Practice Assistant for Windows - Segment Table Screen

The Practice Assistant plays each piece as a series of segments. The Segment Table screen lets you define exactly how each piece will be played. You can create as many segments as you like. Your segments are automatically stored, so you can play the piece the same way every day.

The Segment Table has columns for:

Selected

An "X" in this column indicates that the segment has been selected for playback. During playback, the Practice Assistant will play each of the selected segments in sequence, automatically, and without any delay between segments.

Segment Name

You can enter any name you like for each segment, such as "C Minor Scale".

Start

This is the measure number for the start of the segment.

End

This is the measure number for the end of the segment.

Tempo

It takes two columns to define the tempo. The first column defines the note value that is to receive one beat, the second column defines the number of beats per minute. This unique feature gives you much more control over tempo than any other MIDI playback program. For example: Many of the exercises in Hrimaly's Scale Studies are notated as sixteenth notes. Yet, when you first begin to study such exercises, you want to draw a full bow for each and every note, so you can listen carefully to your intonation. You would like to have the metronome beat time for each sixteenth note, rather than for each quarter note. This is easily accomplished with the Practice Assistant. Simply set the first Tempo column to the symbol for sixteenth notes, and the second column to the desired number of sixteenth notes per minute, down to 40. That should be slow enough!

Reps

This column specifies the number of times the segment is to be repeated before moving on to the next segment. This can be any number from 1 to 99.

Lead

An "X" in this column indicates that you want the metronome to count out one measure "for free" before starting playback. This is particularly helpful if you have defined a segment that was not written to be repeated. You may want a measure in which to reset your hand (and eyes) before the next repetition begins.

Trans

In this column you specify the number of half steps to transpose the playback. In most cases this will be "0". However, many studies (e.g. early Sevcik or Schradieck) are notated for one string, but should be practiced on each of the strings. If the music is notated for the A string, set Trans to "7" to play it on the E string, "-7" to play it on the D string, or "-14" to play it on the G string.

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