Re: Note names in Midi Note Numbers?

[Tim Roberts]

Jonghyun Kim wrote:
> In both midi sequencers(muse2 and rosegarden), can I calculate the
> pitch and the other one? 
> Ie: 48 + 50 = 98 
> It means: c + d = ?(i dont konw exactly..)

See, that's not music.  No one in the real world thinks about "adding
two notes" that way.  It's not meaningful.  Those numbers are just
names.  They don't have units.  It's like asking "what does Bill + Fred
equal?"  Adding 12 to a MIDI note number gives you the number of the
note one octave up, so 48 is C in the bass clef, 50 is D in the bass
clef, and 98 is the highest D on a piano.  However, there is no
mathematical relationship between those notes.


> I wanna calculate by half step also quartertones. 
> Ie: 48.5 + 50 = 98.25

Well, 98.5.


> It means: c semi-sharp + d = ?

MIDI can't do that.  It doesn't support quartertones or non-integer note
numbers.  Some keyboards have non-standard extensions using pitch bend
or sysex messages to do it, but it's not standardized.  LilyPond can
print music with quartertones, but it won't be in the MIDI files it
produces.

-- 
Tim Roberts, address@hidden
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.