Guide to Programming with Music Blocks
Music Blocks is a programming environment for children interested in music and graphics. It expands upon Turtle Blocks by adding a collection of features relating to pitch and rhythm.
The Turtle Blocks guide is a good place to start learning about the basics. In this guide, we illustrate the musical features by walking the reader through numerous examples.
A short Guide to Debugging. is also available.
Table of Contents
- Getting Started
- Making Sounds
- Programming with Music
- Chunks
- Musical Transformations
- Step Pitch Block
- Sharps and Flats
- Adjusting Transposition
- Dotted Notes
- Speeding Up and Slowing Down Notes via Mathematical Operations
- Repeating Notes
- Swinging Notes and Tied Notes
- Set Volume, Crescendo, Staccato, and Slur Blocks
- Intervals
- Absolute Intervals
- Inversion
- Backwards
- Setting Voice and Keys
- Vibrato, Tremelo, et al.
- Voices
- Graphics
- Beat
- Interactions
- Widgets
- Beyond Music Blocks
Many of the examples given in the guide have links to code you can
run. Look for RUN LIVE links.
1. Getting Started
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Music Blocks is designed to run in a browser. Most of the development has been done in Chrome, but it should also work in Firefox, Opera, and some versions of Safari. You can run it from musicblocks.sugarlabs.org, from github io, or by downloading a copy of the code and running a local copy directly from the file system of your computer. (Note that when running locally, you may have to use a local server to expose all of the features.)
This guide details the music-specific features of Music Blocks. You may also be interested in the Turtle Blocks Guide, which reviews many programming features common to both projects.
For more details on how to use Music Blocks, see Using Music Blocks. For more details on how to use Turtle Blocks, see Using Turtle Blocks JS.
2. Making Sounds
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Music Blocks incorporates many common elements of music, such as pitch, rhythm, volume, and, to some degree, timbre and texture.
2.1 Note Value Blocks
At the heart of Music Blocks is the Note value block. The Note value block is a container for a Pitch block that specifies the duration (note value) of the pitch.
At the top of the example above, a single (detached) Note value
block is shown. The 1/8 is value of the note, which is, in this
case, an eighth note.
At the bottom, two notes that are played consecutively are shown. They
are both 1/8 notes, making the duration of the entire sequence
1/4.
In this example, different note values are shown. From top to bottom,
they are: 1/4 for an quarter note, 1/16 for a sixteenth note, and
1/2 for a half note.
Note that any mathematical operations can be used as input to the Note value.
Please refer to the above picture for a visual representation of note values.
2.2 Pitch Blocks
As we have seen, Pitch blocks are used inside the Note value blocks. The Pitch block specifies the pitch name and pitch octave of a note that in combination determines the frequency (and therefore pitch) at which the note is played.
There are many systems you can use to specify a pitch block's name and octave. Some examples are shown above.
The top Pitch block is specified using a Solfege block (Sol in
Octave 4), which contains the notes Do Re Me Fa Sol La Ti.
The pitch of the next block is specified using a Pitch-name block
(G in Octave 4), which contains the notes C D E F G A B.
The next block is specified using a Scale-degree block (the 5th note
in the scale, 'G', also in 'Octave 4'), C == 1, D == 2, ...
The next block is specified using a Pitch-number block (the 7th
semi-tone above C in Octave 4). The offset for the pitch number
can be modified using the Set-pitch-number-offset block.
The pitch of the next block is specified using the Hertz block in
conjunction with a Number block (392 Hertz) , which corresponds to
the frequency of the sound made.
The octave is specified using a number block and is restricted to whole numbers. In the case where the pitch name is specified by frequency, the octave is ignored.The octave argument can also be specified using a Text block with values current, previous, next which does as 0, -1, 1 respectively.
The octave of the next block is specified using a current text block (Sol in Octave 4).
The octave of the next block is specified using a previous text block (G in Octave 3).
The octave of the last block is specified using a next text block (G in Octave 5).
Note that the pitch name can also be specified using a Text block.
Please refer to the above charts for a visual representation of where notes are located on a keyboard or staff.
2.3 Chords
A chord (multiple, simultaneous pitches) can be specified by adding multiple Pitch blocks into a single Note value block, like the above example.
2.4 Rests
A rest of the specified note value duration can be constructed using a Silence block in place of a Pitch block.
2.5 Drums
Anywhere a Pitch block can be used—e.g., inside of the matrix or a Note value block—a Drum Sample block can also be used instead. Currently there about two dozen different samples from which to choose. The default drum is a kick drum.
Just as in the chord example above, you can use multiple Drum blocks within a single Note value blocks, and combine them with Pitch blocks as well.
3. Programming with Music
Previous Section (2. Making Sounds) | Back to Table of Contents | Next Section (4. Widgets)
This section of the guide discusses how to use chunks of notes to program music. Note that you can program with chunks you create by hand or use the Pitch-time Matrix widget to help you get started.
3.1 Chunks
Every time you create a new Action stack, Music Blocks creates a new
block specific to, and linked with, that stack. (The new block is
found at the top of the Block palette, found on the left edge of the
screen.) Clicking on and running this block is the same as clicking on
your stack. By default, the new blocks are named chunk, chunk1,
chunk2... but you can rename them by editing the labels on the
Action blocks.
An Action block contains a sequence of actions that will only be executed when the block is referred to by something else, such as a start block. This is useful in orchestrating more complex programs of music.
A Start Block is a chunk that will automatically be executed once the start button is pressed. This is where most of your programs will begin at. There are many ways to Run a program: you can click on the Run button at the upper-left corner of the screen to run the music at a fast speed; a long press on the Run button will run it slower (useful for debugging); and the Step button can be used to step through the program one block per button press. (An extra-long press of the Run button will play back the music slowly. A long press of the Step button will step through the program note by note.)
In the example above, the Chunk block is inside of a Start block, which means that when any of the start buttons is pressed, the code inside the Start block (the Chunk block) will be executed. You can add more chunks after this one inside the Start block to execute them sequentially.
You can repeat chunks either by using multiple Chunk blocks or using a Repeat block.
You can also mix and match chunks. Here we play the action block with
name chunk0, followed by chunk1 twice, and then chunk0 again.
A few more chunks and we can make a song. (Can you read the block notation well enough to guess the outcome? Are you familiar with the song we created?)
3.2 Musical Transformations
There are many ways to transform pitch, rhythm, and other sonic qualities.
3.2.1 Step Pitch Block
The Step Pitch block will move up or down notes in a scale from the
last played note. In the example above, Step Pitch blocks are used
inside of Repeat blocks to repeat the code 7 times, playing up and
down a scale.
Another way to move up and down notes in a scale is to use the Scalar Step Up and Scalar Step Down blocks. These blocks calculate the number of half-steps to the next note in the current mode. (You can read more about Musical Modes below.) Note that the Mouse Pitch Number block returns the pitch number of the most recent note played.
In this example, we are using the Mode length block, which returns the number of scalar steps in the current mode (7 for Major and Minor modes).
3.2.2 Sharps And Flats
The Accidental block can be wrapped around Pitch blocks, Note
value blocks, or chunks. A sharp will raise the pitch by
one half step. A flat will lower by one half step. In the example, on
the left, just the Pitch block Mi is lowered by one half step; on
the right, both Pitch blocks are raised by one half step. (You can
also use a double-sharp or double-flat accidental.)
3.2.3 Adjusting Transposition
There are several ways to transpose a pitch: by semi-tone or scalar
steps. The Semi-tone-transposition block (above left) can be used to
make larger shifts in pitch in half-step units. A positive number
shifts the pitch up and a negative number shifts the pitch down. The
input must be a whole number. To shift up an entire octave, transpose
by 12 half-steps. -12 will shift down an entire octave.
The Scalar-transposition block (above right) shifts a pitch based on
the current key and mode. For example, in C Major, a scalar
transposition of 1 would transpose C to D (even though it is a
transposition of 2 half steps). To transpose E to F is 1
scalar step (or 1 half step). To shift an entire octave, scalar
transpose by the mode length up or down. (In major scales, the mode
length is 7.)
As a convenience, a number of standard scalar transpositions are provided: Unison, Second, Third, ..., Seventh, Down third, and Down sixth, as well as a transposition for Octave.
In the example above, we take the song we programmed previously and raise it by one octave.
The Register block provides an easy way to modify the register
(octave) of the notes that follow it. In the example above it is first
used to bump the Mi 4 note up by one octave and then to bump the
Sol 4 note down by one octave.
3.2.4 Dotted Notes
You can "dot" notes using the Dot block. A dotted note extends the
rhythmic duration of a note by 50%. E.g., a dotted quarter note will
play for 3/8 (i.e. 1/4 + 1/8) of a beat. A dotted eighth note will
play for 3/16 (i.e. 1/8 + 1/16) of a beat. A double dot extends
the duration by 75% (i.e. 50% + [50% of 50%]). For example, a
double-dotted quarter note will play for 7/16 (i.e. 1/4 + 1/8 +
1/16) of a beat (which is the same as 4/16 + 2/16 + 1/16 = 7/16).
The dot block is useful as an expression of musical rhythm--it is
convenient and helps to organize musical ideas (e.g. many melodies use
dots as the basis of their rhythmic motifs), however you can achieve
the same rhythmic result as dot by putting the calculation directly
into note value as well. For example, indicating 3/8 instead of
1/4 will result in a dotted quarter note.
The chart below shows two common examples, dotted quarter and dotted eighth, and how to achieve them with either the dot block or by direct calculation into a note's note value.
3.2.5 Changing Note(s) duration via Mathematical Operations
You can also multiply (or divide) the note value, which will change
the duration of the notes by changing their note values. Multiplying
the note value of an 1/8 note by 1/2 is the equivalent of playing
a 1/16 note (i.e. 1/2 * 1/8 = 1/16) . Multiplying the note value
of an 1/8 note by 2/1 (which has the effect of dividing by 1/2)
will result in the equivalent of a 1/4 note.
In the above example, the sequence of drum note values is decreased over time, at each repetition.
3.2.6 Repeating Notes
There are several ways to repeat notes. The Repeat block will play a sequence of notes multiple times; the Duplicate block will repeat each note in a sequence.
In the example, on the left, the result would be Sol, Re, Sol, Sol,
Re, Sol, Sol, Re, Sol, Sol, Re, Sol; on the right the result would be
Sol, Sol, Sol, Sol, Re, Re, Re, Re, Sol, Sol, Sol, Sol.
3.2.7 Swinging Notes and Tied Notes
The Swing block works on pairs of notes (specified by note value), adding some duration (specified by swing value) to the first note and taking the same amount from the second note. Notes that do not match note value are unchanged.
In the example, re5 would be played as a 1/6 note and mi5 would
be played as a 1/12 note (1/8 + 1/24 === 1/6 and 1/8 - 1/24 ===
1/12). Observe that the total duration of the pair of notes is
unchanged.
Tie also works on pairs of notes, combining them into one note. (The notes must be identical in pitch, but can vary in rhythm.)
3.2.8 Set Volume, Crescendo, Staccato, and Slur
The Set master volume block will change the master volume. The
default is 50; the range is 0 (silence) to 100 (full volume).
The Set synth volume block will change the volume of a particular
synth, e.g., violin, snare drum, etc. The default volume is 50;
the range is 0 (silence) to 100 (full volume). In the example, the
synth name block is used to select the current synth.
As a convenience, a number of standard volume blocks are provided: from loudest to quietest, there is fff, ff f, mf, mp, p, pp, and ppp. In musical terms "f" means "forte" or loud, "p" means "piano" or soft, and "m" means "mezzo" or middle.
The Set Relative Volume block modifies the clamped note's volume
according to the input value of the block in an added (or subtracted
when negative) percentage with respect to the original volume. For
example, 100 would mean doubling the current volume.
The Crescendo block will increase (or decrease) the volume of the
contained notes by a specified amount for every note played. For
example, if you have 3 notes in sequence contained in a Crescendo
block with a value of 5, the final note will be at 15% more
than the original value for volume.
NOTE: The Crescendo block does not alter the volume of a note as it is being played. Music Blocks does not yet have this functionality.
The Staccato block shortens the length of the actual note—making them tighter bursts—while maintaining the specified rhythmic value of the notes.
The Slur block lengthens the sustain of notes—running longer than the noted duration and blending it into the next note—while maintaining the specified rhythmic value of the notes.
3.2.9 Intervals
The Scalar interval block calculates a relative interval based on
the current mode, skipping all notes outside of the mode. For example,
a fifth, and adds the additional pitches to a note's playback. In
the figure, we add La to Re and Ti to Mi.
As a convenience, a number of standard scalar intervals are provided on the Intervals palette: Unison, Second, Third, ..., Seventh, Down third, and Down sixth.
The Scalar interval measure block can be used to measure the number of scalar steps between two pitched.
Absolute Intervals
Absolute (or semi-tone) intervals are based on half-steps.
The Augmented block calculates an absolute interval (in half-steps), e.g., an augmented fifth, and adds the additional pitches to a note. Similarly, the Minor block calculates an absolute interval, e.g., a minor third. Other absolute intervals include Perfect, Diminished, and Major.
In the augmented fifth example above, a chord of D5 and A5 are
played, followed by a chord of E5 and C5. In the minor third
example, which includes a shift of one octave, first a chord of D5
and F5 is played, followed by chord of E5 and G6.
As a convenience, a number of standard absolute intervals are provided on the Intervals palette: Major 2, Minor 3, Perfect 4, Augmented 6, Diminished 8, et al.
The Doubly block can be used to create a double augmentation or double diminishment.
The Semi-tone interval measure block can be used to measure the number of half-steps between two pitched.
3.2.11 Inversion
The Invert block will rotate a series of notes around a target
note. There are three different modes of the Invert block: even,
odd, and scalar. In even and odd modes, the rotation is based
on half-steps. In even and scalar mode, the point of rotation is
the given note. In odd mode, the point of rotation is shifted up by
a 1/4 step, enabling rotation around a point between two notes. In
"scalar" mode, the scalar interval is preserved around the point of
rotation.
Even mode
| Starting note | Half steps above C5 |
Half steps below C5 |
Ending note |
|---|---|---|---|
F5 |
5 | 5 | G4 |
D5 |
2 | 2 | B♭4 |
Odd mode
| Starting note | Half steps above point midway between C5 and C♯5 |
Half steps below point midway between C5 and C♯5 |
Ending note |
|---|---|---|---|
F5 |
4.5 | 4.5 | A♭4 |
D5 |
1.5 | 1.5 | B4 |
Scalar mode
| Starting note | Scalar steps above C5 |
Scalar steps below C5 |
Ending note |
|---|---|---|---|
F5 |
3 | 3 | G4 |
D5 |
1 | 1 | B4 |
In the invert (even) example above, notes are inverted around C5.
In the invert (odd) example, notes are inverted around a point
midway between C5 and C♯5. In the invert (scalar) example,
notes are inverted around C5, by scalar steps rather than
half-steps.
3.2.12 Backwards
The Backward block will play the contained notes in reverse order
(retrograde). In the example above, the notes in chunk are played as
Sol, Ti, La, Sol, i.e., from the bottom to the top of the
stack.
Note that all of the blocks inside a Backward block are reverse, so use this feature with caution if you include logic intermixed with notes.
3.2.13 Setting Voice and Keys
The Set Voice block selects a voice for the synthesizer for any contained blocks, e.g., violin or cello.
The Set Key block will change the key and mode of the mapping
between solfege, e.g., Do, Re, Mi, to note names, e.g., C,
D, E, when in C Major. Modes include Major and Minor, Chromatic,
and a number of more exotic modes, such as Bebop, Geez, Maqam, etc.
This block allows users to access "movable Do" within Music
Blocks, where the mapping of solfege to particular pitch changes
depending on the user's specified tonality.
The Define mode block can be used to define a custom mode by defining the number and size of the steps within an octave. You can use your custom mode with the Set key block.
3.2.14 Vibrato, Tremelo, et al.
The Vibrato Block adds a rapid variation in pitch to any contained
notes. The intensity of the variation ranges from 1 to 100 (cents),
e.g. plus or minus up to one half step. The rate argument determines
the rate of the variation.
The other effects blocks also modulate pitch over time. Give them a try.
3.3 Voices
Each Start block runs as a separate voice in Music Blocks. (When you click on the Run button, all of the Start blocks are run concurrently.)
If we put our song into an action...
...we can run it from multiple Start blocks.
It gets more interesting if we shift up and down octaves.
And even more interesting if we bring the various voices offset in time.
An alternative to use a preprogrammed delay is to use the Broadcast block to bring in multiple voices. In the example above, after each section of the song is played, a new event is broadcasted, bringing in a new voice. Note the use of the Mouse Sync block. This ensures that the multiple voices are synced to the same master clock.
A special Start drum version of the Start block is available for laying
down a drum track. Any Pitch blocks encounted while starting from a
drum will be played as C2 with the default drum sample. In the
example above, all of the notes in chunk will be played with a kick
drum.
3.4 Adding graphics
Turtle graphics can be combined with the music blocks. By placing graphics blocks, e.g., Forward and Right, inside of Note value blocks, the graphics stay in sync with the music. In this example, the turtle moves forward each time a quarter note is played. It turns right during the eighth note. The pitch is raised by one half step, the pen size decreases, and the pen color increases at each step in the inner repeat loop.
Another example of graphics synchronized to the music by placing the graphics commands inside of Note value blocks
In this example, because the computation and graphics are more complex, a No-clock block is used to decouple the graphics from the master clock. The "No-clock* block prioritizes the sequence of actions over the specified rhythm.
Another example of embedding graphics into notes: in case, a recursive tree drawing, where the pitch goes up as the branches assend.
3.5 Beat
The beat of the music is determined by the Meter block (by default, it is set to 4:4).
The Pickup block can be used to accommodate any notes that come in before the beat.
Specifying beat is useful in that you can have the character of a note
vary depending upon the beat. In the example below, the volume of
notes on Beat 1 and Beat 3 are increased, while the volume of off
beats is decreased.
The On-Beat-Do and Off-Beat-Do blocks let you specify actions to take on specific beats. (Note that the action is run before any blocks inside the note block associated with the beat are run.)
Another approach to graphics is to use modulate them based on the
beat. In the example above, we call the same graphics action for each
note, but the parameters associated with the action, such as pen
width, are dependent upon which beat we are on. On Beat 1, the pen
size is set to 50 and the volume to 75. On Beat 3, the pen size is set
to 25 and the volume to 50. On off beats, the pen size is set to 5 and
the volumne to 5. The resultant graphic is shown below.
3.6 Interactions
There are many ways to interactive with Music Blocks, including tracking the mouse position to impact some aspect of the music.
For example, we can launch the phrases (chunks) interactively. We use
the mouse position to generate a suffix: 0, 1, 2, or 3,
depending on the quadrant. When the mouse is in the lower-left
quadrant, chunk0 is played; lower-right quadrant, chunk1;
upper-left quadrant, chunk2; and upper-right quadrant, chunk3.
In the example above, a simple two-key piano is created by associating click events on two different turtles with individual notes. Can you make an 8-key piano?
You can also add a bit of randomness to your music. In the top example
above, the One-of block is used to randomly assign either Do or
Re each time the Note value block is played. In the bottom example
above, the One-of block is used to randomly select between chunk1
and chunk2.
Widgets
Previous Section (3. Programming with Music) | Back to Table of Contents | Next Section (5. Beyond Music Blocks)
This section of the guide will talk about the various Widgets that can be used within Music Blocks to enhance your experience.
Every widget has a menu with at least two buttons.
You can hide the widget by clicking on the Close button.
You can move the widget by dragging it by the Drag handle.
4.1 Status
The Status widget is a tool for inspecting the status of Music Blocks as it is running. By default, the key, BPM, and volume are displayed. Also, each note is displayed as it is played. There is one row per voice in the status table.
Additional Print blocks can be added to the Status widget to display additional music factors, e.g., duplicate, transposition, skip, staccato, slur, and graphics factors, e.g., x, y, heading, color, shade, grey, and pensize.
You can do additional programming within the status block. In the
example above, whole notes played is divided by 4 (e.g. quarter notes)
before being displayed.
4.2 Generating Chunks of Notes
Using the Pitch-Time Matrix, it is possible to generate chunks of notes at a much faster speed.
4.2.1 The Pitch-Time Matrix
Music Blocks provides a widget, the Pitch-time Matrix, as a scaffold for getting started.
Once you've launched Music Blocks in your browser, start by clicking on the Pitch-time Matrix stack that appears in the middle of the screen. (For the moment, ignore the Start block.) You'll see a grid organized vertically by pitch and horizontally by rhythm.
The matrix in the figure above has three Pitch blocks and one Rhythm block, which is used to create a 3 x 3 grid of pitch and time.
Note that the default matrix has five Pitch blocks, one Drum
block, and two Mouse (movement) blocks. Hence, you will see eight
rows, one for each pitch, drum, and mouse (movement). (A ninth row at
the bottom is used for specifying the rhythms associated with each
note.) Also by default, there are two Rhythm blocks, which specifies
six quarter (1/4) notes followed by one half (1/2) note.
By clicking on individual cells in the grid, you should hear
individual notes (or chords if you click on more than one cell in a
column). In the figure, three quarter notes are selected (black
cells). First Re 4, followed by Mi 4, followed by Sol 4.
If you click on the Play button (found in the top row of the grid),
you will hear a sequence of notes played (from left to right): Re 4,
Mi 4, Sol 4.
Once you have a group of notes (a "chunk") that you like, click on the Save button (just to the right of the Play button). This will create a stack of blocks that can used to play these same notes programmatically. (More on that below.)
You can rearrange the selected notes in the grid and save other chunks as well.
The Sort button will reorder the pitches in the matrix from highest to lowest and eliminate any duplicate Pitch blocks.
There is also an Erase button that will clear the grid.
Don't worry. You can reopen the matrix at anytime (it will remember its previous state) and since you can define as many chunks as you want, feel free to experiment.
Tip: You can put a chunk inside a Pitch-time Matrix block to generate the matrix to corresponds to that chunk.
The chunk created when you click on the matrix is a stack of
blocks. The blocks are nested: an Action block contains three Note
value blocks, each of which contains a Pitch block. The Action
block has a name automatically generated by the matrix, in this case,
chunk. (You can rename the action by clicking on the name.). Each note
has a duration (in this case 4, which represents a quarter note). Try
putting different numbers in and see (hear) what happens. Each note
block also has a pitch block (if it were a chord, there would be
multiple Pitch blocks nested inside the Note block's clamp). Each
pitch block has a pitch name (Re, Mi, and Sol), and a pitch
octave; in this example, the octave is 4 for each pitch. (Try changing
the pitch names and the pitch octaves.)
To play the chuck, simply click on the action block (on the word action). You should hear the notes play, ordered from top to bottom.
4.2.2 The Rhythm Block
Rhythm blocks are used to generate rhythm patterns in the Pitch-time Matrix block. The top argument to the Rhythm block is the number of notes. The bottom argument is the duration of the note. In the top example above, three columns for quarter notes would be generated in the matrix. In the middle example, one column for an eighth note would be generated. In the bottom example, seven columns for 16th notes would be generated.
You can use as many Rhythm blocks as you'd like inside the Pitch-time Matrix block. In the above example, two Rhythm blocks are used, resulting in three quarter notes and six eighth notes.
4.2.3 Creating Tuplets
Tuplets are a collection of notes that get scaled to a specific duration. Using tuplets makes it easy to create groups of notes that are not based on a power of 2.
In the example above, three quarter notes—defined in the Simple Tuplet block—are played in the time of a single quarter note. The result is three twelfth notes. (This form, which is quite common in music, is called a triplet. Other common tuplets include a quintuplet and a septuplet.)
In the example above, the three quarter notes are defined in the Rhythm block embedded in the Tuplet block. As with the Simple Tuplet example, they are played in the time of a single quarter note. The result is three twelfth notes. This more complex form allows for intermixing multiple rhythms within single tuplet.
In the example above, the two Rhythm blocks are embedded in the Tuplet block, resulting in a more complex rhythm.
Note: You can mix and match Rhythm blocks and Tuplet blocks when defining your matrix.
4.2.4 What is a Tuplet?
4.2.5 Using Individual Notes in the Matrix
You can also use individual notes when defining the grid. These blocks will expand into Rhythm blocks with the corresponding values.
4.2.6 Using a Scale of Pitches in the Matrix
You can use the Scalar step block to generate a scale of pitches in
the matrix. In the example above, the pitches comprising the G major
scale in the 4th octave are added to the grid. Note that in order to
put the highest note on top, the first pitch is the Sol in Octave
5. From there, we use -1 as the argument to the Scalar step block
inside the Repeat, working our way down to Sol in Octave
4. Another detail to note is the use of the Mode length block.
4.3 Generating Rhythms
The Rhythm Ruler block is used to launch a widget similar to the Pitch-time Matrix block. The widget can be used to generate rhythmic patterns.
The argument to the Rhythm Ruler block specifies the duration that will be subdivided to generate a rhythmic pattern. By default, it is 1 / 1, e.g., a whole note.
The Set Drum blocks contained in the clamp of the Rhythm Ruler block indicates the number of rhythms to be defined simultaneously. By default, two rhythms are defined. The embedded Rhythm blocks define the initial subdivision of each rhythm ruler.
When the Rhythm Ruler block is clicked, the Rhythm Ruler widget is opened. It contains a row for each rhythm ruler. An input in the top row of the widget is used to specify how many subdivisions will be created within a cell when it is clicked. By default, 2 subdivisions are created.
As shown in the above figure, the top rhythm ruler has been divided into two half-notes and the bottom rhythm ruler has been divided into three third-notes. Clicking on the Play button to the left of each row will playback the rhythm using a drum for each beat. The Play-all button on the upper-left of the widget will play back all rhythms simultaneously.
The rhythm can be further subdivided by clicking in individual cells. In the example above, two quarter-notes have been created by clicking on one of the half-notes.
By dragging across multiple cells, they become tied. In the example above, two third-notes have been tied into one two-thirds-note.
The Save stack button will export rhythm stacks.
These stacks of rhythms can be used to define rhythmic patterns used with the Pitch-time Matrix block.
The Save drum machine button will export Start stacks that will play the rhythms as drum machines.
Another feature of the Rhythm Ruler wigdet is the ability to tap out a rhythm. By clicking on the Tap button and then clicking on a cell inside one of the rhythm rulers, you will be prompted (by four tones) to begin tapping the mouse button to divide the cell into sub-cells. Once the fourth tone has sounded, a progress bar will run from left to right across the screen. Each click of the mouse will define another beat within the cell. If you don't like your rhythm, use the Undo button and try again.
4.4 Musical Modes
Musical modes are used to specify the relationship between intervals (or steps) in a scale. Since Western music is based on 12 half-steps per octave, modes speficy how many half steps there are between each note in a scale.
By default, Music Blocks uses the Major mode, which, in the
Key of C, maps to the white keys on a piano. The intervals
in the Major mode are 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1. Many other common modes
are built into Music Blocks, including, of course, Minor mode, which
uses 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2 as its intervals.
Note that not every mode uses 7 intervals per octave. For example, the
Chromatic mode uses 11 intervals: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
1, 1, 1. The Japanese mode uses only 5 intervals: 1, 4,
2, 3, 2],. What is important is that the sum of the intervals
in an octave is 12 half-steps.
The Mode length block will return the number of intervals (scalar steps) in the current mode.
The Mode widget lets you explore modes and generate custom modes. You invoke the widget with the Custom mode block. The mode specified in the Set key block will be the default mode when the widget launches.
In the above example, the widget has been launched with Major mode (the default). Note that the notes included in the mode are indicated by the black boxes, which are arrayed in a circular pattern of tweleve half-steps to complete the octave.
Since the intervals in the Major mode are 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, the
notes are 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9,11, and 12 (one octave
above 0).
The widget controls run along the toolbar at the top. From left to right are:
Play all, which will play a scale using the current mode;
Save, which will save the current mode as the Custom mode and save a stack of Pitch blocks that can be used with the Pitch-time Matrix block;
Rotate counter-clockwise, which will rotate the mode counter-clockwise (See the example below);
Rotate clockwise, which will rotate the mode clockwise (See the example below);
Invert, which will invert the mode (See the example below);
Undo, which will restore the mode to the previous version; and
Close, which will close the widget.
You can also click on individual notes to activate or deactivate them.
Note that the mode inside the Custom mode block is updated whenever the mode is changed inside the widget.
In the above example, the Major mode has been rotated clockwise, transforming it into Dorian.
In the above example, the Major mode has been rotated counter-clockwise, transforming it into Locrian.
In the above example, the Major mode has been inverted, transforming it into Phrygian.
Note: The build-in modes in Music Blocks can be found in musicutils.js.
The Save button exports a stack of blocks representing the mode that can be used inside the Pitch-time Matrix block.
4.5 The Pitch-Drum Matrix
The Set Drum block is used to map the enclosed pitches into drum
sounds. Drum sounds are played in a monopitch using the specified drum
sample. In the example above, a kick drum will be substitued for
each occurance of a Re 4.
As an experience for creating mapping with the Set Drum block, we provide the Drum-Pitch Matrix. You use it to map between pitches and drums. The output is a stack of Set Dum blocks.
4.6 Exploring Musical Proportions
The Pitch Staircase block is used to launch a widget similar to the Pitch-time Matrix, which can be used to generate different pitches using a given pitch and musical proportion.
The Pitch blocks contained in the clamp of the Pitch Staircase block define the pitches to be initialized simultaneously. By default, one pitch is defined and it have default note "la" and octave "3".
When Pitch Staircase block is clicked, the Pitch Staircase widget is initialized. The widget contains row for every Pitch block contained in the clamp of the Pitch Staircase block. The input fields in the top row of the widget specify the musical proportions used to create new pitches in the staircase. The inputs correspond to the numerator and denominator in the proportion resectively. By default the proportion is 3:2.
Clicking on the Play button to the left of each row will playback the notes associated with that step in the stairs. The Play-all button on the upper-left of the widget will play back all the pitch steps simultaneously. A second Play-all button to the right of the stair plays in increasing order of frequency first, then in decreasing order of frequency as well, completing a scale.
The Save stack button will export pitch stacks. For example, in the above configuration, the output from pressing the Save stack button is shown below:
These stacks can be used with the Pitch-time Matrix block to define the rows in the matrix.
4.7 Generating Arbritary Pitches
The Pitch Slider block is used to launch a widget that is used to generate arbitray pitches. It differs from the Pitch Staircase widget in that it is used to create frequencies that vary continuously within the range of a specified octave.
Each Sine block contained within the clamp of the Pitch Slider block defines the initial pitch for an ocatve.
When the Pitch Slider block is clicked, the Pitch Slider widget is initialized. The widget will have one column for each Sine block in the clamp. Every column has a slider that can be used to move up or down in frequency, continuously or in intervals of 1/12th of the starting frequency. The mouse is used to move the frequency up and down continuously. Buttons are used for intervals. Arrow keys can also be used to move up and down, or between columns.
Clicking in a column will extact the corresponding Note blocks, for example:
4.8 Changing Tempo
The Tempo block is used to launch a widget that enables the user to visualize Tempo, defined in beats per minute (BPM). When the Tempo block is clicked, the Tempo widget is initialized.
The Master Beats per Minute block contained in the clamp of the
Tempo block sets the initial tempo used by the widget. This
determines the speed at which the ball in the widget moves back and
forth. If BPM is 60, then it will take one second for the ball to move
across the widget. A round-trip would take two seconds.
The top row of the widget holds the Play/pause button, the Speed up and Slow down buttons, and an input field for updating the Tempo.
You can also update the tempo by clicking twice in spaced succession
in the widget: the new beats per minute (BPM) is determined as the
time between the two clicks. For example, if there is 1/2 second
between clicks, the new BPM will be set as 120.
4.9 Custom Timbres
While Music Blocks comes with many built-in instruments, it is also possible to create custom timbres with unique sound qualities.
The Timbre block can be used to launch the Timbre widget, which lets you add synthesizers, oscillators, effects, and filters to create a custom timbre, which can be used in your Music Blocks programs.
The name of the custom timbre is defined by the argment passed to the
block (by default, custom). This name is passed to the Set timbre
block in order to use your custom timbre.
The Timbre widget has a number of different panels, each of which is used to set the parameters of the components that define your custom timbre.
From left to right:
- The Play button, which lets you test the sound quality of your
custom timbre. By default, it will play
Sol,Mi,Solusing the combination of filters you define.
You can also put notes in the Timbre block to use for testing your sound. In the example above, a scale will be used for the test.
- The Save button, which will save your custom timbre for use in your program.
- The Synth button, which lets you choose between an AM synth, a PM synth, or a Duo synth.
- The Oscillator button, which lets you choose between a sine wave, square wave, triangle wave, or sawtooth wave. You can also change the number of partials.
- The Envelope button, which lets you change the shape of the sound envelope, with controls for attack, decay, sustain, and release.
- The Effects button, which lets you add effects to your custom timbre: tremelo, vibrato, chorus, phaser, and distortion. When an effect is selected, additional controls will appear in the widget.
- The Filter button, which lets you choose between a number of different filter types.
- The Add filter button, which lets you add addition filters to your custom timbre.
- The Undo button.
- The Close button.
- The Drag handle.
As you add synthesizers, effects, and filters with the widget, blocks corresponding to your choices are added to the Timbre block. This lets you reopen the widget to fine-tune your custom timbre.
Beyond Music Blocks
Previous Section (4. Widgets) | Back to Table of Contents
Music Blocks is a waypoint, not a destination. One of the goals is to point the learner towards other powerful tools. One such tool is Lilypond, a music engraving program.
The Save as Lilypond block will transcribe your composition. The
output of the program above is saved to Downloads/hotdog.ly. There is
also a Save as Lilypond button on the secondary toolbar.
Note that if you use a Print block inside of a note, Lilypond will create a "markup" or annotation for that note. It is a simple way to add lyrics to your score.
\version "2.18.2"
mouse = {
c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'4 c'4 g'8 g'8 g'8 g'8 g'4 g'4 a'8 a'8 a'8 a'8 a'4
a'4 g'8 g'8 g'8 g'8 g'4 g'4 f'8 f'8 f'8 f'8 f'4 f'4 e'8 e'8 e'8 e'8
e'4 e'4 d'8 d'8 d'8 d'8 d'4 d'4 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'4 c'4
}
\score {
<<
\new Staff = "treble" {
\clef "treble"
\set Staff.instrumentName = #"mouse" \mouse
}
>>
\layout { }
}
