MidiPlay
A Windows program to play Midi files
MidiPlay is a free Windows program that allows singers and instrumentalists to play MIDI files and adjust the
playback to help them to learn their parts. It shows the position in the score while it's playing the music.
The instructions below tell you how to:
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Download the MidiPlay program.
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Use MidiPlay to listen to MIDI files.
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Use the advanced features of MidiPlay to achieve special effects
(this isn't essential to hearing the individual parts, but it makes the music sound better).
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Send feedback to me.
Recent changes (version 2.1056):
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Mixer controls
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Keyboard display
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User preferences
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Smoothed display of beaming and ties
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Changing MIDI events
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Various bug fixes
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To download the MidiPlay program:
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Right click here
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Then click on Save Link As... or Save Target As... in the popup menu to save the MidiPlay program
on C:\ or somewhere else on your computer. Remember where you've saved it.
When MidiPlay is playing a MIDI file and you have displayed the score,
it should look something like this:
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Using MidiPlay to listen to MIDI files:
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MidiPlay does not need to be installed, you just run the MidiPlay.exe file.
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You can create shortcuts to MidiPlay
on the desktop or the start menu
in the normal way.
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Use Windows Explorer to open C:\ or wherever you saved MidiPlay,
and then run it (double click on MidiPlay or MidiPlay.exe).
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Open a MIDI file - either:
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In another window, click on a MIDI file, drag it and drop it onto the MidiPlay window.
or:
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Click on File in the MidiPlay menu bar,
and then
click on Open... in the drop-down menu
(or type Alt+F + O).
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Find the directory where you keep your MIDI files (they'll be in
C:\ or wherever you saved them).
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Click on one of the MIDI files.
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Click on the Open button.
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You'll see a window containing the names of the parts in the file.
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Click on the Play button for your part. You
should hear the piece being played through your loudspeakers or MIDI
keyboard, with your part emphasised and the other parts playing quietly
(you can control the amount of emphasis in
the User Preferences window).
-
Click on
the button on the toolbar
to
display the score.
-
If you have enabled
Show score after opening file
then you will see the score straight away.
-
Press
the (Play) button in the
Mixer
to play the piece.
-
Press
the Emph buttons
for the individual parts to emphasise them
(you can control the amount of emphasis in
the User Preferences window).
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If you hear nothing, this is probably because you are using the wrong MIDI output device,
or maybe no MIDI output devices at all.
If you hear an echo, this is probably because you have more than one
MIDI output device.
In either case, do the following:
-
Click on Dialogs in the MidiPlay menu bar,
and then
click on Output Volumes... in the drop-down menu,
this will open the
Output Volumes window.
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Enable the appropriate MIDI output device.
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You can now just listen to the piece, or you can use the following
Mixer
buttons and controls:
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Click on the (Skip backwards) button to jump back a few seconds.
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Click on the (Skip forwards) button to jump forward a few seconds.
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Click on the (Back to start) button to go back to the start.
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Click on the up/down
buttons to choose a bar number to start at (this requires the bar
information in the MIDI file to be correct, it isn't always).
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Click and drag the slider below the bar/beat/tick counters
(and click on the (Play) button
to start playing again).
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Click and drag the Master Volume slider or
the Volume sliders for each track
to adjust the volumes.
Right-click on any volume slider to set it back to normal volume.
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Click and drag the Tempo slider
to adjust the speed.
Right-click on the Tempo slider
to revert to normal speed.
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Click on the (Stop) button to stop.
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Click on the (Play) button to start again.
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To listen to another piece:
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Click on the Close buttons in any windows you have open.
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Drag and drop another MIDI file onto MidiPlay, or
in the File menu click on Open... to open another file,
and then carry on as before.
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Using the advanced features of MidiPlay:
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If you have any problems with MidiPlay
or suggestions for improvement then
email me at
Cheers,
Chris Hills.
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All text and images on this website are © Copyright Chris Hills 1982–2024, or their respective copyright holders.