Tech: Music software capabilities

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: pavane
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 01:07 PM

HARMONY optionally plays repeats as written (ON by default)
Part specifications are in the abc specification, but I wasn't sure how widely it was implemented.
Tell you what, auto beaming gets REALLY tricky if you have, say, a dotted 8th note beween two 32nd notes!

Can you transpose to and from named keys (Like HARMONY) or just as a number of steps?

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 10:27 AM

MusicTime does automatic, correct beaming of notes. It does not do part specification as far as I can tell, although it provides drawing symbols to specify repeats and to identify the parts with letters, bars, etc. When you play back the music notation, it just runs from beginning to end without any repeats, for me anyway!

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: pavane
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 02:37 AM

Clarification:

9 beaming.

The bars joining groups of quavers, semiquavers etc are called beams.
If you don't put them in, i.e. just put in the notes separately, does the program add the beams correctly?

11. Part specification

Dance music, in particular, can often specify a tune as having several parts , e.g A music, B music, C music (identified by P:A etc in abc)

A part specification is a formula which tells you how many times each part is played, and in what order.

A simple one could be AABAAC, meaning play part A twice, part B once, part A twice and part C once.

You can specify more complex ones such as ((AB)*2D(AC)*2)*3

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 09:46 PM

Pavane, I use MusicTime Deluxe 3.0 by Passport, which does many of these things. Not sure what you mean on #9 and #11.

1. -yes- Which abc software supports multiple voices (in, play, and out)
2. -yes- Which abc software transposes Chord Names as well as the notes
3. -yes- Which abc software provides MIDI output
4. -suggests chords- Which abc (or other) package can add chords to a melody
5. -no-   Which abc (or other) package can generate realistic random tunes
6. -I think so. Can take in midi- Which packages provide input from a MIDI keyboard
7. -yes- Which packages allow aligned lyrics
8. -yes- Ditto, on more than one voice
9. -what?- Which software provides automatic beaming of notes
10. -yes- Does any other software provide tune structure audit (Check bar lengths against time signature.
11. -what?- Which software can play tunes according to the part specification
12. -no- Are there packages which can provide a harmony voice at a fixed interval above or below the melody?
13. -no- Do any ABC packages provide a percussion voice
14. -no- Do any other packages translate abc to tonic sol-fa

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 05:12 PM

Pavane-
The easiest way I've found to get onto groups and lists is through Google--there's a "groups" button right on top of the Google Logo.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 05:05 PM

I'm not sure I'd want to take that one on and I think it would be long and involved...

The best top of my head suggestion I can give it to see what you can get out of Frank Nordberg's Site. He has attempted to categorise abc software in ways that may be helpful for you in at least answering parts of your question.

The software I have installed either on my or on Pip's computer are Barfly, Skink, ABCMus, abcmp2s, abc2abc, abc2MIDI, abc2NWC and possibly a few more I can't bring to mind. I can try to give you more detailed info on those if you need it.

Jon

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: pavane
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 01:43 PM

Be good if he could. I am on the mailing list, but can't seem to access it from here.

Subject: RE: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 01:42 PM

you might want to post the same queries to the ABC list.

or possibly jon would do it for you?

Subject: Tech: Music software capabilities
From: pavane
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 01:38 PM

I am trying to judge the capabilities of HARMONY against other music and abc software, but I don't have facilities to check all other packages.

I would be grateful if you good people could answer some specific points:

1.        Which abc software supports multiple voices (in, play, and out)
2.        Which abc software transposes Chord Names as well as the notes
3.        Which abc software provides MIDI output
4.        Which abc (or other) package can add chords to a melody
5.        Which abc (or other) package can generate realistic random tunes
6.        Which packages provide input from a MIDI keyboard
7.        Which packages allow aligned lyrics
8.        Ditto, on more than one voice
9.        Which software provides automatic beaming of notes
10.        Does any other software provide tune structure audit (Check bar lengths against time signature.
11.        Which software can play tunes according to the part specification
12.        Are there packages which can provide a harmony voice at a fixed interval above or below the melody?
13.        Do any ABC packages provide a percussion voice
14.        Do any other packages translate abc to tonic sol-fa