Help: Midi files

Subject: Midi files
From: jup
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 07:52 PM

I'm not very good with a computer so I hope you can help. What do I need to play midi files so that I can play guitar along with them? As I don't read music I think this would help me to learn new material. I am sure my computer has what it takes. I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE. THANKS,JUP.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 08:20 PM

..so..do you have a midi file on your computer? If it is in a directory, and you can open that directory..(like in Explorer, the default file manager)..just double click on it and see if there is a midi player set already. (there *are* volume and mute controls, so be sure it can be heard)..

you can also go to the Database and try some we have there..

see if this works Calton Weaver

(you reall need to be VERY specific about what you HAVE tried and where midis are that you have tried....if you have)

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: jup
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 08:27 PM

Bill D, Yes that works ok. I'm learning as I go here. Jup.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 08:42 PM

ok!..great...so you have a player. Do you have other midi files on your machine? What wouldn't work before?

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: jup
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 09:06 PM

Bill D, I've just tried some more and they play ok. Maybe something was just screwed up. I'll mess about a bit and see how I go. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP,JUP.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 09:10 PM

great! have fun!

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 07:45 AM

Jup, here are two places where you will find links to more tunes to play along with:

CLICK HERE. These are recordings, not MIDIs.

and

CLICK HERE. These links will take you to lyrics, MIDIs, and recordings, if you look around.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 02:14 PM

If you are playing along with MIDI tunes to learn them, you might be interested in the utility recently published by PC Magazine, called MidiColors.

It uses your default midi player, and its main purpose is to show each track of a midi on a separate "keyboard" as a tune plays.

While this can be quite handy if you're trying to "break down" a midi file to separate the parts, the best feature is a little scroll box where you can click in changes in speed of playback. It lets you slow down or speed up the playback "on-the-fly," which can be a big help in sorting out the rough spots.

Utilities, and select the "MidiColors" download; or just go to www.pcmag.com and click on the "downloads" button on the left.

You do need WinZip or another "unzip" program to extract the file, since it comes as a "zip" compressed file.

I would ordinarily recommend that "newby" computer drivers avoid loading up on freeware utilities, until they have enough experience to make decisions about what is worthwhile; but this one is very clean, easy to use, and does something useful.

John

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 05:06 PM

John...sounds like a neat little program....but...*sigh*..It's been awhile since I tried to get a utility from PCmag...and the last time they did NOT require 'joining' with cookies, javascripts, re-directed forms and default newsletters that you have to manually opt out of!

I gritted my teeth and 'signed up', and allowed Javascripts..(as it flat WONT work without'em (but they don't tell you that)..and all I get is run in circles..Opera tells me that the download command wants to 're-direct my form' and gives me 3 options...two of which take me right back to the download page, and one which does nothing but hang.

I don't expect *you* to do anything, I'm just venting that such a simple process has been corrupted by Ziff-Davis into an intrusive hassle. If you don't allow them to identify you and send you ads & crap, you don't seem to be able to get diddly-squat from them!

I have 8-10 PCMag utilities, but it looks like that may be all I ever get!

(it still looks like it 'would' be a neat program)

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 08:51 PM

Bill D

Sorry you've run into such a hassle. I guess I still have my cookie with them from quite a while back, so hadn't realized they were becoming so much trouble.

I don't have Javascripts enabled, and didn't have any problem getting the download(?).

Note that if you subscribe and get a little late with your renewal, they usually offer you a CD with some of the the past year's utilities as a "re-up" incentive. (TFIK = tongue firmly in cheek).

John

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 12:46 AM

*shaking my head*...I am overwhelmed by their generosity...*grin*...just goes to show you *TANSTAAFL*..(there ain't no such thing as a free lunch)

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 01:16 AM

Bill D

I think over the 10 years or so that I've subscribed, I've probably accumulated at least a dozen of their "utilities" CDs, and have never found anything useful on one of them. They always seem to leave out the ones I'm interested in.

I do have about a half-dozen downloads that I'm going to have a hard time giving up - they're mostly older Win94/Win98 stuff, and I'm going to be forced into an NT based sytem fairly soon (If mama earns enough to support me in the style I want to be accustomed to).

John

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 11:36 AM

I think the utility that impressed me...from online...was "Fontlister" ...now in 2nd version and a fine program. (I do have several other font management/display programs, but Fontlister is still useful for many tricks...though, you have to care about varieties of fonts to need it.

There were several others in the old WIN3.1 days that I used everyday.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 11:40 AM

*grin*...and of course, I got the name wrong..FontVIEWER is the PC Mag item.

(A free one called "The Font Thing" is a bit more all-around useful, perhaps...but,,,,,,)

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 12:00 PM

Hey, as long as we're talking Things Fontish, does anyone have the Garamond Condensed family of fonts (or a good clone) to share?

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: MMario
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 12:04 PM

nope - have the range of normal garamond - but not the condensed.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: MMario
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 12:37 PM

But you can download the condensed versions from here

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: radriano
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 01:39 PM

Here's another question about MIDI files. I don't have a sound card on my computer at work and my only access to Mudcat is from work. I used to be able to save a MIDI file on disk and then take it home and run it. Now when I click on a link to a MIDI file at work my system brings up an Audioplayer program which notes that I don't have a soundcard but does not give me the option of saving the MIDI file to disk. Any way around this?

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: MMario
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 02:10 PM

you should be able to right click on the link and choose "save link as" to save it to your floppy.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 04:09 PM

re: Garamond..that site 'seems' to be a pay site...let me see what I have on disk...

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: radriano
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 05:10 PM

MMario, thanks! For some reason it never occurred to me to do that.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 05:36 PM

The "right-click on the clicky" thing works for quite a lot of other stuff too.

Lots of PDF files don't give you a "save" button after you've loaded tham to look, but if you go back to the link and right click, you can "save target as" (in IE) to get it.

John

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 03:57 PM

BLUEGRASS MIDIs...

Wish there were some gospel ones in there.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 12:32 AM

www.google.com SEARCH for GOSPEL MIDI found this=

=== GOOGLE GOSPEL MIDIs ===

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: pavane
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 02:43 AM

If you want to play guitar along with MIDI files, how about the chords? My programs could help here.

First, you need a copy of the Roland PC Karaoke program, which has been given away on magazine disks. Then you could use my Karaoke Maker program, which can decode the chords in a MIDI file and make a karaoke file using them, or you could use HARMONY to import an abc file and export to a Karaoke MIDI file.

Then you can just play along with the chords as they are displayed. The Karaoke program lets you slow the tune down if necessary.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 10:10 AM

Thanks, Guest!!

Lot of new stuff since I last searched. Dang internet! Keeps.... growing! *G*

Heaven... I'm in heaven...

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: jup
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 04:46 PM

WYSIWYG, That site is great,once I got it worked out I just couldn't leave. So full on at the moment I haven't had time to check back. STILL WHEN THE WORKS THERE YA GOTTA MAKE HAY. Thanks ,JUP.

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 07:44 PM

Have fun, Jup! Keep telling us what you are up to!

(Strike while the iron is hot)

Sigh.... music! Isn't it GREAT!!???

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 11:11 PM

BTW, I am still looking for good bluegrass gospel MIDIs. There are not a lot of them I've found so far!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Midi files
From: Beccy
Date: 12 Jan 03 - 06:44 PM

Thanks everyone! MIDI helps us learn new licks (or tricks!).