Author Topic: Computer music (towards notation) production.  (Read 1976 times)

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Offline squigglev2

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Computer music (towards notation) production.
« on: June 23, 2018, 02:52:13 pm »
Just wondering if any here have played with any. I’m not talking about  recording and producing music via computer to eg. produce a CD which I’m sure could be a vast subject in its own rights but trying to get a computer to understand a form of “notation” and to produce some form of musical output, sound or score from that.

I’ll say  at this point, I’m not a sight reader of music but do understand the basics of music theory.

One of the most enduring and popular systems is midi.  This, while many notation systems may use it for sound output and a more dedicated sequencer program may also produce a score (there are big overlaps)  is really a set of instructions (like play this note on this electronic device at this time point and with this sound.. It’s getting towards 20 years since I last really played with this but did at one time have some fun with an early version of Cakewalk (when it was just sequencer software) and trying to make simple arrangements of for example folk melodies.

I’ve long “retired” from this too but at one time I had a bit of experience with abc.  This is a text base notation system which in essence pretty much represents notes on a score. I’ll give an example:

X:1
T:The Kesh Jig
O:Ireland
S:John B. Walsh Session Tunes
R:Jig
M:6/8
K:G
P:A
|:D|"G"~G3 GAB|"D"ABA ABd|"G"edd gdd|"G"edB "D"dBA|
    "G"~G3 GAB|"D"ABA ABd|"G"edd gdB|"D"AGF "G"G2:|
P:B
|:A|"G"~B3 dBd|"C"ege "G"dBG|"G"~B3 dBG|"D"ABA AGA|
    "G"BAB dBd|"C"ege "G"dBd|"G"gfg "D"aga|"G"bgf g2:|

Which if you were to copy and paste for example into http://www.mandolintab.net/abcconverter.php   (actually something I glued together when it was on another site – it just runs a few clever programs behind the scenes),and we can get a score, midi, change key and try to produce some primitive tablatures.

abc is incredibly poplar with folk music, especially the jig and reel type tunes where there are 10s of thousand tunes in this format.  But is less used in other areas and I think gets harder to handle as the complexity of a piece increases.

I’ve just been caught up in looking at lilypond which is another text based system but probably more geared to “typesetting” more complex scores.

There are graphic systems for notation and (not that I’ve ever tried them), Sibelius and Finale would come to mind as big players on that.

Any others?

Offline Ian

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Re: Computer music (towards notation) production.
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2018, 04:20:38 pm »
I've used Sibelius quite a bit in the past. Relative;y simple to use, once you get into it., and excellent output. Not seen ABC, but it's rather clever. I used to use Sib for orchestral and choral arrangements. The advantage as far as I was concerned was that it converted what I played into notation. Saved a lot of donkey work.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.


Offline squigglev2

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Re: Computer music (towards notation) production.
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2018, 04:39:02 pm »
I guess that would be entry via a Midi keyoard? My own 2 fingered attempts would not be steady enough but I gather it can work.

More choral in abc wouldlikely be something like this (taken from a book of the S Yorks/ Derby carol tradition and possibly the only transcription attempt I have [andnotby  me]) but I guess it starts to get a bit messy… Sorry the post is a bit long...I'll not post another 'longun.

X:1     %Music
T:Diadem
B:Ian Russell,A Festival of Carols - A Second Collection of Carols from the Mount-Dawson Manuscripts, Sheffield, 1996
C: Arr. Ian Russell, http://www.sgpublishing.co.uk/gm/vc/vcabout.html
Z:Ian Russell
Q:1/4=112     %Tempo
V:1  clef=treble name="Soprano"
M:3/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:G
D2 |G4 A2 |(B3/2c/d2) G2 |A2 G2 F2 |
w:All hail the power__ of Je-*sus'
G4 (FE) |D3 E DC |(B,2D2) G2 |(E2c2) c2 |
w:name, Let_ an-gels prost-rate fall_ Let an-*gels
B4 A2 |G6-|G4 (GA) |B4 B2 |
w:prost-rate fall *Bring_ forth the
B2 A2 G2 |A2 G2 F2 |G3/2A/ B2 d2 |(c3BAc|
w:roy-*al di-*a-dem__ And crown___
B3AGB|A3GFA|G2) G2 z2 |c2 c2 z2 |
w:_________ Him, crown Him,
A2 A2 z2 |B2 B2 d2 |(G3/2A/B2) A2 |G4 F2 |G6-|G4 z2 |]
w:crown Him, crown Him, And crown__ Him Lord of all!
V:2 clef=treble name="Alto"
M:3/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:G
B,2 |D4 D2 |D4 D2 |E2 D2 D2 |
D4 (DC) |B,3 C B,A, |(G,2B,2) D2 |E4 E2 |
D4 DC |B,6-|B,4 D2 |D4 D2 |
D2 C2 B,2 |E2 D2 D2 |D4 D2 |E2 E2 z2 |
w:******* And crown Him, *
D2 D2 z2 |D2 D2 z2 |D2 D2 z2 |(E3DCB,|
w:crown Him. crown Him, crown Him crown___
D6-|D2 D2 D2 |D4 C2 |D4 D2 |D6-|D4 z2 |]
w: __ Him, And crown Him Lord of all!
V:3  clef=treble-8 name="Tenor"
M:3/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:G
G2 |B2 G2 F2 |(G3/2A/B2) G2 |c2 B2 A2 |
w:All hail_ the power__ of Je-*sus'
G4 A2 |G3 G GG |G4 G2 |G4 G2 |
w:name Let an-gels prost-rate fall Let an-gels
G4 F2 |G6-|G4 (BA) |G4 G2 |
w:prost-rate fall * Bring_ forth the
(G2A2) B2 |(c2B2) A2 |(B3/2A/G2) B2 |(G3GFA|
w:roy-*al di-*a-dem__ And crown ***
G3ABG|F3GAA|B2) B2 z2 |G2 G2 z2 |
w:********* Him, crown Him,
F2 F2 z2 |G2 G2 B2 |(B3/2c/d2) c2 |B4 A2 |G6-|G4 z2 |]
w:crown Him, crown Him, And crown__ Him Lord of all!
V:4 clef=bass name="Bass"
M:3/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:G
G,,2 |G,,2 B,,2 D,2 |G,4 B,,2 |C,2 D,2 D,2 |
G,,4 D,2 |G,,3 G,, G,,G,, |G,,4 G,,2 |C,4 A,,2 |
D,4 D,2 |G,,6-|G,,4 G,,2 |G,4 G,2 |
G,2 F,2 E,2 |C,2 D,2 D,2 |G,,4 G,,2 |C,2 C,2 z2 |
w:******* And crown Him, *
G,,2 G,,2 z2 |D,2 D,2 z2 |(G,3F,E,D,|C,3B,,A,,G,,|
w:crown Him, crown Him, crown_______
D,3E,F,D,|G,2) G,2 G,2 |G,4 C,2 |D,4 D,2 | G,,6-|G,,4 z2 |]
w:_____ Him, And crown Him Lord of all!

Offline Ian

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Re: Computer music (towards notation) production.
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2018, 06:45:01 pm »
Yes;  I used direct MIDI input through a clavinova.  Do you know Alan Collinson?  He's strong on the folk scene, I think.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline squigglev2

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Re: Computer music (towards notation) production.
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2018, 07:24:18 pm »
Yes, I'd know Alan. He used to like playing the percussion things like bodhran.

Totally OT but how do you find a Clavinova? Mum has a Kemble Minx piano but sometimes have wondered if one of those would have been a better choice - thought she's too arthritic for either to do much now.

Offline Ian

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Re: Computer music (towards notation) production.
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2018, 08:31:03 am »
It's the nearest to a Steinway in touch, I think, and the sound is superb, and even better through headphones.  Even the cheaper ones are very good, though, but I doubt there's any real difference between a Roland and a Yamaha. Where the Clavinova seem to do really well is in the bass.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.