KernScores seems to be the best source of symbolic music, not IMSLP, which really just gives us PDF versions of public-domain music. But it is not clear if KernScores is still being curated.
We need ABC or a way to translate data to ABC if our MDC solution based on ABC is to have legs. Guido and MuseData (md2) formats are present, but their renderings are rather unsightly. These formats do not have the JAvaScript support that make ABC and Vex attractive. Need to try hum2abc, but I am dubious. Another thing to try, since MusicXML format is available, is xml2abc.
Will we live to regret the design decision to standardize on ABC?! I think it is sufficiently expressive, but is there something newer, cheaper, faster, stronger that we are overlooking?
ABC gives us the following awesome things:
- Readability
- Rich toolset for high quality rendering
- A JavaScript library (abcjs) for easy implementation of MDC
- Interoperability with music21.
- MIDI note numbers
- In the Dactyler soup already
All we need, as I see things now, is a clear (read: automated?) path from KernScores to ABC.
The last survey question will ask subjects to pick piece that raise fingering difficulties. I really hope this is a question they can answer, or we can do something to tease this information out.
To do this, we need to narrow down the list of usual suspects in a way that will make the whole process tractable and scalable. I don't want to have to typeset of bunch of music.
A modest proposal: We limit the size of our repertoire to the 108,703 scores available through KernScores (and the few other scraps we are able to create or scrounge from Synthesia). We start with some subset of Bach. Then move through Mozart and Beethoven, or stay in the baroque period. Perhaps the latter approach is preferred, as I think we want to avoid polyphony as much as possible. Two hands playing intertwining monophonic (rapid or finger legato) lines are the focus. One-voice, then two-voice, then three-voice inventions? Maybe we just stick with Bach?
To do this, we need to narrow down the list of usual suspects in a way that will make the whole process tractable and scalable. I don't want to have to typeset of bunch of music.
A modest proposal: We limit the size of our repertoire to the 108,703 scores available through KernScores (and the few other scraps we are able to create or scrounge from Synthesia). We start with some subset of Bach. Then move through Mozart and Beethoven, or stay in the baroque period. Perhaps the latter approach is preferred, as I think we want to avoid polyphony as much as possible. Two hands playing intertwining monophonic (rapid or finger legato) lines are the focus. One-voice, then two-voice, then three-voice inventions? Maybe we just stick with Bach?
No comments:
Post a Comment