Play and stop

Press Play and, after the count, the band comes in. Stop ends it. You can use the mouse or the keys.

The two buttons

• Play … the backing starts. While it is going, the button changes to “Playing”
• Stop … it stops

Use the keys

• Space … switches between Play and Stop
• Esc … Stop. If something is open, Esc closes that first. The order is News → How to use → Find a tune → Settings → Mix → Record options → Stop

If Space does nothing, a text field or a button is highlighted. Click an empty part of the chart once, then press Space. While How to use is open, the other keys do nothing.

The count

A one-bar count plays first (four clicks on a tune in 4). The status line shows “Count-in.”

If you do not want it, clear the Count-in check under Settings → Click. The key is I (only while stopped). In the same place you choose whether beat 1 is stronger or every click is even (Mode), and you set Click level. The click sounds only while stopped and during the count. Once the backing starts, it goes quiet.

Tempo

The number labeled BPM is the tempo (beats in one minute). From 40 to 300. The − + beside it, or - = on the keyboard, move it by 1. With Shift held, they move by 5. You cannot change it while playing.

Where to start

Click a bar on the chart and that bar becomes the start. On a tune with rehearsal marks (A, B, and the other section letters), pick from the Mark list. , and . on the keyboard also move back and forward. All of these work only while stopped.

Repeating the chorus

When the form reaches the end, it goes back to the top and keeps going until you stop. The status line shows which time through you are on: “ch 1,” “ch 2.” Settings such as 2-feel and Fills that say “from this chorus” watch that count.

Dynamics

The Dynamics list is the starting level (from pp to ff. It starts at mf). The key is D. Add Shift and it gets softer.

While you play, the band does not simply get louder and louder. It moves like this:

• Inside one chorus, it responds a little to how strong you play. It does not jump many steps from the start (play the keyboard while it is still pp, and it does not jump straight to p or mp)
• The last 4 bars of the chorus lift a little (a usual part of the form). The next chorus starts one step higher only if you actually played during that chorus (home↑ on the status line). If you played nothing, it stays at the starting dynamic
• Only when you have clearly been playing softer does the next chorus start one step lower (home↓)
• If Vel on the on-screen keyboard is fixed, the “relative strength” the band hears barely moves

Brushes are separate from Dynamics. Off means sticks. Only on Ballad are brushes locked on.

When Play will not start

If 🔒 sits beside the tune name, pressing Play does not start. The status line tells you to pick a practice tune or a free tune. See Paid tunes and the lock. If there is no sound at all, see No sound.