Chapter 1. MIDI sequencing: make it easy on yourself

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Freddie is frustrated. For over an hour , as part of a college assignment, he's been slaving away on his MIDI keyboard, attempting to record a piano part into Logic Audio. Trouble is, Fred's main instrument is guitar and although he has a basic knowledge of reading music, his keyboard skills leave a lot to be desired. The piece is only eight measures long and in a simple rock style but each time he does a 'take' there is always something wrong. Sometimes it's out of time, other times it contains bum notes. 'I could be here all day,' he thinks, 'and still not get it right.'

I know how he feels. It's a common myth that you have to be a good keyboard player to succeed at arranging and composing. My main instruments are clarinet and saxophone , and I too, am a 'technically challenged' piano player! However, I do manage to write a great deal of music despite my lack of technique. It was a problem until powerful sequencer programs such as Logic appeared on the scene. Now I can actually play the music I write! You can do the same. Here are a few pointers, but first an analogy.

Freddie is practicing a transcribed guitar solo and encounters a difficult passage containing some awkward licks. What does he do? (No, he doesn't give up and play a 12 bar blues instead!) He slows the tempo down to a manageable speed, hones in on the nasty bits, and practices those parts repeatedly until he can play them properly. He then puts it all together again, increases the speed and performs a blistering solo. Well that's the theory anyway!

We can apply these principles to the sequencing of piano, or for that matter, any other instrument within Logic.

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