“Vistamusic” – Enabling through Sound and Music

Introduction

The aim of the program is to make it very simple to use and quick to learn but nevertheless be able to create a fine expressive performance of a piece of piano music, irrespective of ability to play the piano or the keyboard. On other words, to “create a level playing field” in this way, irrespective of ability to play an instrument.

It can also be used to make compositions or arrangements with other instruments, but not with a fine expressive performance. The reason for this is there are no facilities to alter a note once it has started to play so that, for example, you could not crescendo through a note that is playing or alter the vibrato.  This is the price to be paid for the simplicity and quickness to learn.

Vistamusic was designed initially for physically disabled people, but its these features would benefit all users.

I never had the funding or the marketing expertise to make it widely available.

Design Features

The USPs are:

• Great simplicity of operation
• Very quick to learn.
• Creating level playing fields so that whatever your physical abilities and, irrespective of ability to play the piano / keyboard, you can create your own expressive performance of a piece of piano music to a high standard
• Making it possible to do everything without moving from your chair

We need to remember for wheel chair users, a wheel chair is not a ball chair i.e. it cannot move sideways. So, to be able to reach all keys we have to have a short “piano” keyboard usually just three octaves with a feature for putting a keyboard up or down by octaves.

Secondly, we don’t want the person to have to get up to go over to a separate computer keyboard for functions like [delete Note], [extend the note], [play back in context]. So, to make this possible we have to have a small separate auxiliary keyboard with about 13 keys which will be interfaced to the computer via a user port. The auxiliary keyboard with the control keys are mounted in a row above the “piano” keyboard as shown in the photograph.

While essential for physically disabled, these arrangements are of benefit for everyone by not having to jump up and down, to go over to a computer and press a key on the keyboard.

An alternative to the hardware auxiliary keyboard is to have a secondary MIDI keyboard mounted above the main keyboard in the same position as the control keys as described above. This keyboard doesn’t even have to make a sound. It is ussually connected on a separate MIDI channel.

Setting the length of notes

Another essential feature, which will be a benefit for everyone is setting the length of notes. It would be too difficult for most to hold a piano key down for a set number of clicks. So, we offer two features:

• Setting the “duration unit”
• Having a key [extends the note] which extends it by the duration unit every time it gets pressed.

This feature has been much admired by other musicians and software developers.

The duration unit can be any number 1-12 but it is commonly 1,2 or 3.

For those familiar with staff rotation, it is easier to explain as follows. Supposing a piece starts with running quavers the duration unit would be set to =1 and each press of a “piano” key would put in a note without a duration of a quaver, if then there were some dotted crochets’ it would be easier to set the duration unit to =3 and every press of a “piano” key would put a note of length = 3 quavers (i.e. dotted crochet), but when there was only a few dotted crochets. The duration could be left at =1. You would then press [continue the note] key twice.

Pressing; [delete] deletes backward by a duration unit.

The three modes in the Vistamusic programme:

To make operations as simple and as clear as possible, we have minimised the number of control keys required. There are three modes of use and the border round the screen is coloured to clearly show the current mode.

Mode	Colour
Edit notes	Red
Edit expression	Green
Enter numbers	Blue

The Legend on the control key which you read is the same colour as the mode.

Edit Notes

Editing the notes the border round the screen is red as is the legend on the control key.

Entering Numbers

Entering numbers the border round the screen is blue as is the legend on the control keys. Numbers 1-12 (the most commonly required) can be entered as a single key press in line with minimal amount of key presses. To avoid accidents in the blue and green mode the “piano” keyboard is deactivated.

Partly because the controls do different things, according to the context in three modes red, green and blue, we manage very well with just 13 control keys.

It is entirely possible to learn to use Vistamusic in an afternoon compared with many weeks for some other computer systems.

Details of the modes in Vistamusic

Applying to all the modes, if you had to adjust all the notes individually, it would drive you mad with boredom. However, you can operate all groups of notes in two ways.

a) By marking a section

b) By acting on a duration unit which saves you marking a short section.  

Edit notes mode

The border round the screen is red and the legends on the control keys are in red applies.

Example:

• Transpose of a section of a piece of music is commonly required.
• In music a section is often repeated its saves a lot of time to mark the section and then copy it, even if not identical its often quicker to copy it and then edit it.
• Sometimes a section is repeated but at a different ovtavrand. For this reason, there is an option to transpose the copied section.

Edit expression mode

The border round the screen is red and the legend on the control keys in red will apply.

The piano keyboard is inactive to avoid accidental clicking of the notes.

On a marked section you can raise or lower the velocity, tempo, and detachment of every note in the section.

Or make gradual changes by answering a start and end value for the section. Intermediary revalues are worked in a oIoing this on a logarithmic basis which shows the human sensory system operates this makes it sound natural.

Advanced facility – “Logical operations”

Examples

• Stress the first beat in each bar.
• Stealing time from the second beat and giving it to another beat
• Making the third beat light.

If you did it for the whole piece it would be unnatural and boring and so you would do it to a section and differently than other sections.  You might aim to achieve the feel of a Viennese Waltz although ommusivians say you can oydoyhis unlesticcitdothiulles you were born within 5 miles of Vienna.

Enter Numbers Mode

The border round the screen is blue and the legend on the control keys in blue now applies.

The piano keyboard is inactive to avoid accidentally changing one of the notes.

In line with our aim for the minimum number of key presses 1-‘12’ can be entered with a single press.

Why 12? Because there are 12 semitones in an octave. 

Nature of Vistamusic

Vistamusic is a computer-based music system that is truly inclusive of different needs.

I think it is better to have a computer program for music that meets all needs. Reasons; some physically disabled people don’t like using a program labelled ‘music for disabled’.

This was brought home to me forcibly when I saw a disabled person struggling to press a key on a computer keyboard with his nose using grossly unsuitable software in an effort to be ‘standard’.

Ways in which Vistamusic can be used

comments in square brackets refer to technical success.

Many people who are very hard of hearing or partially deaf who do not like drawing attention to it, but as far as possible living in a ‘hearing world’ which entirely different from profoundly deaf people. So, I just called the program Vistamusic, (VISual and TActile music) which contains optional features to suit many disabilities.

{press here} to hear an example tune where a person who cannot use either hand has created a fine creative performance of ’Tramourei’ T

Hard of hearing [very successful]

{press here} to hear an arrangement of Bach’s Italian concerto bringing out the essence of the music anclrifin the musical parts by playing contrasting instruments.

On the computer filter enhanced ithiyr theidalpthaifof th colour graphic visual display).

Hear how our arrangement can bring out the essence of the music partially deaf only moderately successful with a few people.

The addition add-on vibroacoustic use otafbibrotactle systems is but only successful but only for a small number of people it depends on facts like their memory of music cannot demonstrate this without additional equipment yfloing

Partially Sighted very successful*

I believe this benefits all users e.g. when working with physically disabled people I saw what an effort it is to press a key and therefore I try to get the most musical operations for the least physical movements, and this benefits everyone. Similarly, people would not like to get up from a “piano keyboard” and walk over to a computer keyboard to do a control function.

Yet non-disabled people would not like to use a program which is labelled “music for disabled”, hence Vistamusic is designed to be truly inclusive.

Fully deafened [not successful –to our great disappointment. Howerer a few people got enjoyment from experience multiple drum music which we could do well on our vibracoustic chair]

Partially sighted [ very successful] our intuitive colour graphics visual display is much easier tool than traditional staff notation individual notes read much easier to see with the larger

Coloured shapes (different colour for each note of the scale in a musically meaningful system).