Music Score Trainer

Music Score Trainer is a Python script that generates a music score of random notes and an accompanying audio file to aid in practicing note recognition and sight-reading skills.

Features

• Generates a music score with random notes.
• Creates an audio file matching the generated score.
• Ideal for practicing note recognition and improving sight-reading skills.

Dependencies

• Python 3 - required to run the script.
• LilyPond - used to generate PDF and MIDI files.
• TiMidity++ - used to convert MIDI files to audio.
• LAME - used to compress the generated audio to MP3.

Usage

1. Modify the Script:

   • Open sight_reading.py in a text editor.
   • Locate the line key = key_c and change it to the key you want to practice.
     • For example, key = key_a for the key of A.
     • Sharp keys are named with an is suffix (e.g., key F sharp is key_fis).
     • Flat keys are named with an es suffix (e.g., key B flat is key_bes).

2. Generate the LilyPond File:

   • Run the script and redirect the output to a .ly file:

     python3 sight_reading.py > key_c.ly

   • Replace key_c.ly with the desired key name.

3. Create the Music Score and MIDI File:

   • Use LilyPond to generate the PDF and MIDI files:

     lilypond key_c.ly

   • This command will generate key_c.pdf and key_c.midi files.

4. Convert MIDI to Audio:

   • Use TiMidity++ to convert the MIDI file to a WAV audio file:

     timidity -Ow key_c.midi

   • This command will generate a key_c.wav file.

5. Compress the Audio File:

   • Use LAME to compress the WAV file to MP3 format:

     lame key_c.wav

   • This command will generate a key_c.mp3 file.

After completing these steps, you will have a PDF music score and an MP3 audio file for practicing note recognition and sight-reading skills.

Contributing

We welcome contributions to expand the range of keys supported by the Music Score Trainer. If you would like to add data for new keys, please update the keys.py file with the necessary information.

Guidelines for Notes

For each key, provide data for both the treble clef and bass clef:

1. Treble Clef:

   • Notes must be within the range of G3 to C6, inclusive.
   • Ensure that all notes in the lists are within this range, considering both actual pitch and spelling.

2. Bass Clef:

   • Notes must be within the range of C2 to F4, inclusive.
   • Similarly, ensure that all notes are within this range, considering both actual pitch and spelling. For instance, B1-sharp is technically C2, but B1 itself is outside the range, so it should not be included.

Each clef should include the following lists:

1. Scale Notes: this list contains all the notes in the scale for the specified key. For each key, the scale notes are: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti.
2. Altered Notes: This list includes all sharp-spelt and flat-spelt notes for the key.
   • Sharp-spelt notes: di, ri, fi, si, li
   • Flat-spelt notes: ra, me, se, le, te

Steps to Add New Keys

1. Create the Data: Follow the provided guidelines to create the scale notes and altered notes lists for both treble and bass clefs in keys.py.
2. Update the Script: Modify the key = key_c line in sight_reading.py to reference the newly added key in keys.py. Set shuffle = False to disable random shuffling of notes, which will make it easier to inspect and verify the generated results.
3. Generate and Verify Scores: Follow the steps in the "Usage" section to generate the music scores and ensure that they are correct.
4. Submit a Pull Request: Once you have confirmed that everything works as expected, commit only the changes to keys.py, create a new branch for your updates, and submit a pull request.

Thank you for contributing to the Music Score Trainer project!

License

This project is licensed under GNU General Public License, Version 3. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

This script is inspired by Ada and is created to help her with her piano practicing.