Finding Midi Rehearsal Files
The following are some search engines for finding MIDI rehearsal files. If you find one we need that's not on our list yet, please
submit the link using
this form or
contact
Jeff Kelley
Rehearsal Tools
You can download a free copy of the vanBasco "Karaoke Player" which works very well for playing
midi rehearsal files. They also have a decent search engine for finding free midi files (in parts!) for rehearsal purposes.
Get vanBasco's Karaoke Player NOW - totally FREE!
Note for Vista users: Install the player from an id with Administrator privileges.
When you run the installer "vkaraoke.exe", please right-click it and choose "Run As ..." and then select an administrator account.
When you launch a midi file with the Karaoke Player, you will see several windows. One of them is the 'Midi Output' window...
...which shows the various electronic "instruments" that the midi file was recorded with. Choral rehearsal files are often recorded so that
each different voice part is represented by it's own instrument (and it's not always a voice, it could be a trombone or clarinet or whatever).
In the example above, the 7-part a capella Biebel
Ave Maria is recorded with various electronic wind and string instruments representing the different voice parts.
In this case the first choir tenor I part is represented by the Recorder.
One other thing to know: There are two columns of buttons down the left side, red and gray. Here is a shot of the Midi Output window
showing the 4-part Bach Motet #6 (where Sop/Alto/Tenor/Bass are all recorded as "Choir Aahs" instruments)...
If you click the gray button (as
I have done next to my Tenor part), it will "light up" and that particular part will play louder than the other parts so you can
hear it better for rehearsal. You can also click the red buttons to turn off all but, say, your part and the organ accompaniment. There's
another window that pops up that allows you to play with speed, volumne (and even pitch!).
Caveat: These files are recorded by volunteers, often amateurs, who may or may not be working off the same score as you are. If you hear a
note that just doesn't seem right, it probably isn't ...
don't learn the wrong note! -- just let us know and maybe we can fix it. ;-)
After you install the VanBasco player, clicking on one of the links in the above table should play the song in the Karaoke Player window.
If it does not (for instance if it plays in the Windows Media Player or it plays using Quicktime), try re-installing the player and make sure
the following items are checked when you get to this install dialog:
...If it still doesn't play and if you are using FireFox, go to Tools->Options->Applications; find the entries for "vanBasco's Karaoke Player" content type
and use the pull-down on the right to switch from Quicktime to vanBasco.
...If it still doesn't play using the Karaoke player, please
contact us
and we'll figure out how to correct your browser settings for you.
