slippery chicken documentation - note-names and scales

## Note names and scales

### + Associated example files

- notenames-scales-examples.lsp

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### + Note names

The primary means of labelling and interacting with pitch material in slippery chicken is through a note naming standard based on that of Common Music and Common Music Notation, whereby each pitch is labelled using a combination of the alphabetic name of the given pitch, a modifying letter indicating various degrees of flat/sharp inflection (if any), and an integer indicating the octave in which it is located. Thus, middle C (MIDI note 60) is indicated by `C4`, the C above that by `C5`, and the C below that by `C3` etc. As always with Lisp symbols (but not other notation systems), the case of these note names is irrelevant so `C5` is the same as `c5`

#### Octave numbers

The octave number changes with each consecutive C. Thus, with middle C being `C4`, the B-natural immediately below that is `B3`, and the B-natural above it belongs to the same octave, and is labelled `B4`.

#### Semitone sharps and flats

Simple sharps and flats are indicated by adding an `S` immediately after the note-name for a semitone sharp and an `F` immediately after the note-name for a semitone flat. Thus the B-flat immediately below middle C is `BF3` and the F-sharp above middle C is `FS4`. Double sharps and flats are not notateable.

#### Quarter-tones

Quarter-tone notation in slippery chicken only allows for simple quarter-tones, with `QS` for quarter-tone sharp and `QF` for quarter-tone flat, in addition to semitone indications as described above. There are no notation options for three-quarters-sharp or three-quarters-flat. `QS` and `QF` can be used in conjunction with the `quarter-tone` and `twelfth-tone` (CMN only) scales, but not the `chromatic` scale (see below for more detail on scales).

#### Twelfth-tones

Twelfth-tone microtones are notated using the indications `TS` for twelfth-tone sharp, `SS` for sixth-tone sharp, `SF` for sixth-tone flat and `TF` for twelfth-tone flat, in addition to the quarter-tone and semitone indications. The twelfth-tone indications can only be used within the `twelfth-tone` scale (see below for more detail on scales).

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### + Scales

Scales (or tuning systems) in slippery chicken are selected using the `in-scale` function. The scales currently available to slippery chicken are `chromatic`, `quarter-tone` and `twelfth-tone`. The default scale selected when slippery chicken loads is `quarter-tone`, which also includes all chromatic pitches.

Certain note name symbols are only available in certain scales. For example, the indication for a quarter-tone sharp, as in `FQS4`, cannot be used when the scale is set to `chromatic`, as the `chromatic` tuning does not contain quarter-tones. Attempting to use quarter-tone or twelfth-tone pitches when the scale is set to `chromatic` will result in an error.

The scales and their associated note-name symbols can be found in the file `cm-load.lsp`.

Here are a few examples, in conjunction with slippery-chicken's `make-pitch` function:

    SC> (in-scale :chromatic-scale)
    #<tuning "chromatic-scale">
    SC> (make-pitch 'bf3)

    PITCH: frequency: 233.082, midi-note: 58, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.0
           degree: 58, data-consistent: T, white-note: B3
           nearest-chromatic: BF3
           src: 0.8908988, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: BF3
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: NIL,
           micro-tone: NIL,
           sharp: NIL, flat: T, natural: NIL,
           octave: 3, c5ths: 1, no-8ve: BF, no-8ve-no-acc: B
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 27,
           accidental: F,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: BF3, tag: NIL,
    data: BF3
    **************

    SC> (make-pitch 'cs4)

    PITCH: frequency: 277.183, midi-note: 61, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.0
           degree: 122, data-consistent: T, white-note: C4
           nearest-chromatic: CS4
           src: 1.0594631, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: CS4
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: NIL,
           micro-tone: NIL,
           sharp: T, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 4, c5ths: 2, no-8ve: CS, no-8ve-no-acc: C
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 28,
           accidental: S,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: CS4, tag: NIL,
    data: CS4
    **************

    SC> (in-scale :quarter-tone)
    #<tuning "quarter-tone">
    SC> (make-pitch 'bqf3)

    PITCH: frequency: 239.912, midi-note: 58, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.5
           degree: 117, data-consistent: T, white-note: B3
           nearest-chromatic: BF3
           src: 0.91700405, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: BF3
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: 1, qtr-tone: 1,
           micro-tone: T,
           sharp: NIL, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 3, c5ths: 0, no-8ve: BQF, no-8ve-no-acc: B
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 27,
           accidental: QF,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: BQF3, tag: NIL,
    data: BQF3
    **************

    SC> (make-pitch 'fqs4)

    PITCH: frequency: 359.461, midi-note: 65, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.5
           degree: 131, data-consistent: T, white-note: F4
           nearest-chromatic: F4
           src: 1.3739537, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: FS4
           qtr-sharp: 1, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: 1,
           micro-tone: T,
           sharp: NIL, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 4, c5ths: 0, no-8ve: FQS, no-8ve-no-acc: F
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 31,
           accidental: QS,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: FQS4, tag: NIL,
    data: FQS4
    **************

    SC> (in-scale :twelfth-tone)
    #<tuning "twelfth-tone">
    SC> (make-pitch 'btf3)

    PITCH: frequency: 244.576, midi-note: 58, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.83
           degree: 353, data-consistent: T, white-note: B3
           nearest-chromatic: BF3
           src: 0.9348312, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: BTF3
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: NIL,
           micro-tone: T,
           sharp: NIL, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 3, c5ths: 0, no-8ve: BTF, no-8ve-no-acc: B
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 27,
           accidental: TF,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: BTF3, tag: NIL,
    data: BTF3
    **************

    SC> (make-pitch 'bsf3)

    PITCH: frequency: 242.232, midi-note: 58, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.67
           degree: 352, data-consistent: T, white-note: B3
           nearest-chromatic: BF3
           src: 0.9258747, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: BSF3
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: NIL,
           micro-tone: T,
           sharp: NIL, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 3, c5ths: 0, no-8ve: BSF, no-8ve-no-acc: B
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 27,
           accidental: SF,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: BSF3, tag: NIL,
    data: BSF3
    **************

    SC> (make-pitch 'cts4)

    PITCH: frequency: 264.156, midi-note: 60, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.17
           degree: 361, data-consistent: T, white-note: C4
           nearest-chromatic: C4
           src: 1.0096735, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: CTS4
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: NIL,
           micro-tone: T,
           sharp: NIL, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 4, c5ths: 0, no-8ve: CTS, no-8ve-no-acc: C
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 28,
           accidental: TS,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: CTS4, tag: NIL,
    data: CTS4
    **************

    SC> (make-pitch 'css4)

    PITCH: frequency: 266.712, midi-note: 60, midi-channel: 0
           pitch-bend: 0.33
           degree: 362, data-consistent: T, white-note: C4
           nearest-chromatic: C4
           src: 1.0194407, src-ref-pitch: C4, score-note: CSS4
           qtr-sharp: NIL, qtr-flat: NIL, qtr-tone: NIL,
           micro-tone: T,
           sharp: NIL, flat: NIL, natural: NIL,
           octave: 4, c5ths: 0, no-8ve: CSS, no-8ve-no-acc: C
           show-accidental: T, white-degree: 28,
           accidental: SS,
           accidental-in-parentheses: NIL, marks: NIL
    LINKED-NAMED-OBJECT: previous: NIL, this: NIL, next: NIL
    NAMED-OBJECT: id: CSS4, tag: NIL,
    data: CSS4
    **************

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