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…