The objects and interfaces in this category are used in the real-time composition of music. Except for the composer itself, they represent data loaded from a file created in an application such as DirectMusic Producer. For a closer look at the role of each object, see Music Composition.
Methods of the IDirectMusicComposer interface allow an application to compose musical segments and transitions, using chordmaps, styles, and templates created by a human author.
Styles contain basic information about a piece of music, including note patterns. Styles often form part of authored segments, where they do most of their work behind the scenes. They can also be used to compose entirely new segments at run time. Styles are represented by the IDirectMusicStyle interface.
A DirectMusicChordMap object represents a collection of chords and pathways used by DirectMusicComposer in determining the chord progression in a piece of music.
The IDirectMusicChordMap interface is obtained for a DirectMusicChordMap object loaded from a file. A pointer to this interface is passed to the methods of IDirectMusicComposer so that a segment or transition can be composed at run time using the authored chordmap. You can also change the chord pattern of an existing segment by applying a new chordmap.
Templates are a special type of DirectMusicSegment object. They are never played directly but are used by the DirectMusicComposer in the real-time construction of segments based on styles and chordmaps.