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What is typical about the way pop music is notated? How do existing file formats and software applications cope with this?
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Pop Music Notation Software
Wijnand Schepens
Dec. 2010 Think Tank
What is so special about the notation of pop music?
What is pop music?
Pop music
“Classical” Folk music
JazzContemporary
Blues
Rock
Art music information flow
Score / Sheet music
Common Music Notation (CMN)
Pop music information flow
score ?
“Covering” a pop song
(partial) score
Folk music information flow
(partial) score
What is the “essence” of a song?
Philosophical implication
SCORE
What can we do with a score?
performance
analysis
storage
distribution
editing
SOFTWARE ? DIGITIZATION !
Is CMN suitable/appropriate for the notation of pop music?
How about software? File formats Applications for viewing, editing, playing, …
Core questions
Full score (fragment)
-complex rhythm (syncopation)-microtiming-microtonality (e.g. blue notes, glissandi, …)-timbre, sound effectsHard to read
Why?
The pop musician knows the music because he composed it by listening to recordings
An aide-memoire is sufficient
The pop musician can’t read notes (well)
Partial scores
Chord sheet (1)
Chord labels
Lyrics
Chord sheet (2)
Chord labels
Lyrics
Meta-information
Song structure
Chord sheet (3)
Chord labelsMeta-information
Song structure
Timing?
Chord sheet (4)
Chord labels
Meta-information
Song structure
Timing?
Metric structure
Chord sheet (5)
Chord labels
Fret diagrams
Meta-information
Song structure
Bars
Chord sheet (6)
Chord labels
Fret diagrams
Meta-information
Guitar tablature(no timing)
Lyrics
Tab sheet
Lyrics cues
Meta-information
Guitar tablature(no timing)
Song structure
Instrument-specificinstructions
Tab sheet (2)
Guitartablature
Harmonyrhythm
Chord labels
Song structure
Bars (numbered)
Lead sheet (1)
Lyrics
Notes (rhythm+pitch)
Metric structure
Meta-information
Parlando lyrics?
Lead sheet (2)
Lyrics
Notes (rhythm+pitch)
Chord labelsMetric structure
Backing lyrics?
Lead sheet (3)
LyricsNotes (rhythm+pitch)
Chord labels
Metric structure
Meta-information
Song structure
Lead sheet (4)
Notes (rhythm+pitch+articulation)
Chord labels
Metric structure
Meta-information
Song structure
Lead sheet (5)
Lyrics(multipe lines)
Pitch for dummies
Lead sheet (6)
Notes (rhythm+pitch)
Same notes (pitch+fingering)
Lead sheet (7)
Chord rhythm
Fret diagrams
Lyrics with rhythm
song structure lyrics chord labels notes
◦ rhythm (time)◦ pitch (frequency)◦ dynamics, accents
bars, measures instrument specific:
◦ fingerings◦ fretboards
phrasing …
Partial score ingredients
Mix and match…
Are common music formats appropriate/suitable for partial scores?
Are common software applications up to the task?
If not, what should be changed?
Core questions (2)
CM7, CMaj7, C
C+7(#9), Calt, C7
C6, Am7/C
Chord labels
(#5 #9)
Standardization?Normalization?
Check validity?
Toggle style?
Simplify?
Transpose?
Wikifonia.org
= incremental addition of information possibly by multiple users
Example:◦ 1. lyrics◦ 2. song structure◦ 3. chord labels◦ 4. bars◦ 5. fret diagrams◦ 6. tablature (pitch)◦ 7. chord rhythm◦ 8. lyrics rhythm◦ 9. melody pitches◦ 10. tablature rhythm◦ 11. add bass-part◦ …
Wiki-flow
repetition
normalization
tapping
Measure-centric Note-centric
Hiding is possible (but awkward)
Chord label treatment is variable
Sibelius, Finale…
MusicXML
Note-centric
Measure-centric
Chord labelsbetween notes
Lyrics attached to notes
Space alignment (monospaced font!)
Very popular on internet(OLGA, napster, ultimate-guitar, …)
- Alignment not always clear
- Editing is awkward
- Not standardized hard to handle for computers
Text-based
ASCII tab
Structure, cues:Informal!
ChordPro
Structure tags
Chord labels between lyrics
STANDARD ? DOCUMENTATION ?
Flexibility and standardization
free standardized
text-based
Sibelius, Finale…
MusicXMLrigid
flexible
? ? ?
ChordPro
hand-written
Develop software and file formats for handling partial scores
Avoid note- and measure-centricism
Allow untimed information
Allow flexible combination of separate streams
…
Our research
= online lead sheet editor
Chord labels, lyrics, structure, metric, notes
Wiki workflow
To be used in wikifonia.org
Ched
= XML-format and API for the representation of complex time structures
Applications: Pop, jazz, folk, … Karaoke Contemporary music Pre-classical music Non-western music Poetry Choreography, movement Light show Robot control Scheduling, planning …
Chronicle
Questions?
That’s all folks!
Lilypond
MIDI (+Karaoke)
Other formats
Pop music uses “partial” scores Most formats and software applications are
◦ Note-centric◦ Measure-centric
Conclusions
System breaks versus line breaksex: lied om lied
(intro): difference between classical and pop?◦ Pop: composer is performer◦ Pop: audio, not score
How well does software cope? (partial info, non-CMN like chord labels ..) How well do formats cope? Nomenclature badly standardized (chord sheet, leadsheet, tab, …) Notations by amateurs: errors, inaccuracy (inherent??) Software / usability:
◦ Transpos.◦ Chord reduction◦ Auto fingering…
TUBS, tracker notation, module file Integer notation Transpositie wordt veel gevraagd. Bestaat ook in tekstfiles Fret diagram = chord grid
thoughts
http://www.songwriting-software.com/music-writing-software.html Lyricist: http://www.virtualstudiosystems.com/LyrProd3/index.htm http://chordsheeteditorword.codeplex.com/: MS Word plugin for chord
sheets (with transposition). Textual alignment (?) Song sheet: http://www.dsbsoft.com/ (ChordPro + formatting) (niet zelfde als Song Sheet Generator: gebruikt ook ChordPro ?) ScoreChart: http://www.filebuzz.com/fileinfo/17467/Score_Chart.html Karaoke-editors Sib/fin etc. BiaB / Chord Composer …
editors…