Play and pause song while practicing

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razaXML
Posts: 4

Post by razaXML »

In practice mode it would be great to be able to just listen to the music play when I just want to hear the timing/phrasing/note progressions. So all it would really need is a play/pause button when in practice mode.

Hitting any note on the keyboard would also be a great pause mechanic so I can just pick up where the song it at and go back into regular practice mode.
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

This is a popular request. Interestingly, this particular idea seems to take more and different shapes than most features. I've heard it described as being able to "audition" about one screensworth of notes (without losing your place). I've been asked for a "scrubber" that you can drag across the notes (best on a touch screen, presumably) to hear them in advance (again, without losing your place) at the speed you drag your finger/mouse.

This version of the idea (which does give up your current place but offers a nice, easy way to jump back in) is a new variation! :)

It's hard to tell which would be best, but I do know that yours would be easiest to add. :lol:

Actually, it may come along "for free" with some other upcoming work: another popular request is to be able to adjust which hand you're playing without exiting the song. (This would enable some very powerful deliberate practice methods.) I think it would also enable almost exactly what you requested: you could simply turn off the hand you're practicing (switching back to "watch and listen only"), which would make the song advance automatically. When you're ready, you could enable a hand again, to take back over.

All that's missing is your idea of hitting a note to take back over. I wonder if there should be an option that lets you choose a hand again just by playing one of the notes that belongs to that hand? That would be cool.
razaXML
Posts: 4

Post by razaXML »

Yes those are all great ideas. Haven't thought of the switching hands in practice (I'm a new user), but yes that would be great. An idea that could make that mechanic very simple on the gui could be just a "click" on any note to designate which hand is practicing. Or literally just have two hand icons in the corner of the screen and you just click one or the other (or both) at any point...

As for my idea I have a different suggestion. You could designate a note to pause on by dbl clicking it or with a right click/context menu on the note? Or also like I suggested a live pause by hitting a key on the keyboard which could be tricky to implement (how it behaves would depend on which note is hit and if it's been played yet or not by the system and could get messy for it to be objectively "right")

This "pause" note could be designated by a color/halo/icon. When the player gets to the pause note it does not play it and goes back to paused mode where it's waiting for your input. seems any number of notes could be designated as pause notes with this method...

Anyways great job on this program. It works really well. If you ever need any programming assistance/labor I can offer some services there. Been a programmer for over 30 years and have worked at companies like EA, and have been in the games and simulation industry for over 20 years now.

Cheers
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

razaXML wrote: 01-27-20 1:51 pmOr literally just have two hand icons in the corner of the screen and you just click one or the other (or both) at any point...
This was the plan. :)
razaXML wrote: 01-27-20 1:51 pmThis "pause" note could be designated by a color/halo/icon...
Ooo, this would dovetail nicely with another upcoming suggested feature. This is the second time I've heard "just click the note you want for X" in the last couple months, and I like them both a lot!

Today, placing bookmarks is kind of a mess (especially on a touchscreen). There is some tiny margin at the left side of the screen. Clicking or tapping just places/removes them; you can't drag. (And on a touch screen, the touch target may as well be microscopic.) The whole thing is awful.

Someone (via email) suggested that while in bookmark editing mode, you could just touch a note to toggle a bookmark at the start of that note. That interaction would be much better with a mouse and incalculably better on a touch screen. So it's on the list. (Only 361 lines down as of this minute.)

Since bookmarks already have a nice on-screen visual, I wonder if there shouldn't just be an option to pause at each bookmark? Once that new "just touch a note" interaction is added, this would be equivalent to the color/halo/icon around a note, but use an existing system. What do you think?
razaXML wrote: 01-27-20 1:51 pmBeen a programmer for over 30 years and have worked at companies like EA...
Nice! I've been playing games for over 30 years, some of them from EA. I don't suppose you worked on anything I've played before? hehe.
razaXML
Posts: 4

Post by razaXML »

At EA mostly sports titles so probably if you were into those... Madden, Coach, Nascar, Arena football, Tiger. Probably a bunch more offhandedly as I also worked on gui and network code that spanned a bunch of titles. I was also one of the first to implement live advertising through billboards/textures and such. I hate myself for doing it too lol.
razaXML
Posts: 4

Post by razaXML »

Yes I think bookmarks would be a good way to go. Pausing at a bookmark sounds pretty reasonable. I assume bookmarks will be a quick way to navigate to specific parts. I.E. jump to bookmark, etc...

If pausing is not the default when it's playing and gets to a bookmark, a "pause at bookmarks" checkbox/toggle could be added near the player controls. But then again pausing when it gets to one sounds like a good idea to me. That seems like a reason why someone would intentionally place them.
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