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9/25/2002
scmnote 0.0.2 released
I implemented a lot of new things on the TODO list:
- Splitting into channels
- Setting channel volumes
- Setting channel instruments
- Changing duration unit
(i.e. quarter vs half vs septuplet etc)
- Changing the velocity of notes
- A repeater construct
- Changing the tempo
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9/19/2002
scmnote 0.0.1 released.
The elements of a scmnote file might as well be
called "constructions".
This initial release supports:
- single notes
- octaves, durations, accidentals
- lists of constructions
- simultaneous constructions
I'm doing this myself as of now, any other
coders are welcome!
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About
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In my search for notation editing software for
linux (and for windows before I saw the light),
I found nothing that is very satisfactory.
NoteEdit is the best I've found, but I want a
system that does not depend on any sound library or hardware - just converts
one disk format to another, which can then be played by any appropriate
program.
I plan on following this up with an editor that conceptually edits the "tree"
that is implied by the nested parentheses, which will automatically encompass
the idea of tracks, chords, and multiple melodies. The
Timidity++ player
does not have a facility to start midway through a file (at least I don't
know of any); the aforementioned tree structure remedies this. It can be output starting at
any node - i.e. any open parentheses - other than the channels
construct. This will enable the editor to merely output the file starting
at a given parentheses, and pipe it (though not with unix pipes) through
scmnote and on to Timidity++.
scmnote depends on guile... I have version 1.5.6, and I have no idea which
version is really necessary. I get the impression that Guile is pretty
unstable, but I use the
new "scm" interface (as opposed to the old "gh" one) so it should
stabilize and play nice.
Other notation formats of interest:
CMN-
Common Music Notation. Particularly similar, probably more
powerful,
but too verbose and redundant for my taste. The redundance comes from
the fact that rather than be a lisp-like data format, it is a big old
function call.
Lilypond - An exceedingly
high quality music typesetting format/software package from the
GNU project. It is modeled after TeX, and is too
print-oriented for easy use in synthetic
composition, but a scmnote to lilypond filter will absolutely
occur if scmnote gets off the ground (i.e. anyone but me uses it)
I have no intent of "competing" with any typesetting
software.
There are numerous XML file formats for music/notation.
I think they are
pretty pointless because XML is so verbose that in all but the
simplest situations they are as inaccesible as binaries (to
a user, obviously they are easy to parse - but so is lisp)
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Docs
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| A scmnote file (extension .sn) contains exactly
one valide scmnote item.
An item can be any of the following:
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| Description | Examples |
A single note, consisting of:
- pitch class
- octave - optional, continues in previous octave
- duration prolongers - each character 'o' trailing a note
extends it by one "duration unit", such as a quarter note
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c3
f#2oo
abboo
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a list of items: ( item item ... ) |
(a4 b c5 b4 ao g# a)
(c#3oo c# b2 a g#oo g#oo c#3ooooo)
(g3 b a c4 (d b a b) gooo)
; a list is an item, so it can be in a list
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a repeated item: (repeat
number
item) |
; breaking the law, without the rhythm
((repeat 3 (a2 b c3)) (repeat 2 (f2 g a)) f2 c3 b2)
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A simultaneously played list of items:
(sim item item ...) |
(sim (c3 c# d d# e e# f# g)
(e3 e# f# f## g# g## a# b)) ; look ma, major thirds
((sim c2o c3o g3o e4o)
(sim g1o b2o (g3 f3) d4o) (sim c2o e3o g3o c4o))
; I - V - V7 - I
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Numeric specifiers: (keyword value)
keywords are (synonyms next to each other):
vol volume, vel velocity, tempo,
inst instrument
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((tempo 40) a3 b c4 d (tempo 55) d# e f f# g)
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Changing the fraction of a quarter note that each "duration" unit
represents:
(dur number)
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(c3oo (dur 1 3) c d b2 (dur 3 1) c3) ; 3 beats, triplet, 3 beats
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A mapping of a keyword over an item:
(map (keyword
<value duration-prolonger>*) item)
Or an interpolation of a keyword over an item,
same as map, but smoothly interpolated
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(map (velocity 60 o 65 oo 75 oooo 120) (c4o doo gooo c))
(interpolate (velocity 60 o 65 oo 75 oooo 120) (c4o doo gooo c))
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splitting of the input into channels (direct correlation to midi, sorry)
(channels item*)
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(channels (a3 b c4) (c5 b4 a))
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