Is there a way to play "instruments" other than tones, similar to http://www.squeakland.org/showcase/project.jsp?id=7826?

Ie: How can I specify an instrument? I can load midi files, but would like to be able to do something similar to Scratch where I can specify the instrument. and then have a script "Play the notes"

Stephen

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 10:37 AM, Bert Freudenberg bert@freudenbergs.dewrote:

Hi Christine,

you can do "test counter > 5 and counter < 10" using two nested tests. The first would test for "counter > 5" and in its "yes" case there would be a test for "counter < 10". Of course that would be tedious for a whole song.

Here is a way to use the timer as suggested by Steve:

Each note is just a rectangle with an embedded text label. It has a variable for its frequency. Its width represents its duration. Many of them are put in a holder, and each can have their own frequency. The holder has a single variable, "until". This holds the timer value for the end of the currently playing note. When that time has passed, the next "until" is calculated from the width of the next note, and it is played.

It's very simple to make more notes, you just duplicate them, and if necessary change freq and width. You could make a parts bin with all the preconfigured notes.

This is similar to (though a lot simpler than) what I showed at Squeakfest. Ideas from that talk could be integrated as well - e.g., instead of playing the note right in the holder's script, each note could have a script that gets activated by the holder, and then could do more interesting things (like playing a rondo by repeating themes in ABACA form etc).

• Bert -

On 11.07.2011, at 14:34, Steve Thomas wrote:

1. You can use the timer in the playfield category (can change decimal

places I believe accurate to milliseconds)

2. Use a "piano roll" and place notes on the roll and have a "needle" move

across the roll (or the roll move) and when the "needle" touches the note, it will play that note.

You could have kids play a frequency based on it's y position and have them draw a score. They could also have the note sustain based on its length. You can also change the tempo by moving the needle at different speeds.

Stephen

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 7:04 AM, Christine Murakami < cmurakami@columbusschoolforgirls.org> wrote:

...

Hi everyone!

I have been working with students on creating music lessons, and there is a gap in my knowledge of Etoys that is preventing them from going further in their projects.

Many of them would like a song to play (using the play frequency tile). The only way I can think to do this is to either create a variable counter that counts a beat or to use the playfield counter. Either way, it seems like Etoys ought to have a command that does something like "while counter > 5 and counter <10 play frequency 880" or even using a test in a similar way: "test counter > 5 and counter < 10". I just can't figure out how to have a sound play for a specific amount of time - especially a few beats into the song. The first few we can fudge, but after that it gets too complicated. I need to help them find a better solution.

I've looked at both Pling and the chord game for suggestions, which helped with other issues but not this one.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! I've been struggling with this since early May!

Thanks!

Christine _______________________________________________

---

squeakland mailing list squeakland@squeakland.org http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland

On 11.07.2011, at 20:38, karl ramberg wrote:

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 6:04 PM, Steve Thomas sthomas1@gosargon.com wrote: Is there a way to play "instruments" other than tones, similar to http://www.squeakland.org/showcase/project.jsp?id=7826?

Ie: How can I specify an instrument? I can load midi files, but would like to be able to do something similar to Scratch where I can specify the instrument. and then have a script "Play the notes"

It's all there under the hood waiting for someone to do the Etoys interface... Music gets quite technical fast and it's a big job getting the tools right.

Here is a howto for the daring:

Try the do it (that is paste this text into Etoys select it and press ctrl and d.)

| n score | n _ 3. score _ (MIDIScore new tracks: ((1 to: n) collect: [:i | Array new]); trackInfo: ((1 to: n) collect: [:i | 'Instrument' , i printString]); tempoMap: nil; ticksPerQuarterNote: 96). ScorePlayerMorph openOn: score title: 'empty score'

You can select instruments, click where it says 'flute1', and a menu pops up. Click PianoRoll and you get a piano roll :-) Click on the piano roll and a menu pops up. Select 'add keyboard' and you get a piano keyboard that you can add notes to the piano roll.

Karl

If the score player had a menu item to add a track then we could do this without Smalltalk code, right?

- Bert -

Stephen

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 10:37 AM, Bert Freudenberg bert@freudenbergs.de wrote: Hi Christine,

you can do "test counter > 5 and counter < 10" using two nested tests. The first would test for "counter > 5" and in its "yes" case there would be a test for "counter < 10". Of course that would be tedious for a whole song.

Here is a way to use the timer as suggested by Steve:

<PastedGraphic-12.png>

Each note is just a rectangle with an embedded text label. It has a variable for its frequency. Its width represents its duration. Many of them are put in a holder, and each can have their own frequency. The holder has a single variable, "until". This holds the timer value for the end of the currently playing note. When that time has passed, the next "until" is calculated from the width of the next note, and it is played.

It's very simple to make more notes, you just duplicate them, and if necessary change freq and width. You could make a parts bin with all the preconfigured notes.

This is similar to (though a lot simpler than) what I showed at Squeakfest. Ideas from that talk could be integrated as well - e.g., instead of playing the note right in the holder's script, each note could have a script that gets activated by the holder, and then could do more interesting things (like playing a rondo by repeating themes in ABACA form etc).

• Bert -

On 11.07.2011, at 14:34, Steve Thomas wrote:

...

1. You can use the timer in the playfield category (can change decimal places I believe accurate to milliseconds)

2. Use a "piano roll" and place notes on the roll and have a "needle" move across the roll (or the roll move) and when the "needle" touches the note, it will play that note.

You could have kids play a frequency based on it's y position and have them draw a score. They could also have the note sustain based on its length. You can also change the tempo by moving the needle at different speeds.

Stephen

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 7:04 AM, Christine Murakami cmurakami@columbusschoolforgirls.org wrote: Hi everyone!

I have been working with students on creating music lessons, and there is a gap in my knowledge of Etoys that is preventing them from going further in their projects.

Many of them would like a song to play (using the play frequency tile). The only way I can think to do this is to either create a variable counter that counts a beat or to use the playfield counter. Either way, it seems like Etoys ought to have a command that does something like "while counter > 5 and counter <10 play frequency 880" or even using a test in a similar way: "test counter > 5 and counter < 10". I just can't figure out how to have a sound play for a specific amount of time - especially a few beats into the song. The first few we can fudge, but after that it gets too complicated. I need to help them find a better solution.

I've looked at both Pling and the chord game for suggestions, which helped with other issues but not this one.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! I've been struggling with this since early May!

Thanks!

Christine _______________________________________________

---

squeakland mailing list squeakland@squeakland.org http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland

---

squeakland mailing list squeakland@squeakland.org http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 3:56 PM, karl ramberg karlramberg@gmail.com wrote:

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 9:38 PM, Bert Freudenberg bert@freudenbergs.dewrote:

...

On 11.07.2011, at 20:38, karl ramberg wrote:

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 6:04 PM, Steve Thomas sthomas1@gosargon.comwrote:

...

Is there a way to play "instruments" other than tones, similar to http://www.squeakland.org/showcase/project.jsp?id=7826?

Ie: How can I specify an instrument? I can load midi files, but would like to be able to do something similar to Scratch where I can specify the instrument. and then have a script "Play the notes"

It's all there under the hood waiting for someone to do the Etoys interface... Music gets quite technical fast and it's a big job getting the tools right.

A single tile added to the sound category to let you specify the

instrument would be great.

Optionally some way to add instruments if you have a midi file.

I would introduce this to kids without using the Score Player. I would have kids build their own score players where they place the "notes" onto a playfield and the "?needle?" (That red line that moves across the piano roll) is used to play the note as long as it overlaps it. They could then do as Bert suggested and create their own rondo's by turning off "fence enabled" and having the "needle" wrap.

Stephen

Hi Bert and all.

I tried the suggestion below with the holder and the notes. It works perfectly, and I learned a lot in the process! Always a great side benefit.

I have a follow-up question that will be helpful as we work on these projects.

Is there a way to get the holder to stop playing once the song is over? Right now, it continues back at the beginning, just like an animation would, playing continuously until you click the stop all scripts button.

As always, many thanks for the help! It took me a while to figure out, but this will help with ALL these musical projects!

Christine

From: Bert Freudenberg [mailto:bert42@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Bert Freudenberg Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 10:38 AM To: squeakland Cc: Christine Murakami Subject: Re: [squeakland] Playing musical notes

Hi Christine,

you can do "test counter > 5 and counter < 10" using two nested tests. The first would test for "counter > 5" and in its "yes" case there would be a test for "counter < 10". Of course that would be tedious for a whole song.

Here is a way to use the timer as suggested by Steve:

[cid:image001.png@01CC477A.C30C30C0]

Each note is just a rectangle with an embedded text label. It has a variable for its frequency. Its width represents its duration. Many of them are put in a holder, and each can have their own frequency. The holder has a single variable, "until". This holds the timer value for the end of the currently playing note. When that time has passed, the next "until" is calculated from the width of the next note, and it is played.

It's very simple to make more notes, you just duplicate them, and if necessary change freq and width. You could make a parts bin with all the preconfigured notes.

This is similar to (though a lot simpler than) what I showed at Squeakfest. Ideas from that talk could be integrated as well - e.g., instead of playing the note right in the holder's script, each note could have a script that gets activated by the holder, and then could do more interesting things (like playing a rondo by repeating themes in ABACA form etc).

- Bert -

On 11.07.2011, at 14:34, Steve Thomas wrote:

1) You can use the timer in the playfield category (can change decimal places I believe accurate to milliseconds)

2) Use a "piano roll" and place notes on the roll and have a "needle" move across the roll (or the roll move) and when the "needle" touches the note, it will play that note.

You could have kids play a frequency based on it's y position and have them draw a score. They could also have the note sustain based on its length. You can also change the tempo by moving the needle at different speeds.

Stephen On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 7:04 AM, Christine Murakami <cmurakami@columbusschoolforgirls.orgmailto:cmurakami@columbusschoolforgirls.org> wrote:

Hi everyone!

I have been working with students on creating music lessons, and there is a gap in my knowledge of Etoys that is preventing them from going further in their projects.

Many of them would like a song to play (using the play frequency tile). The only way I can think to do this is to either create a variable counter that counts a beat or to use the playfield counter. Either way, it seems like Etoys ought to have a command that does something like "while counter > 5 and counter <10 play frequency 880" or even using a test in a similar way: "test counter > 5 and counter < 10". I just can't figure out how to have a sound play for a specific amount of time - especially a few beats into the song. The first few we can fudge, but after that it gets too complicated. I need to help them find a better solution.

I've looked at both Pling and the chord game for suggestions, which helped with other issues but not this one.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! I've been struggling with this since early May!

Thanks!

Christine _______________________________________________

So you want to *TEST* if the Holder's Cursor goes back to one (or 1.something) and the *stop script* that is playing the notes.

Hmmmm. Well if I could watch the *Holder's cursor *(I like to look at it on the playfield and I really like to see *decimal places*, its a strange fetish I have).

Then if I could step by step take the *Holder's cursor* and *increment by *some number let's say 0.3, I might be able to be able to determine its behavior.

That would be one, Etoys challenge.

But then I think about the problem again and another challenge. Let's say I have a variable (noteToPlay) and I start it at 1 and increment it by 0.5. Then I set the Holder's cursor to the value of the variable. Well that could NEVER work because if I had 3 items in the collection, I couldn't set the cursor to 4. But then I remember the wise words of Justin Beiber (Never say Never). So perhaps I will be brave and try ;)

Stephen

On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 7:55 AM, Christine Murakami < cmurakami@columbusschoolforgirls.org> wrote:

Hi Bert and all.****

---

I tried the suggestion below with the holder and the notes. It works perfectly, and I learned a lot in the process! Always a great side benefit.

---

---

I have a follow-up question that will be helpful as we work on these projects.

---

Is there a way to get the holder to stop playing once the song is over? Right now, it continues back at the beginning, just like an animation would, playing continuously until you click the stop all scripts button. ****

---

As always, many thanks for the help! It took me a while to figure out, but this will help with ALL these musical projects!****

---

Christine****

---

*From:* Bert Freudenberg [mailto:bert42@gmail.com] *On Behalf Of *Bert Freudenberg *Sent:* Monday, July 11, 2011 10:38 AM *To:* squeakland *Cc:* Christine Murakami *Subject:* Re: [squeakland] Playing musical notes****

---

Hi Christine,****

---

you can do "test counter > 5 and counter < 10" using two nested tests. The first would test for "counter > 5" and in its "yes" case there would be a test for "counter < 10". Of course that would be tedious for a whole song.

---

---

Here is a way to use the timer as suggested by Steve:****

---

---

---

Each note is just a rectangle with an embedded text label. It has a variable for its frequency. Its width represents its duration. Many of them are put in a holder, and each can have their own frequency. The holder has a single variable, "until". This holds the timer value for the end of the currently playing note. When that time has passed, the next "until" is calculated from the width of the next note, and it is played.****

---

It's very simple to make more notes, you just duplicate them, and if necessary change freq and width. You could make a parts bin with all the preconfigured notes.****

---

This is similar to (though a lot simpler than) what I showed at Squeakfest. Ideas from that talk could be integrated as well - e.g., instead of playing the note right in the holder's script, each note could have a script that gets activated by the holder, and then could do more interesting things (like playing a rondo by repeating themes in ABACA form etc).****

---

• Bert -****

---

On 11.07.2011, at 14:34, Steve Thomas wrote:****

---

1. You can use the timer in the playfield category (can change decimal

places I believe accurate to milliseconds)

2. Use a "piano roll" and place notes on the roll and have a "needle" move

across the roll (or the roll move) and when the "needle" touches the note, it will play that note.

You could have kids play a frequency based on it's y position and have them draw a score. They could also have the note sustain based on its length. You can also change the tempo by moving the needle at different speeds.

Stephen****

On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 7:04 AM, Christine Murakami < cmurakami@columbusschoolforgirls.org> wrote:

---

Hi everyone!

I have been working with students on creating music lessons, and there is a gap in my knowledge of Etoys that is preventing them from going further in their projects.

Many of them would like a song to play (using the play frequency tile). The only way I can think to do this is to either create a variable counter that counts a beat or to use the playfield counter. Either way, it seems like Etoys ought to have a command that does something like "while counter > 5 and counter <10 play frequency 880" or even using a test in a similar way: "test counter > 5 and counter < 10". I just can't figure out how to have a sound play for a specific amount of time - especially a few beats into the song. The first few we can fudge, but after that it gets too complicated. I need to help them find a better solution.

I've looked at both Pling and the chord game for suggestions, which helped with other issues but not this one.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! I've been struggling with this since early May!

Thanks!

Christine _______________________________________________****

---

---

---

squeakland mailing list squeakland@squeakland.org http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland