments rely on slurred notes a great deal so it ruins what would be a prefectly good piece of software. Sibelius 7 is hidiously expensive when all I need to do is fix slurs and ties.

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Answer 7

léonie

Level 10

194,685 points

Dec 28, 2012 5:26 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

I do not have the time to recreate your example exactly, but building on Christoph's suggestion I managed to create ties using to things:

Adjust the length of the notes in the piano roll view by dragging the ends of the notes, so that they overlap slightly.
Set the "quantize note timing" to 1/8 Swing light - this will create slurs for overlapping notes.

But I found the results to be unpredictable - it will need a lot of work to get a decent print out.

Have you tried Notepad? http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/default.aspx

As far as i can see the 30 days Trial is free.

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Answer 8

Dec 28, 2012 9:20 AM in response to léonie

Many thanks for putting the time in to try and help. That would be a way to get ties to work but slurs are even more important and it looks like I'm not going to be able to do it with them.

I don't even know if it is possible with Logic Pro as they no longer do a 30 day trial.

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Answer 9

Dec 29, 2012 3:53 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

Short answer: GB doesn't do these slurs, and there's no way to get it to do them. For proper notation, you would have to turn to notation software or upgrade to Logic!

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Answer 10

Dec 29, 2012 8:26 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

Many thanks all round. I am trying sibelius 7 at the moment but think that I am most likely going to get Logic Pro... With all the hints about Logic Pro X I might wait a few months as I am not in any major hurry.

Cheers...

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Answer 11

Dec 29, 2012 8:51 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

I think that's a good choice - I do a lot of rough arranging in GB (because it's so easy to use and second nature to me) and then open the file in Logic to flesh out the score. Not sure if I'm adding enough slurs though ... :-)

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Answer 12

Dec 29, 2012 9:11 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

Are GB and LP files interchangeable? If so what happens if you bring a file back into GB after adding a slur in LP?

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Answer 13

Dec 30, 2012 4:02 AM in response to cowasaki_darren

No, they are only compatible one way: Logic will open a GB project, but it will then turn it into a Logic file. This file, including all the notation, will not be readable by GB.

(And for the GB to Logic compatibility, you have to have the right Logic version, e.g. Logic 8 can't open the current GB projects.)

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