Musical Phrases

Before we can alter a piece of music, we first need to identify the songs parts and phrases. One of the best ways to do this is by using Markers, a list of times that mark significant spots in the audio file. This is especially helpful when the visual “fingerprint” of the audio doesn’t have clear delineation such as in this song.

1. Start by opening the following file: “1 – Window.mp3” a song by The Album Leaf.
2. In Waveform View, play the entire song. Each time you identify a change in phrase, create a new marker [M].  You’ll see symbols similar to the Playhead appear as well as a list in the markers window. 
   

3. Once you’ve finished, go back and rename the makers (by double clicking their names) to be something meaningful, trying to identify matching and similar musical ideas. If you don’t see the markers window, you can find it under Window > Markers.