SoundWord


A program designed by Giuseppina Mancuso and implemented by Paola Magillo

(C) Worldwide Copyright - All rights reserved




Instructions for use of SoundWord


The following instructions for using SoundWord are also included in the program as an help-on-line.

The main window

SoundWord initially shows a window containing the containing the program icon and the copyright notice. After a few seconds, the main window of SoundWord appears.

The main window of SoundWord is organized in the following way:



Text area

You can type directly in the text area, load a text from a file, or obtain a text from translating a music.

The current text can be translated into music by using the "Translate" menu.

Music area

You can obtain a music from translating a text, or you can load it from a file (in SoundWord format). The blue numbers denote the progression of bars.

The current music can be translated back into a text by using the "Translate" menu.

Menu bar

"File" menu: load and save either a text or a music.

The format of music files loaded and saved is an internal format of SoundWord.

"Text" menu: operations on the text contained in the text area.

You can also edit the text by using directly the keyboard after placing the cursor in the text area.

"Music" menu: operations on the music contained in the music area.

"Window" menu: set the vertical or horizontal subdivision of the main window.

"Translate" menu: translation between text and music.

The translation of a text into a music is not unique. Translating the same text several times gives slightly different musics. The difference is in the displacement of note lengths inside a bar.

"Help" menu: display helpful information.

Information related with the last four items above are shown in a secondary window organized into cards.

The "Modify current music" window

Selecting "Modify", from the "Music" menu on the main window, opens a secondary window which allows modifying the music contained in the music area, or writing music from scratch.

This window presents:



Menu bar

"Bar" menu: adding, selecting and deleting bars. You can also select a bar by inserting its number in the frame located under the nemu bar, or by acting on the slider located near the frame. The bar numbers are shown in blue in the music area of the main window.

"Note" menu: modifying the selected bar. In any instant one note within the bar is enlightened in red. This is the node on which modifications will act. You cannot add or delete single notes to the bar. Instead, you can add or delete groups of notes. Here by group we mean a sequence of notes that are drawn with a single stroke without detaching the pencil (for instance: a triplet of notes joined by a transversal line).

As an alternative, we can also shift the red note by using the two arrows located under the menu bar. The modifications are applied to the selected bar in the music (shown in the main window) only after pressing the "Update" button (smiling face). You can also cancel the modifications by pressing the "Cancel" button (sad face). Adding and deleting groups to and from the bar can temporarily give a total duration different from 4/4 (=1). You cannot press the "Update" button, nor shift to other bars, until the bar duration becomes 4/4 again. The frame located just above the graphic area shows the current bar duration.
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