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48 Chapter 6 Tutorial 4: Playing and Recording Software Instruments
If you have a USB or MIDI keyboard connected to your computer, you can play notes
and hear the Software Instrument right away. Even without a keyboard connected, you
can play Software Instruments with the Musical Typing keyboard or onscreen keyboard.
Playing Software Instruments with Musical Typing
With Musical Typing, you can play and record Software Instruments using your
computer keyboard. When you show the Musical Typing window, you can play the top
and middle rows of your computer keyboard just like the keys on a music keyboard to
play notes.
To show the Musical Typing window:
m Choose Window > Musical Typing (or press Command–Shift–K).
If the onscreen keyboard is visible, you can switch to the Musical Typing window by
clicking the Musical Typing button on the left side of the window.
To play notes using Musical Typing:
m With the Musical Typing window open, play the keys shown on the Musical Typing
keyboard.
 The keys in the middle row of your computer keyboard play the “white keys” on the
Musical Typing keyboard, in a one and one-half octave range from C through F.
 The keys W, E, T, Y, U, O, and P in the top row of your computer keyboard play the
“black keys” (sharps and flats).
To move up or down by octaves, do one of the following:
 Press Z to move down by an octave.
 Press X to move up by an octave.
 Click the small keyboard at the top of the Musical Typing window to move to the
octave shown, or drag the blue rectangle. The blue rectangle shows the current
range of Musical Typing.