[Denemo-devel] A new(?) note entry method.

[Richard Shann]

I've come back to typing in some music using denemo and it occurred to
me that I could use far fewer keystrokes if denemo used the last
duration when entering notes (as lilypond does when in \relative mode).
In fact, I took the idea a bit further, based on the fact that music
typically uses repeated rhythmic patterns - particularly true of the
Baroque sonatas I work with. (In fact unkind people have sometimes
referred to this music as wallpaper). So I created an entry mode where
once a note duration has been chosen selecting the pitch enters the
note. Furthermore a new rhythm toolbar allows you to stock the toolbar
with the most useful rhythmic patterns, which can then be selected from
the keyboard. When one of these is selected, say dotted quaver
semiquaver (dotted quarter note eigthnote), then entering pitches causes
them to be put into this rhythmic pattern until a new pattern or
duration is chosen. Deleting a wrongly typed pitch causes the pattern to
back up, and the current element in the rhythmic pattern is shown on the
rhythm toolbar.
More difficult to describe than to understand if you see it - I have a
reasonably complete implementation of this idea - just the toolbar
rhythm display is a bit primitive - which I can post if there is
interest.

Following on from this, I have been thinking that if I could speed up
the pitch entry too then I would really be cooking with gas. The thing
is that although I could learn to select pitches rapidly using a
computer keyboard I already know how to select pitches using various
musical instruments or even by singing. Without special equipment (eg
midi) the solution would seem to be pitch recognition software. You sing
or play the notes, selecting the rhythmic pattern with the computer
keyboard. (There is also duration recognition software, but I don't
think it is practical to enter music by that route). To this end I have
been looking at the aubio package, which seems to have state of the art
onset and pitch detection algorithms. (aubio is audio with a typo, a
little whimsy). Any interest in this development?
Richard