MIDI readings

The ability to discern which music technology to use for any given situation is dependent on one’s knowledge of the hardware and software. A great experience for a student composer would be to create an MIDI accompaniment, then create a digital audio with himself/herself as soloist. This method could be used for adjudication preparation. The student could punch in the accompaniment for the solo, then play along and assess his/her own performance.

It seems overwhelming to consider teaching the MIDI process to a class. It is a complicated process to me, but may not seem so to students who have grown up with computers and have possibly gained an understanding of how computers work. I found the analogy of the player piano to be very helpful in understanding the MIDI process. The piano roll has all the information and the piano just plays it. Dr. Estrella states, “Similarly, MIDI data produces no sound by itself. Instead MIDI data, like the piano roll, contains a description of the musical performance which, when received by a synthesizer, can be rendered as sound.” The last reading, What is MIDI?, on the About MIDI page is the easiest for me to understand. Students may grasp the concepts easier if they begin with note on and note off, and then move to all the other aspects of MIDI one at a time.