# Play\_pattern\_timed time (rtfm)

**URL:** <https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282>\
**Category:** Support, Help & Resources\
**Created:** [March 20, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282 "2021-03-20T14:26:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nlb](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/in-thread.sonic-pi.net/nlb/32/997_2.png) [@nlb](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/nlb)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282/1 "2021-03-20T14:26:49Z")

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Hi,

What do you think of the strange behaviour ? Spi 3.3.1 on windows 10.

```ruby
live_loop :issuePatternTimed do
  
  use_synth :piano
  
  
  # this works
  play_pattern_timed [:c, :g, :c5, :g5], [1, 2]
  sample :drum_cymbal_hard
  sleep 2
  
  # this doesn't
  # example4 in the doc claims it should plays as far as there are some durations right ?
  use_synth :sine
  play_pattern_timed [60, 65], [0.125, 0.125, 0.5, 0.5, 1, 1, 1.5, 1.5]
  sample :drum_cymbal_hard
  sleep 2
  
  # the idea was to use a variable
  use_synth :saw
  n = (scale :c4, :ritusen).tick
  puts n
  play_pattern_timed [n], [0.25, 2, 0.25, 0.75]
  sample :drum_cymbal_hard
  sleep 2
end

```

Cheers

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nechoj](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/in-thread.sonic-pi.net/nechoj/32/1814_2.png) [@Nechoj](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/Nechoj)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282/2 "2021-03-20T14:34:48Z")

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The number of notes played is determined by the first argument of `play_pattern_timed`. Putting more times won’t play more notes. Use e.g.:

```ruby
play_pattern_timed (knit 60, 4, 65, 4), [0.125, 0.125, 0.5, 0.5, 1, 1, 1.5, 1.5]

```

or

```ruby
play_pattern_timed [60, 65]*4, [0.125, 0.125, 0.5, 0.5, 1, 1, 1.5, 1.5]

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nlb](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/in-thread.sonic-pi.net/nlb/32/997_2.png) [@nlb](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/nlb)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282/3 "2021-03-20T14:46:33Z")

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Oupss my bad,

![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/sonic_pi/original/2X/2/2a95367964a6b34441e0bacbc24c8c7e01ed4a83.png)

i just don’t read 🙂  
So i delete this post in 5 minutes

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nechoj](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/in-thread.sonic-pi.net/nechoj/32/1814_2.png) [@Nechoj](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/Nechoj)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282/4 "2021-03-20T14:47:18Z")

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Why delete? People want to learn from reading posts …

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nlb](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/in-thread.sonic-pi.net/nlb/32/997_2.png) [@nlb](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/nlb)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/play-pattern-timed-time-rtfm/5282/5 "2021-03-20T15:01:32Z")

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Ok so

how to play each note of a scale via play\_pattern\_timed ?

```ruby
live_loop :melody do
  use_bpm 180
  use_synth_defaults sustain: [1, 0.5, 0.2].tick, amp: 8
  with_fx :echo, mix: [0.25, 0.5].tick('m'), phase: 1.25 do
    use_synth :kalimba
    play_pattern_timed (scale :c4, :ritusen), [0.25, 2, 0.25, 0.75]
  end
end

```

Let’s have a little sleep