path: root/2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--04-music-in-plain-text--jonathan-gregory.vtt

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.