Re: what about simplifying music notation?

[Michael Ellis]

On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 2:03 PM,  <address@hidden> wrote:
>
> On Mon, March 14, 2011 6:57 pm, Bernardo Barros wrote:
>> we have a decimal system and you want to represent a numeral system
>> based on 12 or 24 like [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B].
>> You should propose a system base on 12 or 24 then.
>>
>> In computer science they use the hexadecimal system because it fits
>> computer's bytes representation, if your object is the 12-tone scale,
>> be consistent with your system :-)
>>
>
> in practice, most computer programmers think in midi notes: 60 being
> middle C, 72 the C above that, ...
> as an extension, some software allows 'factional midi notes' (although
> they are not in the midi standard, and hardware synths won't understand
> them). so 62.33 is on third of a semitone higher then D. this is not as
> far fetched as it may seem. i use it e.g. to present overtone scales in
> just intonation..
>

@Marc
I think we're offering too much discouragement here instead of helping
you figure out how to use LilyPond to experiment with your ideas.  So
here's an adaptation of a script I use to generate solfege syllables
using the NoteNames engraver.  By mapping numbers to the Dutch
notenames,  you can print them under the notes.  It's probably not the
complete solution you have in mind and you may want to use a different
numbering scheme but at least you can use it to enter some real music
and see if having the chromatic note numbers under the notes is truly
helpful.

Cheers,
Mike

%------------------------------------
dutchtonumbers =
#`(("ceses" . "10")
   ("ces" . "11")
   ("c" . "0")
   ("cis" . "1")
   ("cisis" . "2")
   ("deses" . "0")
   ("des" . "1")
   ("d" . "2")
   ("dis" . "3")
   ("disis" . "4")
   ("eeses" . "2")
   ("ees" . "3")
   ("e" . "4")
   ("eis" . "5")
   ("eisis" . "6")
   ("feses" . "7")
   ("fes" . "4")
   ("f" . "5")
   ("fis" . "6")
   ("fisis" . "7")
   ("geses" . "5")
   ("ges" . "6")
   ("g" . "7")
   ("gis" . "8")
   ("gisis" . "9")
   ("aeses" . "7")
   ("aes" . "8")
   ("a"  . "9")
   ("ais" . "10")
   ("aisis" . "11")
   ("beses" . "9")
   ("bes" . "10")
   ("b"   . "11")
   ("bis"   . "0")
   ("bisis" . "1")
   )

noteNumbers =
#(lambda (grob)
   (let* ((default-name (ly:grob-property grob 'text))
          (new-name (assoc-get default-name dutchtonumbers)))
         (ly:grob-set-property!
           grob
           'text
           (markup #:italic #:smaller new-name))
         (ly:text-interface::print grob)))

mymusic = \relative c' { c d e f g a b c }

\score {
        <<
        \new Voice {
            \mymusic
        }

        \context NoteNames \with {
            \override NoteName #'stencil = #noteNumbers
        } {  \mymusic }

        >>
}
%------------------------------------

notenumbers.png
Description: PNG image