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Digital Piano Daily Practice
v 1.0.0
May 9, 2023
Effective and regular practice is essential to
progress in learning an instrument. While your piano
teacher can guide you in the right direction, DPDP
can help you maintain a consistent practice
schedule.
To use DPDP, you'll need a digital piano, a MIDI
connection, and an internet connection. Once set up,
DPDP can track your real-time practice time,
identify the chords you're playing, display the
notes you're hitting, and record your performances
for self-evaluation.
Here are some examples of how DPDP can help you
practice:
If you're working from a chord chart, DPDP can
identify the chords you're playing and show you the
correct fingering on its virtual keyboard.
If you're reading sheet music, DPDP can display the
notes you're playing in real time.
If you need to work on a specific passage requiring
both hands, DPDP lets you record and loop your left
hand so you can practice your right hand separately.
If you're working on rhythm, DPDP offers multiple
options to help you keep time, including a
metronome, vocal metronome, and drum machine.
If you want to share your progress with your piano
teacher, you can easily record and send your
performance directly from DPDP.
And if you're curious about how much time you've
actually spent practicing throughout the day, DPDP
can track and display your total practice time.
Overall, DPDP is a powerful tool that can help you
develop and maintain a consistent practice routine,
and make the most of your time spent learning an
instrument.
Overview of the interface
As you hover your mouse over an element in the
interface, an explanation of that element will
appear at the bottom of the window.
At the top of the window, there is an area (A)
that includes all of the general functions and a
clock.
In area B,
you'll find the logbook that summarizes your
practice time.
The bottom of the window has area C,
which is used for keyboard management and
visualization, and an area that displays the
current position in the music being played.
There are six areas in the middle of the window:
Chord (D),
Notes (E),
Tracks (F),
Time Counter (G),
and Tempo (H).
The top and bottom areas (A,
B,
I,
C)
are always visible, while the central areas can be
expanded to occupy maximum space.
To increase or decrease the size of a central
area, you can click on the marker located at the
bottom-right or right-click on it.
Additionally, some objects may have a context menu
that can be accessed by right-clicking on them,
which will allow you to configure them.
Here is the details of the areas:
Menu and Clock area
Here, you can access DPDP's general
functionalities.
A:
System messages will be displayed in this section.
These messages are sent by our server.
B:
You can set an alarm in this section. The alarm
will notify you with a sound and visual signal
after a certain amount of time has passed. This
feature can be useful if you divide your practice
time into different sections, such as 20 minutes
of warm-up, 20 minutes of sheet music reading, and
20 minutes of improvisation.
C:
This section allows for general configuration.
D:
You can manage your usage license in this section
(see the chapter at the end of the manual for more
information).
E:
The quiz mode is located in this section. In this
mode, you will construct increasingly complex
chords (see the chapter at the end of the manual
for more information).
F:
This section opens this user manual.
G:
You can send an email to technical support or a
third party from this section. When you send an
email to technical support, information about your
hardware configuration is automatically added.
H:
You can toggle between full-screen mode and normal
screen in this section.
I:
This section displays the current time.
The menu and clock area is always present.
Logbook area
A Here, you
can view your daily practice times. Right-click to
set the number of days shown and export the data
in spreadsheet format.
B This section
displays the total practice time since the first
launch of DPDP. Click on it to view associated
statistics.
This area is always present.
Virtual Keyboard Area
A This area displays
the keys pressed on your piano. Right-click to
hide/show the note names, choose the first
octave represented, and the number of octaves.
Accidentals are displayed based on the selected
key signature.
Clicking on a
key simulates pressing the key on your piano,
producing sound and recording the note if you're
in track recording mode. Holding down the shift
key on your keyboard adds the note to create
chords.
B:
A light turns on when a key is pressed on the
piano, surrounded by a color if the pedal is
pressed. If not, you need to configure the MIDI
input through the E
icon. You'll define which MIDI device to use for
input and output, as well as the MIDI channel
used for input.
In some cases, such as waking from sleep, the
MIDI connection may be lost. An icon allows you
to reset the MIDI connection D.
C:
This section displays the number of MIDI events
received.
F:
This section indicates that a track recording is
in progress.
G:
This section allows you to enter a chord name
and displays it on the keyboard. If you're in
Quiz mode, the Quiz chord is displayed.You can
also enter a comma separated list of chords,
they will be played successively. For example
C,Dm,Am7,G.
The virtual keyboard area is always present.
"Position in the music" area
A
This section displays the current position in the
music when a track is playing. You can click on it
to change the position.
B:
This section displays the total duration of the
track.
C:
Here you can set the start and end of playback.
The "Position in the music" area is always
present.
Chord area
A
The currently played chord is displayed in this
section. A chord comprises at least three distinct
note pitches. It can be notes played on your piano
or on a currently interpreted MIDI track.
The chord is displayed in international notation
(A, B, ...), Italian notation (Do, Ré, ...), or
jazz notation (C- for Cm, ...). You can set this
by right-clicking on the area.
Other possible names for the given notes are
suggested below the chord.
The chord display considers the key signature
chosen in the "Notes" area. If a key is imposed,
the displayed chord will be searched first in the
modal array.
You can make this area full screen using the
keyboard shortcut A.
The Chord area is always present.
Notes area
B
The Notes area displays the notes that are
currently being played on the piano or on a MIDI
track being interpreted.
A
The notes are shown with corresponding alterations
for the chosen key signature, which also affects
the display of notes on the virtual keyboard.
Right-clicking the area provides options to adjust
the scale to the current pitch range and display
note names.
Note that selecting a key other than "None"
affects the search for chord names in the modal
array.
To view a chord written on sheet music, you can
play it on the piano and visually verify its
accuracy using the displayed notes.
The keyboard shortcut to expand this area to full
screen is N.
Example of use:
I see a chord written on a sheet music, I play it on
the piano and visually check its accuracy.
Tracks area
Recording and listening to your playing is
crucial for monitoring progress and finding ways
to improve. If you feel stuck, listening to
recordings from the past can be a great way to
stay motivated!
A "track" refers to a precise recording of all
the sounds produced by your piano. It is saved in
a Midi file format that is recognized by most
music software.
A The
tracks list is sorted by date in descending order,
with the most recent recordings appearing at the
top. Right-clicking on a track opens a context
menu with various options, including exporting the
track in different digital formats and selecting
the playback device (Midi or digital).
To quickly maximize this area, use the keyboard
shortcut P.
Recording
As soon as you record a track from your piano, it
will be saved automatically. Afterwards, you have
the option to delete it (B),
rename it (C)
or view it as sheet music (I).
When recording starts, it will begin with the
first Midi event received, including pedal events.
If you choose to record a track with the
metronome, the total duration will be adjusted to
fit an exact measure at the end of the recording.
Recording also starts at the beginning of a
measure, allowing for synchronized loop playback.
The duration of the recording in seconds will be
displayed.
Note: If you need to set the Midi input device and
channel, please refer to the "Keyboard" chapter.
Playback
D
The selected track is played. If the metronome is
active, it will adapt to the meter and tempo
of the track being played. Keyboard shortcuts
are available for transposing by a semitone: "-"
will lower it by a semitone, "+" will raise it by a
semitone, "9" will lower it by an octave, "6" will
raise it by an octave, and "0" will return it to the
original value. The offset will be displayed on the
icon.
H
The overall volume of the track can be adjusted
using a slider. This will also affect the volume of
the echo for silent keyboards.
The tempo of the track can be adjusted as well (see
the "Tempo" chapter).
E
During playback, you can request the track to
repeat.
The corresponding area will show the current
position within the track.
The played notes will be represented on the virtual
keyboard with the pressed keys, on the staves in
classical notation, and with the name of the chord.
While a track is playing, the drums and spoken
metronome will be muted.
Playback and recording
F
Simultaneous Playback and Recording:
This mode enables you to play back and record
simultaneously, allowing you to record on the
track while creating a new track containing all
that has been played. This feature is also
compatible with loop mode.
To help you synchronize with the beat, a metronome
measure will play at the beginning.
Here's an example of how you can use this feature:
Let's say you want to record a blues left hand on
12 measures. Once recorded, you can play it back
in a loop while working on your right hand,
allowing you to perfect your performance.
Counter area
Undoubtedly the most useful section of the
application.
It displays your daily practice time in section A.
The counter is reset every day at midnight and
shows the amount of time you've practiced,
regardless of whether you've practiced for short
or long sessions. This feature enables you to keep
track of the exact amount of time you've spent
practicing.
The daily duration will be recorded in the
calendar, allowing for a more comprehensive
follow-up.
Clicking on the counter records the intermediate
duration and displays it.
You can toggle between the daily practice time and
the total time since the application was launched
by clicking B.
To reset the intermediate times and total
duration, select C.
The daily practice time will remain unchanged.
You can switch the area to "full window" using the
keyboard shortcut C
This area is always present.
Tempo area
The tempo area is used to define the speed of
music playback.
A
You can choose to have the tempo materialized by a
metronome, drums, or spoken voice.
By right-clicking, you can set the playing
parameters for each of these options:
- For the metronome, you can select the output
device (MIDI, digital) and the instruments to use.
- For the drums, you can choose the output device
(MIDI, digital).
- For the spoken voice, you can select the playing
mode and voice. In the list of voices, DPDP
exclusive voices are marked with a star, the
others are system voices and may vary.
You can also mute specific beats, such as only
keeping the first and third beats on the 4 beats
of a 4/4 time signature.
B
You can choose the meter (measure division) or, if
drums are active and the type of drum kit
C
provides quick access to predefined tempos.
In section D,
you can make fine adjustments to the tempo.
Sections E,
F,
and G
are used to adjust the volume of the metronome,
drums, and spoken voice, respectively.
You can switch the area to "full window" using the
keyboard shortcut T.
Managing License Usage
The usage license for DPDP software is personal and
linked to your email address.
The email address used during the purchase is the
one associated with your license.
You can install DPDP on up to three computers that
run on any operating system supported by DPDP.
The "Acquire" option lets you connect to the store
for purchasing additional licenses.
If you give away or sell your computer, you should
use the "Unregister" option to remove the license
information.
By using the "Add this computer" option, you can add
a new computer to the list of authorized devices to
use the license. By default, you are allowed to
authorize three computers. After adding a new
computer, a confirmation email will be sent to you,
and if you exceed the maximum number of authorized
computers, the oldest one will be removed from the
list.
In case you change your email address, you need to
use the "Change my email" option to notify the
license management server of the update.
If you are using a computer without an internet
connection, you can use the "Register offline"
option to generate a code that you can enter into
the software after validation by email.
General Preferences
In the general preferences, you can customize
several settings, including:
- Interface language selection
- Mapping certain MIDI keyboard keys to specific
functions within the software:
- G5 plays music
- G#5 activates loop mode
- A5 starts recording
- A#5 toggles metronome on/off
- B5 toggles drums on/off
- C6 toggles vocal metronome on/off
- Choosing the location on your hard drive where
your data is saved, including statistics,
tracks, and other information
- Selecting either a dark or light mode for the
interface
- Configuring the footer for printing, which is
the text added to the bottom of each printed
page
Some sequences can be used to be substituted by
a value:
$$: the character $
$D: current date with
standard display, in the current language
$D[xxx]: current date
with user display, in the current language
$F: file name
$H: current time
$M: total duration of
the music in mm:ss format
$N: number of pages
$P: page number
$Q: page number, only
if there are at least two pages
$T: document title
$Y: year of creation of
the document
The user display of the
date is defined as follows:
[xxx]
where xxx can contain
$A Full day name
$a Abbreviated day name
$e Index of the day in
the month (01-31)
$B Full month name
$b Abbreviated month
name
$m Month index (01-12)
$H Hour (00-23)
$M Minute (00-59)
$S Second (00-59)
$Y 4-digit year
$y 2-digit year
- Checking for software updates by querying the
server
- Erasing all DPDP data, which should be used
when you give away your computer.
Quiz mode
Quiz
mode is a feature that challenges you to identify
increasingly complex chords on your keyboard.
The
name of the chord is displayed and you need to
press the corresponding keys to play it. You can
also have the name of the chord pronounced and the
chord played for you as a reference.
If you correctly identify the keys, you can
proceed to the next chord. To make the challenge
more difficult, you can request to be tested on
chord inversions or even have the chords played
across both hands.
If you struggle to find the correct keys, you can
click the chord search icon to display the chord
on a virtual keyboard.
As a reminder, chord inversions involve
rearranging the order of the notes in a chord. For
instance, a C major chord with the notes C, E, and
G can be played in its first inversion by placing
the third note (E) at the bottom, resulting in the
chord E, G, C (notated as C/E). In the second
inversion, the fifth note (G) is placed at the
bottom, resulting in the chord G, C, E (notated as
C/G).
Shared Data
In
general preferences you can select the location
where your data such as statistics, tracks, etc.,
are saved.
This
location can be on a shared space such as iCloud
or OneDrive. In this case, the data will be shared
between your different computers, but only one
computer can access the data at a time.
Visualization/Printing
A
Representation as sheet music:
B
Printer selection
C
Page change
D
Visualization scale.
E
Left hand/right hand separation
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I have a computer running macOS and another
running Windows, is that a problem?
A: No, licenses are independent of the operating
system. You can install and use the software on
both computers.
Q: After coming out of sleep mode, my computer
no longer receives MIDI events, what should I
do?
A: You can use the reset icon above the virtual
keyboard to fix this issue. Click on the reset
icon and try playing notes on your keyboard again.
Q: What essential files should I copy to
preserve my data?
A: All the files you create are located in the
Documents folder under the "Myriad
Documents/Digital Piano Daily Practice" subfolder.
The main file that records your daily practice
times is "Myriad Documents/Digital Piano Daily
Practice/Data/Calendar.txt". You should make a
backup copy of this file to preserve your practice
data.
Q: How do I know that the license has
been taken into account and that I am on the
full version?
A:In the logo (at the top and in the middle of the
window), after the version, the word "Trial" must
not appear.
Q: How to chat with other users?
Log in to the Discussion Forum. You have a quick
shortcut via right click on the logo (at the top
and in the middle of the window). Here is
the URL :
https://www.myriad-online.com/cgi-bin/bbs/YaBB.pl?board=DPDP
Q: If I sell my computer, what should I do to
avoid spreading my license?
A: To avoid spreading your license, you should
unregister the software from your computer before
selling it. In the license management box, click
on "Unregister" to remove the license information
from your computer.
Q: If I sell my computer, what should I do to
avoid spreading my personal data?
A: To avoid spreading your personal data, you
should perform a full reset of the software before
selling your computer. In the configuration box,
click on "Full reset" to erase your personal data
after confirmation.
Q: What happens if I use the software on more
computers than allowed?
A: The software license allows you to install and
use the software on a maximum of three computers.
If you install and use the software on more
computers than allowed, the oldest computer
registered to your license will be automatically
unregistered.
Q: The computer I'm using doesn't have an
internet connection, how do I validate my
license?
A: If your computer does not have an internet
connection, you can validate your license offline.
In the license management box, click on "Register
offline". You will receive a code by email that
you can enter to validate your license.
Q: My keyboard is silent, how can I hear the
notes I play?
A: To hear the notes you play on your
keyboard, you need to activate the echo on the
SoftSynth (software synthesizer integrated into
DPDP). Go to the MIDI configuration and enable the
SoftSynth echo.
Q: When I start the metronome, I don't hear
anything, why?
A: If you don't hear anything when you start
the metronome, there are a few things you can
check:
- Make sure you have selected the correct output
device for the metronome (right-click on its
icon to check).
- If you have chosen MIDI as the output device,
check that your keyboard is set to GM standard.
- Check that the metronome volume is not set to
zero (you can adjust the volume below the
metronome).
- Check that you haven't disabled all the beats
(right-click on the metronome icon and select
the beats to play).
Q: How to create a portable
version?
A: A portable version gathers all the data of
the application, the application itself, and your
data in the same folder or on a USB key.
This allows you to work on multiple computers with
the same data.
On Windows:
Launch the DPDP
installer, click "Next" then "Accept"
Click "Custom installation"
to activate it
After "Destination folder"
click on "Browse" and choose a location, for
example "Documents"
Click "Next" and activate
"Portable" then "Next" to start the
installation.
All your data files and
preferences will be located in the DPDP folder
created at the chosen location.
To launch DPDP, go to the
created folder and double-click on DPDP.
On macOS:
Copy "Digital
Piano Daily Practice.app" to the USB key by drag
and dropping it from the .dmg file.
Copy the "portable.txt" file
at the same level.
Q: What happens if I rename
the USB key?
A: You will need to validate your license for
this new environment.
Q: Can I create a USB key with both Windows and
macOS versions of DPDP?
A: Yes. You will need an MS-DOS formatted key.
Create a portable version for each platform at the
root of the key. They will share the same user
data: the Myriad Documents folder.
Q: How do I create an MS-DOS formatted key on
macOS?
A: Insert the key. Launch "Disk Utility".
Select the key from the list and click "Erase".
In the list of available formats, choose MS-DOS
(FAT).
Q: How can several licenses (several users)
coexist on the same computer?
A: It is recommended, when several people use the
same computer, to create a separate session for
each person. Thus preferences and documents will
be independent.
You can also create portable versions in different
folders.
Keyboard shortcuts
Space: starts/stops the playback of the track. If
the total time counter is in full window mode,
starts/stops this counter and saves intermediate
times.
A: Toggles the full window mode for chord name
B: Toggles the "loop play" mode
C: Toggles the full window mode for time counter
D: Toggles the drum play mode
F: Toggles the"full screen" mode
N: Toggles the full window mode for displaying
notes as staves
I: Toggles the "dark" mode of the interface
M: Toggles the metronome mode
P: Toggles the full window mode for tracks
T: Toggles the full window mode for tempo
V: Toggles the spoken metronome mode
Z: Exits full window mode
Left arrow: Decreases tempo
Right arrow: Increases tempo
Up arrow: Increases general volume
Down arrow: Decreases general volume
+ (numeric keypad): Increases transposition by one
semitone
- (numeric keypad): Decreases transposition by one
semitone
6 (numeric keypad): Increases transposition by one
octave
9 (numeric keypad): Decreases transposition by one
octave
0 (numeric keypad): Removes transposition
Command + Q: Quits the application
Glossary
Meter: The meter is a visual display that shows
the rhythmic structure of the music. It helps the
musician keep track of the timing and beats in the
music.
Pitch range: The pitch range refers to the lowest
and highest notes that can be played in the music.
It determines the overall range of the music and
can be adjusted to fit different instruments or
vocal ranges.
MIDI: MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
is a protocol that allows electronic musical
devices to communicate with each other. It is used
to transfer data such as note information, timing,
and control signals between devices.
Modal array: The modal array is a set of chords
that can be played in a given key signature. It
provides a framework for creating harmonic
progressions and melodies that fit within the key
of the music.
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