User Manual
51A User’s Guide to Garritan World Instruments
2. Note Velocity
(Attack for Sustaining Instruments—Volume for Percussive Instruments)
Virtually all keyboards made today support a feature called “Note Velocity” that refers to how hard
you strike a given key. e harder you press down a key, the harder and sharper the attack. e more
gently you hit the key, the softer the attack.
Applying proper accentuation brings clarity and emphasis to the notes being played. It also shapes the
rhythm and ow of a piece of music. e degree of force you apply to the keys will vary depending
on the instrument selected and the musical context. With wind instruments, accents are made by
forceful “tonguing” to emphasize the attack of certain notes. With bowed strings, like the erhu, notes
are emphasized by how hard the player digs the bow into the string. Whenever you feel that a note
should be accented, do it by striking the key harder.
It is important to note that this control relates to attack strength and is, for the most part, indepen-
dent of volume. Wind instruments in Garritan World Instruments have volume controlled by the
Mod Wheel. So, don’t always try to play notes louder by banging on the keyboard, or the result may
be a heavily accented note that you did not intend.
Percussive instruments use note velocity for volume and volume-related timbre changes, in addition
to attacks. Plucked strings will also use note velocity for volume and dynamic. e Mod Wheel has
no eect on these instruments.