SongTrellis
Music and Musical Know-how For You

Author:  David Luebbert Posted:  3/27/11; 1:28:39 AM Msg#:  5806 (top msg in thread) Prev/Next:  5805/5807 Reads:  108803

What shows up on a Play Rhythm page?

Start one up and you'll see.

Right below horizontal rule that marks the bottom of the SongTrellis link bar, you'll see a section that presents the hand drummer's box notation for the rhythm that's playing in the web page.

That section begins with the label "Box notation for Rhythm:" which is followed by a string of 1 and 0 characters delimited with dash characters. This symbol string completely describes the rhythm that is playing.

If the rhythm is orchestrated so specific hand drum hits are notated for the rhythm, 1 symbols will be replaced by alphabetic characters such as B,O,S,H,X,T,Ss,So which select particular kinds of drum sounds, and '*' symbols may substitute for 0 symbols.

You will see a long horizontal grid of squares with grid squares containing X and * symbols. This is the box notation, perhaps the dead simplest to interpret music notation known to man. The asterisks are instructions to stay silent, the X characters are instructions to make a noise.

Starting with the first square of the notation, you make a noise (clap, slap a close by object or your own skin, click with your tongue, say a one syllable word) or stay silent as specified, and then visit each next square to the right at whatever comfortable fixed tempo that you choose for yourself. You will hear yourself produce the sounds of the rhythm specified.

If the rhythm is specified using 1 and 0 symbols, you'll notice that * grid squares correspond to 0 symbols in the specification string and that X squares correspond to 1 symbols in the specification.

You'll see an ascending sequence of numbers that show up in their own square above certain squares in the grid row. Those mark the beat in the rhythm. The sound directly below a beat count square is synchronized with the beat in the rhythm performance, with the sounds and silences of the following squares up to the next beat played inside of the beat on subdivisions of the beat.

Right below the box notation you'll see a MIDI player controller, which is preset to loop the rhythm that's on display. If you press the Pause button in the controller you can halt the performance. Following the box notation, there are several lines that vary. If your rhythm has not yet been recorded in the Rhythm Web, a line is showed that ask you if you enjoy the rhythm enough to recommend it for others to listen to it, as it's currently performed, followed by a "Yes" button. If you decide to press "Yes", the rhythm as you recommend it will be registered in the Rhythm Web.

If you decide not to recommend it as it's currently performed, the following line asks if you can hear a way to make the rhythm that is being performed sound better. If you can, there is a button that says "Yes, launch the URL for the rhythm" so you can edit it. Your other option is to press a button that says "No, a new rhythm please". If you follow the "No" option, an entirely new rhythm will be invented and displayed on the page.

If you do decide to recommend a rhythm, this section will display the credit line for your submission followed by a "New Rhythm" button. Press that and the old rhythm will be erased and a new one will be generated for you to audition.

Below this decision section on the page, you'll see a smallish music score, which shows the music notation which produces the rhythm's MIDI performance.

Below the score there will be a link that will allow you to download a MIDI rendition of the rhythm for yourself. Below the MIDI downlaod link, you'll see a link to "Launch a Tunetext for the Rhythm". Following that link will launch a music editing page that will let you customize the rhythm for your own purposes.

Finally there will be the URL that fully describes the rhythm that's being performed. You can save this to your own computer so that you can play the idea whenever you wish, and you can email this to others to share it.

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