Composition tools - The music vectors |
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What is a music vector? [Professional] [Composition Light] [Composition Pro]
The music vector is an experimental tool to help you to create
melodies and multiple melodic parts in a very intuitive way. You
do not even need to be able to read music notation to use these
vectors.
You can add one or several music vectors in the measures of a
score and they will act like music generators. They will generate
notes and rhythms that you can see in the measures and hear when
Pizzicato plays the score.
A music vector contains in itself the potential of creating
notes and rhythms according to several specifications that you
decide.
The music vectors must be combined with chords and scales
progressions. Scales and chords have been described in a previous
lesson. You could say that the raw melodic structure is created
by the vectors and that it is then arranged according to the
chords and scales.
A music vector gives the global direction and shape of a
melodic part. It is then refined by Pizzicato to fit the scales
and chords progression of your choice. The result is a powerful
way to experiment with music composition.
These vectors can be used as they are or you can create new
original vectors and use them. The Pizzicato libraries contain
thousands of these vectors and you can start using them without
even knowing what their structure are in details. Using them is
very simple. Creating them is a bit more complex but so much
powerful for music experimentation and intuitive composition. So
let us start with practical examples explaining how to use them.
Practical examples [Professional] [Composition Light] [Composition Pro]
To create music with vectors, you need the following:
- A set of vectors (Pizzicato has thousands of them ready
for use)
- A chord progression (Pizzicato has lots of them as well
and also tools like the harmonic space to create chords
progressions intuitively)
- A set of staves and measures with instruments ready to
play
Let us start with a very simple case, to illustrate the
principle.
- Open a template, in the File menu, selecting
respectively Open template... >> Soloists
>> Woodwinds >> Flute - 1
page and open the Conductor view in the Windows
menu. Open the score view and move it so that you can see
the score and the libraries.
- In configuration 3, open the Music libraries
folder, then Music vectors >> Melodic
structures 1 - Soloists >> Melodic
structures 2 and 4 measures >> 2 measures
>> Sinusoïd. The tree displays:

The music vectors are displayed with icons like this:
.
- Drag and drop the vector named 001 into the
first measure of the score. The score becomes:

This vector contains a melodic shape that is similar to a
full cycle of a sinusoïdal wave (up, top, down, bottom, up
again). This is a raw shape and it does not fit with any
chord or scale. It has not been refined with harmonic
materials.
You will notice that the vector icon is now associated to
that measure.
- Drag and drop the vector named 007 in the third
measure. The score becomes:

Most sets of vectors are grouped by 50 different rhythmic
patterns, numbered from 001 to 050. You
will notice that the general shape of the two vectors are
quite similar but the rhythmic content is quite different. We
will now add a chord progression so that the melody will
follow a more harmonious path.
- In the library tree, open the Chord progressions
folder in the Music libraries folder, then open
Measure 4-4 >> C Major - 3 notes chords
>> 4 measures - 1 chord/measure >>
C Major.
- Drag and drop the sixth item of that list, "6",
on the first mesure of the staff. In the Edit
menu, select the item named Compute parametered
measures (or CTRL + R as a shortcut or Cmd+R on the
Mac). The score becomes:

The shortcut CTRL (or Cmd) + R is needed to force
Pizzicato to recompute the vectors so that they are adapted
to the chords. Using this shortcut recomputes all the vectors
of a score.
The melody has been adapted to the closest notes of the
chords and scales. This is the basic principle of vectors
combined with chords and scales. Remember that you can assign
scales to the chords, as explained in the lesson on scales
and chords.
Here is another example.
- Open a template, in the File menu, selecting
respectively Open template... >> Orchestra
>> Symphony 2 - Beethoven - 1 page and
open the Conductor view in the Windows
menu. Open the score view and move it so that you can see
the score and the libraries.
- Add the following chord progression in the first measure
of the score: Music libraries >> Chord
progressions >> Measure 4-4 >> Major
tonalities - 3 notes chords >> 4 measures
- 2 chords/measure >> G Major (1 #)
>> 1 - 100 >> 43/3.
Activate the reference marks tool (shortcut
":") to see the scales associated with the
chords.
- Drag and drop the following vector in the first measure
of the first instrument (Flute): Music
libraries >> Music vectors >>
Melodic structures 4 - Quartet >>
Intervals of 8 semitones >> 4 measures
>> Up+Down 1 octave >> 020.
As the chords have been placed before adding a vector,
the vector will be computed directly with the chords, so
you do not need to force Pizzicato to recompute the
measures as in the previous example. The score becomes:

- You can drag and drop a vector by clicking it directly
from the score to duplicate it. Try it by dragging vector
020 from measure 1 of the flute to measure 2 of
the Violins I staff. Listen to the result.
- To delete a vector from the measure, move the mouse over
its icon above the measure and use the delete key (or the
backward key that deletes the last character). The vector
and its notes disappear. By doing the same operation
while holding down the SHIFT key, the vector is deleted
but the generated notes stay in the measures.
- When you add a vector in a measure that already has a
vector in it, the old vector is removed before adding the
new one. You can avoid this by holding down the CTRL key
while you drop the vector in the measure. In that case,
the second vector is added in the measure with the first
one.
Using the vectors is just a question of dragging and dropping
icons in the score. It is very simple. There are numerous
possibilities, even when you do not create your own vectors. You
should now experiment this by yourself using the various chords
progressions, vectors and instruments templates that you can find
in the libraries.
The structure of a music vector [Professional] [Composition Pro]
A music vector is made out of one or more melodic
parts. A melodic part corresponds usually to a melody. A
vector may contain several melodies that are assigned to a series
of staves, as in the example shown above for the orchestral
score.
A melodic part consists of:
- One rhythmic part. It will determine the
rhythmic values of the notes generated by the melodic
part.
- One or several melodic waves. Their combination
will determine the shape of the melodic part.
- One or more optional velocity waves. A velocity
wave will influence the sound volume of each note.
A rhythmic part may contain one or more Rhythmic
harmonics.
We can represent a general music vector as follows:
- Music vector
- Melodic part 1
- Rhythmic part
- Rhythmic harmonic
1
- Rhythmic harmonic
2
- ...
- Melodic wave 1
- Melodic wave 2
- ...
- Velocity wave 1
- Velocity wave 2
- ...
- Melodic part 2
- Rhythmic part
- Rhythmic harmonic
1
- Rhythmic harmonic
2
- ...
- Melodic wave 1
- Melodic wave 2
- ...
- Velocity wave 1
- Velocity wave 2
- ...
- ...
We will now explain each one of these elements in details. To
do that, we will first create a new, empty vector.
- Right-click on the My Library folder and select New
document... You can name it Vector.
Right-click that document and select New vector.
Then double-click the Musical vector icon. The
following dialog appears:

The left part represents the tree of the structure of the
vector. This vector is presently empty, there are no melodic
parts in it. The only icon shown displays the vector itself.
This node of the tree is selected in blue.
The right part of the dialog displays the parameters of
the selected node, which are here the parameters of the
vector itself. Here is a description of each element.
- The Update button may be used if you edit
directly a vector that is inside a measure of the
score. You can indeed double-click a vector icon
associated to a measure. When you modify the vector
and click the update button, the measures are
recomputed to show the resulting notes.
- The Paste button is a very useful feature.
You can copy the content of one or several measures
and staves from an existing score (to do that, just
select the measures and use the Copy item of
the Edit menu). Then you can use this Paste
button and Pizzicato will automatically build this
vector in such a way that this vector will generate
the content of the original measures. You can for
instance copy a few measures of a Mozart piece of
music and create a vector from of it. You can then
apply this vector to a new score in which you have
designed a custom chord/scale progression and see
what the Mozart measures sound like when applied to
that progression. A lot of interesting manipulations
of music can be done with that feature. You can
extract the structure of an arrangement and apply it
with different chords and instruments, in a few
clicks.
- The Auto check box is checked by default,
which means that any modification of the vector will
directly be applied to the measure associated to the
vector (only if you edit the vector directly from a
measure). Any modification you do will automatically
activate theUpdate button.
- With the Name textbox, you can change the
name of the vector.
- The Basic note item gives you the note on
which the vector is based. All pitch references that
will appear in the melodic waves of the vector will
be expressed relative to this basic note. The Select...
button displays a piano keyboard on which you can
select another basic note. By changing this note, all
melodies will be transposed accordingly.
- The popup menu just below the basic note contains
three choices. The first one is Always use that
note. It means that the basic note will always
be used as the reference note for the vector. The
next choice is Root of the chord which means
that the reference note will be the root notes of the
chords present in the measures where the vector will
be developed. The last choice is Root note of the
scale which is the same but with reference to
the root notes of the scales present in the measures.
In the last two choices, it means that if a vector is
applied for instance on 8 measures, each one having a
different chord, the reference note will be changed
for each measure. If the vector is a smooth curve
going up accross 8 measures, there will be a
discontinuity between each measures, as the root
notes of each measure will be different.
- The Amplitude value may be changed by a
textbox or with the horizontal scroll bar just below
it. The default value is 100 (%). By changing this
value, you will increase the pitch range of the
melodic waves included in that vector.
- The Full period defines the global duration
of a vector period. It is defined in terms of quarter
notes and units (one quarter note is 480 units). The
scroll bar below it helps you to change it with
standard values but you can define the exact value
with the two textboxes. This period defines the
default period for all melodic waves.
- The Number of periods specifies how many
times the full period will be covered by the vector.
A vector may be 200 measures long if needed, there is
no specific limit to the size of the melody produced
by a vector.
- You can fix a Maximal duration to the total
duration generated by this vector. By default, it is
set to zero, which means that there is no limit. The
value is defined in quarter notes and units.
- The Random root value is set by default to
0. This means that when a melodic wave uses a random
wave, the resulting vector will always be different,
each time you recompute it. You can change this
number to a non zero value, and the resulting vector
will always be the same, even if apparently
randomized. This helps you to keep the vector
constant, but it can be used for experimental music
as the score will change whenever you recompute it.
The selected line contains the name of the vector, the basic
note and a summary of the main parameters.
The melodic part [Professional] [Composition Pro]
A vector may have one or more melodic part. A melodic part is
like a melody. It produces one melodic voice, one note at a time,
with specific rhythmic values. You can add melodic parts to a
vector.
- Right-click the main node in the left part of the dialog
and select the New melodic part item. The dialog
displays:

- Select the second node (with the
icon), starting with Melody
100%... The right part of the dialog now displays
the parameters of that melodic part:

Here is a description of these parameters.
- The Transposition value is used to transpose
this melodic voice up or down, relative to the basic
note of the vector as defined in the vector
parameters. You can then transpose each melodic voice
with a different interval and produce a set of
melodies playing together.
- The Amplitude value is by default set to 100
(%) and influences the range of that specific melodic
voice.
- The Staff value gives the staff number,
relative to the staff on which the music vector has
been placed. A value of "1" means that this
melodic part will be developed on the staff
containing the vector. A value of "2" will
place the melodic part on the next staff, and so on.
- The melodic part may start at any moment inside the
measure. By default this Measure start
parameter is set to 0. It is defined in quarter notes
and units. By setting this offset value for instance
to 2 quarter notes, the melodic part will start in
the middle of a 4/4 measure. With this parameter, you
can shift the various melodic parts of a vector.
- The Melodic reference is a more subtil
parameter. The melodic waves of a melodic part
combine themselves into a continuous curve. The
resulting notes are computed on this curve. If the
rhythmic part specifies for instance 4 quarter notes
for the rhythms, Pizzicato must select four notes,
each of a quarter note duration. Each quarter note
duration must generate one note, but the continuous
melodic curve may take various values during a
quarter note (it may for instance start low and
increase progressively higher at the end of the
quarter note duration). So the question is: what is
the reference point on which the pitch of the note
will be computed? This menu gives three possible
choices: Start of the curve, End of the
curve or Mean curve value. So Pizzicato
takes either the beginning value of the curve, the
end value or the mean value computed over the
duration of the note. Here is an example of a
sinusoïdal wave and the resulting notes, in each
case (start, end and mean values):



- The next three choices are External notes, Scale
notes and Chord notes. Each one has in
fact two values that define a range of duration,
expressed in units (480 units make a quarter note). A
rhythmic part (which will be described in the next
section) is always included in a melodic part and
defines a series of durations for the notes that must
be generated. If the duration of the note is included
in the range defined by the Chord notes, the
pitch of the note will be selected to be the closest
pitch to the continuous curve but that is also part
the the current chord (the chord that is present in
the score at that point in time). If the duration of
the note is included in the range defined by the Scale
notes, the pitch of the note will be selected to
be the closest pitch to the continuous curve but that
is also part of the current scale. If the duration of
the note is included in the range defined by the External
notes, the pitch of the note will be selected to
be the closest pitch to the continuous curve with no
attention to the scale or the chord. The basic idea
behind this is that the longer the duration is, the
best the note must sound (relative to the context of
the other melodic parts). The best is to be part of
the chord. The next best is to be part of the scale.
So we find that long duration notes will be taken
from the current chord, shorter notes will be taken
from the current scale and very short notes may be
used as they are. These values may be adjusted
according to the context of the music you write.
- The last menu entitled If no possible note,
specifies what must be done if the note duration does
not fit one of the three duration ranges. The default
choice is Use original note, which uses the
note closest to the curve and the other is Place
a rest, which means that Pizzicato just skips
that note and add a rest in the melody.
The melodic wave [Professional] [Composition Pro]
A melodic part may contain one or more melodic
waves. A melodic wave is a simple wave form. It gives a
specific shape to the melodic line. All melodic waves combine
themselves to create the melodic part curve.
- Click on the melodic wave so that it is selected, in
blue:

On the right part, the dialog displays the parameters of
the melodic wave:

Here is a description of these parameters.
- The Wave form popup menu contains several
shapes that can be used to form the melodic wave:
- Constant: The curve is just an
horizontal line, always the same note:







- Free: you can draw a
custom curve manually, freely (see below).
- Random: the curve
is just random noise and notes are picked up
randomly.

- The Pulse width value
expresses in % (20 by default) the relative width of
the pulse (see the Pulse shape above).
- The Free curve has
two buttons. With the Paste button, you can
paste an existing melody so that Pizzicato will
extract the shape of the existing melody and store it
into the free curve memory. To do that, you must
first select one or more measures in an existing
score and copy these measures (Edit menu, Copy
item) then use this Paste button. The Edit...
button opens a free curve editor:

The Update button forces Pizzicato to compute
the measure, so that you can see the notes generated by
your free curve. For instance, it could be:

The pen icon is used to freely draw into that window
and create a free curve. The next icon is used to draw a
line (click, drag the line and release the mouse).
- The Transposition value is
used to shift that curve up (positive) or down
(negative). The effect is that the notes are
transposed in the final curve. Notice that the
transposition of all melodic waves are combined
(added) to create a global transposition for that
curve.
- The Upper range and Lower
range values are used to limit the curve in both
directions (up and down). The value is expressed in
semitones and the default range is 12, which means
one octave. So by default, a wave will go up or down
by one octave. Notice that this range may be modified
by the Amplitude factors defined in the Melodic
part and in the vector parameters.
- The Wave phase is a number
ranging from 0 to 360 degrees. It will shift the
cycle of the wave so that its starting point is moved
in time. Here is for example a sine wave with a phase
of 90 degrees:

- The following three values (Full
period, Number of periods and Maximal
duration) have exactly the same meaning as the
equivalent values explained in the vector parameters.
By default, they are set to zero, which means that
this melodic wave will use the default parameters
defined in the vector. By specifiying non-zero values
here, this specific melodic wave will use them and
ignore the vector parameters. In this case, changing
the vector parameters later will no more influence
the period and duration of this wave.
The rhythmic aspect [Professional] [Composition Pro]
A melodic part has always one rhythmic part.
The rhythmic part determines what rhythmic values will be
assigned to the notes generated by that melodic part.
- Click on the rhythmic part to select it:

The right part of the dialog now displays the rhythmic
part parameters:

Here is a description of these parameters.
- The Rhythm construction mode
menu gives three ways to build the rhythm. The first
one is entitled Harmonics and is based on
rhythmic harmonics. A rhythm is assembled by a series
of single rhythmic values. Each value is defined by a
rhythmic harmonic node that can be added to
the rhythmic part.
- Click on the Harmonic(1) node to select
it:

The right part of the dialog now displays the
parameter of that rhythmic harmonic:

Here is a description of these parameters, which
define a single rhythmic harmonic. The final rhythm is
the combination of all rhythmic harmonics. By
harmonic, we mean something that is periodic and has a
cycle, a duration, after which the rhythm is there again.
- The Frequency parameter defines how many
rhythmic values will be included in one rhythmic
cycle. If the period is one 4/4 measure and the
frequency is "1", this rhythmic
harmonic will generate one note per measure.
- The Velocity parameter will determine
the MIDI note velocity of this harmonic, between
1 and 127. It influences the sound amplitude of
that note in the resulting melody.
- The Delay value is the duration after
which the note will be played, relative to the
beginning of the cycle. It is defined in quarter
notes and units. In a 4/4 period, with a
frequency "1" (one note per period), if
the Delay is set to 2 quarter notes, the
note will be played on the third beat of the 4/4
measure.
- The Duration value determines the
duration of the generated note, in quarter notes
and units. In a 4/4 period, with a frequency
"1" (one note per period), a duration
value of 3 quarter notes would create a dotted
half note every 4/4 period.
There can be several rhytmic harmonics that combine to
make any kind of rhythm. To add a new rhythmic harmonic,
right-click on the Rhythmic part and select the New
rhythmic harmonic item.
If you have an existing rhythm pattern, written in one
or more measures, there is an easy way to translate it
into a rhythmic part. Select these measures and copy them
(Edit menu, Copy item). Then click the Paste
button that is located just above the Rhythm
construction mode menu, in the Rhythmic part
parameters. Pizzicato remove the existing rhythmic
harmonics and creates a set of new hamonics that will
generate the same rhythm when applied as a vector.
- The second value of the Rhythm
construction mode menu is Fragmentation.
When you select this choice, four sliders called Levels
of fragmentation appear below the other
parameters:

The principle of rhythmic fragmentation is to divide
the main cycle (by default it is a 4/4 measure) into four
sections and to create all possible combinations of these
sections. In the default case where the cycle is a 4/4
measure, no fragmentation would be a whole note. This is
fragmentation number "0". A total fragmentation
would be four quarter notes. The first slider specifies
the fragmentation you want. "0" means no
fragmentation (one whole note) and "32" means
total fragmentation (four quarter notes). Intermediate
values explore all possible fragmentations of a whole
note. This is the first level of fragmentation.
The second level of fragmentation takes each duration
generated by the first level of fragmentation and does
exactly the same with that duration. For instance, if you
define 32 for both first and second levels, the first
level gives you four quarter notes and the second level
divides each quarter note into four sections, so that we
get a measure with sixteen 16th notes.
The levels three and four apply the same principle and
the note durations are less and less. Usually, with a one
measure cycle, we can use the first two levels. When the
cycle is longer, you can use more then two levels.
However, you may do as you want if you want to experiment
various special melodies.
- The last value of the Rhythm
construction mode menu is Original rhythm.
This means that Pizzicato will use the rhythm already
present in the destination measure where the vector
will be applied. You can for instance apply the
vector on an existing melody and the rhythm of the
melody will be used as it is. If no original rhythm
is present inside the destination measure of the
vector, quarter notes are used.
- The Total duration value is
expressed in quarter notes and units. The default
value is zero, which means that the vector period
duration is used. Otherwise, the specified value is
used for the period duration of this rhythmic
harmonic.
- The Duration value specifies
the duration of the note in %. When a quarter note
should be generated, a value of 50 % would produce an
eighth note.
- The Use of rhythm menu has
three values. The default one is Repeated,
which means that the harmonic is repeated every
cycle. The One time only value produces the
rhythm only once. The Stretched value
produces the rhythm only once, but will stretch the
full rhythm over the total number of periods. It will
just fit the timing of the rhythm to the duration of
the vector.
- The Monodic check box, when
checked, will avoid several rhythmic harmonics to
play at the same time (it is possible indeed that
several harmonic be defined and generate rhythms
crossing each others). So it makes the resulting
rhythm monodic (one voice at a time).
The velocity wave [Professional] [Composition Pro]
One or more Velocity waves may be added to a melodic
part. These waves will in fact influence the MIDI velocity of the
generated notes.
- To add a new velocity wave, right-click on the melodic
part and select the New velocity wave item. A
new icon
appears. If you select this
velocity wave, the right part of the dialog displays the
corresponding parameters:

These parameters are exactly the same as the melodic wave, but
the result here is to influence the MIDI velocity (sound
amplitude) of the notes and not their pitches.
As you can add several velocity waves, their combination
(addition) will produce a curve that will determine the velocity
of each note in the melodic part.
Additional examples [Professional] [Composition Pro]
The above descriptive theory may seem a bit abstract, so we
will give a practical example of how you can experiment with
music vectors.
- Create an new document in Pizzicato and open its
conductor view. Right-click on the document (green icon,
configuration 1) and select New vector...
- In configuration 3, expand the Basic instruments
node and select one instrument of your choice. We will
take for instance the flute (in the Woodwind
folder, Flutes subfolder). Drag the Flute
icon to the right part of the window and double-click it
to see the score.
- With the measure tool (double-click the measure), add
three measures.
- In the Windows menu, open the Graphic
editor... window.
- Drag the Musical vector icon from the document
into the first measure of the score.
- Double-click the Musical vector icon that is now
visible on the first measure.
- Reorganize your screen so that you have the following
layout:

The purpose is to see the score that will display the
resulting notes as you construct the vector structure. The
graphic editor window will also display the notes visually and
you will notice that the raw curve of the vector will also be
displayed, which is interesting to watch as you design a melodic
curve.
- Right-click on the selected vector node in the vector
dialog and select New melodic part.
- In the vector parameters, change the Amplitude
to 50 %, the Full period to 8 quarter notes and
the Number of periods to 2.
The graphic view should now display (you may need to scroll or
adjust the scale of that view):

- Click on the Rhythmic harmonic and set its Frequency
to 16 and its Duration to 0 quarter notes
and 240 units (which is an eighth note). The score now
displays:

The melodic curve follows an up and down shape and the rhythm
is 16 notes per period (the period being 2 measures). There are
two periods. The amplitude being set to 50 %, we get
approximately half an octave up and down from the central point.
The central point is C3 by default.
- Select the vector parameters, change the Basic note
to G3 and watch the transposition of the melody.
As there is no scale or chord associated with the measure, the
notes are selected as close as possible to the melody shape but
they do not sound quite melodic.
- By going into the Scales folder, then the Others
(7 notes), drag for instance the Oriental
scale on the first measure and the Hongarian major
in the third measure. Click the Update button of
the vector dialog and the notes become:

At any time you can listen to the score. You may even set the
loop to 4 measures and hear it in loop. You can then have a
direct feedback of the parameters modifications.
- Click on the melodic wave (called here Sine wave by
default) and test all possible values of the Wave
form menu. Watch the result and listen to it also.
When you reach the Free choice, click on the Edit...
button and draw an arbitrary curve, then click OK.
Watch and listen to the resulting melody. While doing
that, you can of course pick up other scales in the
library and drag and drop them into the measures. Here is
what we got for instance with a free curve:

- Click on the Harmonic part and select the Fragmentation
in the Rhythm construction mode. Set a
fragmentation of 32 for the first level (first slider),
but you may try other values to watch the influence. Try
now several values of the second fragmentation level. Try
also to modify the first level again. You will be able to
make numerous rhythmic patterns. You can listen to them
in loop to hear the sound result. Using the level three
and four will give some peculiar results, but you can try
and experiment them. Try also with other instruments,
just by dragging an instrument from the library into the
first measure.
You can also combine more curves together. For instance, let
us make a vector that has a period of two beats but that goes
slightly up on a four measure duration.
- To remove this melodic part, right-click on it (in the
vector dialog) and select the Remove this melodic
part. Then add a new melodic part to this vector
(right-click and select New melodic part).
- In the vector parameters, set the Full period to
two quarter notes and the Number of periods to
8.
- Click on the Rhythmic harmonic and set its Frequency
to 8 and its Duration to 0 quarter notes and 120
units (a sixteenth note).
- Click on the Melody 100% node and drag the
scroll bar completely to the left for the External
notes. This forces notes shorter than the 32nd to be
free but longer notes will always be adapted to fit the
current scale.
- Click on the Sine wave and set the Upper
range and the Lower range to 4.
- Right-click on the Melody 100% and select the New
melodic wave item. The melody suddenly changes.
Another sine wave has been added and contributes to the
melodic shape. We will transform this melodic wave into a
slowly rising curve over the 4 measures. While doing the
following modifications, please notice all the various
intermediate resulting melodies. You can experiment a lot
by changing a few parameters.
- Click on the new Sine wave node and change its Wave
form to an Up curve and set its Full
period to 16 quarter notes. To increase the range,
you can set its Upper range for instance to 24.
The curves and notes become:

There are numerous possibilities to create music vectors and
combine them together and with scales and chords. Just try for
yourself. Take each parameter and change it just to see and hear
the effect.
You can also use and edit the existing vector library that
goes with Pizzicato. You can explore them to see how they have
been constructed and copy them to modify them. You can do that on
a multi-instrument score and place different vectors in various
instruments and measures and create music composition just like
this.
Here are a few tips that you can use while working with
vectors:
- You can drag and drop a vector from one measure to
another. The vector is copied and becomes independant (if
you edit the original, the copy does not change).
- If you hold down the CTRL key while dragging and dropping
a vector from one measure to another, you create an Alias
of the vector. It is then displayed in italic green. An
alias is a copy that changes with the original vector.
The copy keeps a link to the original so that any
modification of the original will affect all alias copies
of that vector. You can use this if you work on a
multipart score and if you want to experiment changes to
a vector that must appear in several measures and
instruments.
- You can open two or more different vector dialog windows
and you can drag and drop the various nodes (Rhythmic
parts, melodic waves,...) between them. This can be
useful when you have created a rhythmic part or a melodic
part that you would like to use in another vector.
The music vectors library [Professional] [Composition Light] [Composition Pro]
The music composition libraries of Pizzicato contains
thousands of predefined music vectors. They are available in the Music
vectors folder. Remember that to use a vector, the only
thing to do is to drag and drop it to a measure in any score. It
will then generate the notes in that score, according to its
specifications. The library is classified as follows:
- Arpeggios - Soloist: A series of
arpeggio sequences by 1, 2 or 4 measures, with various
note durations and ranges, with numerous curves.
- Melodic structures 1 to 5: they
contain melodic patterns for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
instruments, with various intervals between instruments,
various ranges and rhythms, with a duration of 2 and 4
measures.
- Miscellaneous: some examples of
how one or more existing measures may be translated into
a vector. You can then apply it to a score with chords
and scales as an experiment. Notice that a full piece of
music can be translated into a vector, with the Paste
button as explained in this lesson.