Use the song structure editor to:

• Define the order of sections, eg "AABA", "verse verse chorus verse", ...

• Select the rhythm(s) to be used

• Adjust the rhythm parameters to introduce dynamics, eg variation, intensity, fill, muted instrument, ...

Song parts

A song part is linked to a parent section of the chord lead sheet.

A song part has a name, a rhythm and a value for each of the rhythm parameters.

To add a new song part:

• drag a section from the chord lead sheet into the song structure editor, or

• right-click menu Insert, or

• copy an existing song part: drag it while pressing the ctrl key, use copy & paste, or right-click menu Duplicate

By default the name of the song part is the name of the parent section. If the song part is renamed, the parent section is shown below the name.

If some contiguous song parts share the same name, then the name is displayed only on the first song part and a line is shown on the contiguous song parts. Clicking this line will select all the related song parts.

Editing

Song parts can be reordered by dragging them using the mouse.

You can modify the song part name, rhythm, and rhythm parameter values.

Edition is done directly from the song structure editor using the mouse, or from the song part editor (see the image at the top of this page). Edits apply on the selected song parts or rhythm parameters.

Use the popup menu (right-click on windows/Linux, ctrl-click on Mac) to see commands available for the current selection, as shown in the 2 images below.

When selecting several contiguous rhythm parameters, you can use the Adjust values submenu in the rhythm parameter popup menu to interpolate values between the first and the last selected values. In the example below, we used it to gradually increase the tempo from 100% to 108%.

Change rhythm

Each song part can have its own rhythm.

To change the rhythm, select a song part and press R, or click the rhythm name to open the rhythm selection dialog.

When changing the rhythm, JJazzLab tries to adapt the values of the previous rhythm parameters to the new rhythm parameters.

If you want to remove a rhythm change in the middle of a song, select the song part and use Remove Rhythm Change from the song part popup menu.

Rhythm parameters

Types

In theory a rhythm (or style) can define its own set of parameters. However in JJazzLab most rhythms use the same parameters:

• Variation: a rhythm variation. YamJJazz engine rhythms usually have 4 Main variations, plus some Intros, Endings, and some Fills.

• Intensity: most rhythm engines use this parameter to increase/decrease the Midi velocity of the backing track notes

• Drums fill: JJazzLab will add a drums fill on the last bar of the song part.

• Mute: mute one of more instruments during this song part. To edit this parameter it's easier to use the song part editor (see snapshot at the top of this page).

• Marker: this parameter is useful only if you use substitute chord symbols in the chord leadsheet, as explained here.

• Tempo factor: slow down or accelerate the tempo of the song part.

• Drums transform: change some drums notes of the song part. For example you can make the hi-hat louder, or change the closed hi-hat notes into ride cymbal notes.

• Custom phrase: replace one or more instrument phrases of the song part.

  To import your custom phrase, you can drag & drop a Midi file in the Custom phrase editor shown below, or use your external Midi editor via the Customize button.

  When using Edit via external Midi editor JJazzLab will first export the full backing track as a temporary Midi file, and then open it with your external Midi editor, so that you can change notes of one or more tracks.

Edit values

You can adjust the value of the parameters of each song part.

For the enumerable parameters, the easiest way to edit the value is to select it and use the mouse-wheel.

But you can also use rhythm parameter popup-menu to reset the parameter value, or copy/paste values, or use the song part editor (see snapshot at the top of this page).

Compact / full view

By default only a subset of the rhythm parameters are shown, this is the compact view. Click on the button below or press 'V' to switch between compact and full view.

The compact view settings button, just above the compact view button, lets you choose which rhythm parameters are visible in the compact view. These settings are saved with the song.

Mouse shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts

Benutzen Sie den Akkorde-Leadsheet Editor, um:

• Akkordsymbole hinzuzufügen, z. B. "Cm6", "Ab7", ...

• Liedteile hinzuzufügen, z. B. "A", "B", "Vers", "Chorus", ...

• Akkorde zu verschieben und zu verändern, rhymische Akzente zu verschieben, ...

Benutzen Sie den Liedstruktur Editor, um:

• Die Reihenfolge der Liedteile zu bestimmen, z. B, "AABA", "Verse Verse Chorus Verse", ...

• Rhythmen auszuwählen

• Die Parameter der Rhythmen zu verändern, z. B. Dynamik, Variation, Intensität, Fill-ins, stummgeschaltete Instrumente

Benutzen Sie die Mix Konsole, um:

• Die Instrumente auszuwählen, die spielen sollen

• Lautstärke, Panorama, Hall, Chorus, Anschlagsstärke einzustellen

• Instrumente auf stumm oder solo zu schalten

• Zu transponieren

• Benutzertracks einzufügen

Use the mix console to:

• Change the instruments

• Adjust channel settings: volume, reverb, chorus, panoramic, transposition, velocity offset

• Mute or solo channels

• Add user tracks

• Load/save .mix file

• And more: change Midi channel, use special Midi commands, export to Midi file, etc.

JJazzLab uses the mix console information to send the relevant Midi messages to the output synth. This is done each time you make a change in the mix console, or when you start the playback.

Mix console toolbar

• Master volume: this increase or lower the Midi volume messages

• M: Mute or Unmute all tracks

• S: Switch off all Solo tracks

• Panic: Send a Midi Panic message, switching all notes OFF

• User track: Add a user track. See User tracks below.

Mix console menu bar

Menu File

• Load/Save Default Rhythm Mix

  Change the current mix from a file. Consult this page for more information about .mix files.

• Import Mix...

  Note that this will import settings only for the instruments which are common between the current mix and the imported mix.

Menu Edit

• Reset channels

  Restore the original settings from the related rhythm.

Menu Midi

• Enable/Disable all Midi parameters

  Use Disable all Midi parameters if you control the mix yourself directly on the output synth.

• Send GM/GM2/XG/GM mode ON message

  This lets you send special Midi initialization messages to turn your output synth in the desired mode.

Change instrument

Click on the instrument name in the channel. Note that this is also where instrument transposition can be adjusted.

Channel settings

Use the channel settings to:

• Add a Midi velocity offset to all notes played on this channel

  Note that this is slightly different from adjusting the volume.

• Disable sending specific Midi messages

  Probably because you control the parameter yourself directly on the output synth.

• Use drums-rerouting for channels drums

  If you use a basic GM output synth, it can play drums only on channel 10. If drums/percussion are used on other channels in your mix, you need to activate drums rerouting on these channels. Note that JJazzLab may activate this option for you if it detects, based on the current output synth information, potential issues.

Midi channel

Each Midi channel can be changed manually, just click on the channel number.

User tracks

Add one or more user tracks using the Add user track button on the mix console toolbar (see above).

To add Midi notes to a user track, you can either drag & drop a Midi file in the rectangle area, or use the Edit via external Midi editor button in the lower left corner.

When using Edit via external Midi editor JJazzLab will first export the full backing track as a temporary Midi file, and then open it with your external Midi editor, so that you can add notes for your user track.

Edit via external Midi editor requires that you have set an external Midi editor in the General panel of the Options/Preferences. If you don't have one, we recommend MidiEditor for Windows, it's free, open-source and lightweight.

Export to Midi file with mouse drag & drop

You can export the full backing track to a Midi file by mouse-dragging from the empty area of the mix console. Note that this is the same as the menu File/Export to Midi file, except it's more convenient when you work with another software such as a DAW.

To export a single track, start the mouse-drag from a track icon.

Multi-rhythm songs

When a song uses 2 or more rhythms, a popup is displayed in the upper left corner of the mix console to select the rhythm you want to display.

Note that some commands such as menu Edit/Reset channels will not be applied to the hidden rhythm(s).

Mouse shortcuts

Use the chord leadsheet editor to:

• Add chord symbols, eg Cm6, Ab7

• Add sections, eg A, B, verse, chorus, ...

• Move and edit chords to adjust rhythm accents, interpretation or harmony

Chord symbols

Input

Select a bar or a chord symbol then:

• type the first letter of the chord symbol ('A' to 'G'), or

• press ENTER, or

• double-click, or

• right-click menu, Edit

You can also select an existing chord symbol and move it while pressing the control button, it will create a new copy that can be edited.

To move a chord symbol just select it and move it with the mouse.

To change the size of the lead sheet, select a bar then right-click menu and select Set end bar.

Use ctrl-click or shift-click for multiple selection.

Popup menus

Use the popup menu (right-click on windows/Linux, ctrl-click on Mac) to see commands available for the current selection: bars, chord symbols or sections.

Aliases

JJazzLab recognizes many aliases for each chord symbol. For example C7M can be written Cmaj7, Cma7, CM7, CMAJ7 etc.

You can add more aliases in menu Options/Chord Symbols.

Interpretation

Select a chord symbol, edit it (double-click, press enter, or right-click menu), and select the Interpretation tab.

The Interpretation tab lets you decide how this chord symbol should be played:

• Normal

• Accent: add a rhythmic accent and randomly a crash cymbal. You can make the accent stronger, or make sure a crash cymbal is played or not played.

• Hold: add a rhythmic accent and hold notes until next chord symbol. If extended more instruments are hold.

• Shot: add a rhythmic accent with chord notes played briefly. If extended more instruments are shot.

• Pedal bass: bass line will only play the bass note (for ex. F for Fm7 or C for Fm7/C). This setting is on by default when you enter a slash chord.

The shape of the marker below the chord symbol depends on the interpretation mode:

For example, in order to render:

you could use the following interpretation parameters:

Harmony

Select a chord symbol, edit it and select the Harmony tab.

The Harmony tab lets you select the scale to be used when rendering the music for this chord symbol.

Example Suppose that the reference bass line for Eb7M contains a Ab (4th degree of the Eb major scale). If you select the Lydian mode (which has a sharp 11th degree) then the reference bass note Ab will be rendered as A for this chord symbol.

By default no scale is selected: each rhythm generation engine will decide the "best" scale to use.

Substitute chord symbol

Select a chord symbol, edit it and select the substitute chord symbol tab.

This tab lets you define a substitute chord symbol which will be used when some conditions are met.

Substitute chord symbols are useful when you need to introduce a slight variation in a part of a song.

The substitute chord symbol can be any chord symbol, with any interpretation or harmony, or no chord symbol at all (void chord). Chord symbols which have an substitute chord symbol defined are displayed with a different color (see image below).

Example:

In the Carlos Santana's "Europa" song, the 1st ending of the theme is a Cm7, but the 2nd one is a C major. To implement this in JJazzLab, one solution could be to duplicate section A1 to create section A2 with the different ending, then update the song structure accordingly. This is perfectly fine, but when changes are minor the substitute chord symbol can provide a simpler solution.

You can see below (and in the dialog snapshot above) that a C7M substitute chord has been created for Cm7. C7M will be used for all song parts (see the song structure editor) where the marker is set to Theme2. On the image below it means the C7M will be used only for the 2nd song part.

There is another substitute chord symbol example in the 3rd bar: A7. If you listen to the original song you'll notice that they play a A7 on the last beat of the 3rd bar only during solos. So the A7 chord symbol defines its substitute chord symbol as the "void chord symbol" (same as no chord symbol) when marker is not "Solo".

Sections input

Typical sections are 'intro', 'verse', 'chorus', etc.

A Song section is the basic unit used by JJazzLab to define the song structure. There is always a section defined on the first bar.

To add a section select a bar which is not after the end then:

• press ENTER, or

• double-click, or

• right-click menu, Insert Section... or Edit...

The new section name must be different than the existing one.

Force a section at new line

You can force a section which is not on the first bar of a row to start on the next line. This can be useful when some sections have an odd number of bars.

Select a bar with a section defined or select the section itself, right-click menu "Force Section at New Line".

This will result in the display below.

Mouse shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts