This module illustrates how to identify and analyze a pedal point. This module requires the music21 package. A pedal point is a tone that is sustained (or repeated) through several different chords or harmonies. It is often, but not always, in the lowest voice. Typically, it will function as a chord tone in some of […]
Tag: music21
Scale Degrees
This module explores how the notes in a melody can be represented as degrees of a scale. This module requires the music21 package. All major and minor scales (known collectively as “diatonic” scales) contain seven different notes. After the seventh note, the first note repeats again. For example, the C major scale contains the notes […]
Cantus Firmus, Part II
This module is a continuation of the previous module on composing a cantus firmus. In this module, we will continue our algorithmic approach to generating a well-formed cantus firmus based on clearly defined rules and guidelines. In the previous module, we created a function that was responsive the following principles: We nested the random_note() function […]
Cantus Firmus, Part I
This module explores the basics of composing a cantus firmus. The cantus firmus is a melody that forms the basis for polyphonic music and other musical textures that employ strict counterpoint, including specifies counterpoint exercises. The cantus firmus must exhibit certain musical qualities to be considered “well-formed,” including smoothness, motion, and variety. We’ll use the […]
Importing Notation
This brief tutorial module illustrates how to import music notation files into the music21 environment. There are two main approaches to importing notation: importing from a file on your computer, or from a file in the music21 corpus. To import from a file (whether you created it or downloaded it), replace the directory in quotation […]
Voice Roles, Part II
This module is a continuation of the previous module exploring the roles of the different voices in a four-part texture. We’ll continue with J. S. Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude: Let’s load the chorale in music21: The four voices are aligned vertically in the score to reflect their usual relationship to one another in terms of […]
Voice Roles, Part I
This module explores the roles of the different parts in four-voice Baroque counterpoint. This module uses the music21 library. J. S. Bach’s chorales are often used as a model for musical textures with four voices. The voices are perceived as independent from one another through the unique roles they take on in the composition. By […]
Viewing Notation
This brief tutorial module explains how to view notation in the music21 environment. After you install music21, you must configure it for your system. As part of this process, you must install or specify a software program to display notation in the MusicXML format. The instructions for this configuration process are included as part of […]
Skips and Steps and Style (and Chords)
This module builds on the previous Skips and Steps and Style module. In the previous module, we counted the skips and steps in Maple Leaf Rag, a piano composition by Scott Joplin from the late nineteenth century. Here’s a summary of our work so far (see the previous module for the code for the count_skipstep […]
Finding Examples
This module will help you find musical examples to study or use in the classroom. This page gives an overview of the files included in the music21 corpus. Click here for help importing files, or click here once you have a file imported to extract specific parts. MusicXML is an emerging standard for digital notation […]