CTK-720 smf converter & softwares

[klr650]

I just got a CTK-720, and want to create my own lessons on my pc and send then to the keyboard via USB. I downloaded the SMF Converter from Casio, coverted a MIDI file to CM2, but could not send it to the keyboard ("no response"). Has someone got this to work??

In addition, is there a software that can create a playlist of MIDI files on the pc, press Play, and play all the songs on the keyboard in sequence (tracklist)?

Right now, the only software I installed on my PC is Midipiano. Is there another software you guys can recommend?

Thanks!

 

[A.Dawson]

WinAmp will play MIDI files, even KAR files, (karaoke format). Speaking of which KaraFun will also play MIDI files, but that's geared more toward using a PC as a karaoke machine. In any case, they both will play a list of MIDI files.

 

[A.Dawson]

As for learning from MIDI files that you find on the net or create yourself, they have to be encoded with the right notes encoded for the correct hand, being on one of the 2 MIDI "navigate channels". (I find that if I play back a MIDI in my CTK-5000 and it doesn't show the notes on the staff display, I just change the keyboard's navigate-channels to something different so the staff and keyboard shows the notes, but they will not be arranged for the correct hand. Its default navigate channels are 4 and 5, usually setting it to 1 and 2 will do the trick.)

But aside that, for learning from MIDI files on keyboard you might want to consider a program called Synthesia. This displays a MIDI song in a "Guitar Hero" game style. The colored notes descend the screen and you have to hit the right keys on the keyboard. I'm one of those lifelong musicians (50+ yrs. old) who still has to play the "every good boy does fine" and "face" game if I want to find a tune in standard notation, if I can't decipher it by ear. If there's a simpler and better way, I'm all for that. For example, when I was learning Hammer Dulcimer, the strings are not tuned in any standard pattern (any 4 strings spaced 1-string apart are actually in a Maj7 arrangement), making standard keyboard notation hopelessly useless/more confusing. They devised a better and more efficient tablature for that instrument that depicts the actual string/note patterns.