WEBVTT
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the EmacsConf.
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I am Jonathan. In this talk,
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I'm going to demonstrate ways of
producing sheet music in Emacs
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using Lilypond, and maybe also
convince you
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to use Emacs for writing your scores.
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I'll start with an overview
of the syntax
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for those who are new to using
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text-based notation
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as a shallow dive into the deep pond
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of lilies and Lilypond,
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and move on to showcase
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some of its functionalities
using Org Mode and lilypond-mode.
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One disclaimer, however:
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I am not a Lilypond developer.
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So what is Lilypond?
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Lilypond is a file format and music
engraving system
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for producing high-quality sheet music.
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It translates textual representations
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of music to graphical objects.
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It's similar to LaTeX in that
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its input format describes
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the visual layouts of the score,
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using commands to define musical
expressions.
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Commands begin with a backslash.
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For example, the formatter command,
as shown on the left,
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yields its graphical equivalents
on the right,
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the fermata symbol over the low B
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and so on and so forth.
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It's also fully extensible, like Emacs,
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allowing users to extend
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and override Lilypond's functionalities
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using the Scheme scripting language.
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It can be used for early and
contemporary music tablature,
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vocal music lead sheets, and so on.
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Above all, it works with Emacs.
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In fact, Lilypond ships with
Emacs Lisp libraries,
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including a major mode for editing
Lilypond files.
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So the input files are similar to source
files.
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They contain expressions formed with
curly braces,
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comments that start with
the percent sign,
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and the code is indented.
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Notes are entered using lowercase
letters,
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and rests with the letter r.
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In this case, the lowercase r or r4
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is the equivalence of a crotchet or
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quarter note rest.
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Durations are entered using numbers
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and dots after the note name.
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If you do not specify one,
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the previous duration is used.
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You can also tie notes together using
the tilde symbol (~).
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In fact, you can input chords, lyrics,
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embellishments, and a lot more.
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I encourage you to read the manual for
more information.
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Now let's switch to a terminal window.
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With Lilypond installed,
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let's create a test file with the
extension .ly and open it in Emacs.
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At the top of the file is
the version statement,
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which tells Lilypond
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which version to use when
compiling the file.
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Here I'm using version 2.20.0.
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I've added the clef and time signature.
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Let's add some notes.
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I'm going to close this now
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and compile the file
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by running lilypond followed
by the file name.
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So now let's view the output.
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Okay. So here's a more complex example
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for randomizing note sequences.
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The idea is to create
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new reading materials each time the code
blocks are evaluated.
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As usual, we begin with a header.
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I've added the title and composer.
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Then we add the note sequences to use in
the composition.
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In this case, sn is a note name just like
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a b c d and so on, and stands for snare drum,
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the percussion instruments.
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Now here's a function that's going to
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shuffle the notes in the table.
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Finally, we expand the notes inside
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the Lilypond source block.
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So whatever the function returns
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is expanded inside the drums block.
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Now let's press C-c C-c to view the
results.
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Okay. And if I run this again, it should
create a new composition.
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Great. You can also audition a piece
using the midi command,
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which creates a midi file of the score.
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Note also that the ob library--
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sorry, the ob-lilypond library comes
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with two modes.
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The one I'm using now is called
arrange mode
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and is useful for assembling
complete scores.
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The basic mode, on the other hand,
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allows you to mix text and music
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by embedding Lilypond snippets and
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export them using typical Org Mode
commands.
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Now to demonstrate the basic mode in
action.
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I'm going to export this document
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to a PDF file.
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In this case, the :file header argument
is required,
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so you have to provide one
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and include the file name.
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Again, you can run the code and view the
results.
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Here it is. So now let's export this to
a PDF file.
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And here it is, what it generates.
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Now I'm going to show you
the workflow I used
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to produce music books in Emacs,
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combining Lilypond and LaTeX for a
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perfect marriage.
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I begin by sketching the first draft
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of the manuscript using
pencil and paper.
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Then I move to Emacs to input the notes
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in a git repository.
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This is a typical source file.
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It begins with a stylesheet
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where I set variables and layout settings,
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although in general,
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there's no need for tweaking the layout
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unless you have specific requirements to
do so.
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The easiest way to compile the file
from Emacs is by pressing C-c C-l,
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so let's do this now,
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and the compilation buffer will tell you
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if there were any errors in the file.
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Now to automate the process of
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compiling several files and
building the PDF,
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I use GNU Make, so all I have to do is
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open the shell and run the make command.
Don't worry,
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I'll provide a link to the source code
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on the last slide.
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As I moved forward with the project,
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I found at least two things missing.
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One, I had no access to a metronome,
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at least not from the editor,
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so I built one for casual use
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and made it available in the MELPA
repository.
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I also missed bar numbers in the
source file.
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This is useful when going back and forth
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between input and output files without
getting lost.
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So I wrote a command for toggling bar
numbers,
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which I hope you can see on the left.
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Also, some expressions are difficult or
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slow to write on the keyboard--
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accents and tuplets, for example--
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so I use template expansion extensively
for this purpose,
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mainly yasnippet.
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So what do I think?
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Well, I think Lilypond can be a sharp
paradigm shift
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for people used to GUI alternatives,
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but the results are impressive.
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You don't have to dive too deeply to
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start using Lilypond.
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Likewise, the ability to extend the
software,
I think,
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is especially appealing for music
professionals,
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enthusiasts, composers, and the academic
community:
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for example, allowing users to create
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alternative notation systems
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required in non-Western music traditions
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and other non-conventional requirements.
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Also, Lilypond and Emacs both have
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extensive and well-written manuals
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and active communities of users.
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But if you're still not sure
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where to start and when to wedge your
feet in the deep but warm pond
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of lilies, Lilypond, and Lilypond users,
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I invite you to contribute to my
Lilypond projects,
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which you can do so from the links on
the screen.
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So, thank you all. I look forward to
your comments,
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and I hope you enjoy the rest of the
conference.
