Learning Python through coding music

September, 2022

READER

Krijn Hoogendorp

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TunePad was created by the TIDAL Lab at Northwestern University.
TunePad owns and retains all rights to the TunePad code, design, and functionality.
All user-generated content on TunePad is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike 2.0 license.

EarSketch is a product from Georgia Tech.

All rights to EarSketch code, design, and functionality is owned and retained by Georgia Tech
Research Corporation.
The EarSketch curriculum and teaching materials are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

References are made to the excellent book Introduction to Digital Music with Python Programming
By Michael S. Horn, Melanie West, Cameron Roberts

"Python" is a registered trademark of the Python Software Foundation (PSF). The Python logos are
use trademarks of the PSF as well.

This reader was created by Krijn Hoogendorp and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Contact if you like to redistribute
(parts of-) the reader is appreciated.

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Learning Python through coding music............................................................................................................5

Lesson 1: TunePad ..........................................................................................................................................6

Python intermezzo 1 .........................................................................................................................................10
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................14
Assignment 1 ....................................................................................................................................................14

Lesson 2: Tempo and rhythm ........................................................................................................................16

Python intermezzo 2 .........................................................................................................................................19
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................20
Assignment 2 ....................................................................................................................................................20

Lesson 3: TunePad melody ............................................................................................................................21

Python intermezzo 3 .........................................................................................................................................23
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................26
Assignment 3 ....................................................................................................................................................26

Lesson 4: Chords ...........................................................................................................................................29

Python intermezzo 4 .........................................................................................................................................32
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................33
Assignment 4 ....................................................................................................................................................33

Lesson 5: Scales, keys and melody.................................................................................................................34

Python intermezzo 5 .........................................................................................................................................35
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................37
Assignment 5 ....................................................................................................................................................37

Lesson 6: Diatonic chords and chord progression ..........................................................................................38

Python intermezzo 6 .........................................................................................................................................39
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................41
Assignment 6 ....................................................................................................................................................41

Final Exercise week 1 ....................................................................................................................................42

les 7: EarSketch intro ....................................................................................................................................44

Python intermezzo 7 .........................................................................................................................................47
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................51
Assignment lesson 7..........................................................................................................................................51

lesson 8: EarSketch remix..............................................................................................................................51

Python intermezzo 8 .........................................................................................................................................54
Book reference ..................................................................................................................................................57
Assignment 8 ....................................................................................................................................................58

Final assignment week 2 ...............................................................................................................................59

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4
Learning Python through coding music
Welcome to the course Learning Python through coding music.

We hope you will enjoy the course. Programming is increasingly getting an essential asset in
many professional fields, but even more important, coding is also fun.

In this course you will work with basic programming concepts such as variables, if-selection,
loops, functions and much more. No previous programming knowledge is needed, but even if
you have extensive experience with coding you might still learn a lot if you challenge
yourself to create complex musical tunes.

We do not expect you to have a music background. The creators of this course are IT
specialist and certainly not musicians. However, some music theory will be addressed in a
quick-and dirty manner. No worries if you do not understand. You can rely on your ears.

Every day there will be two one-hour lectures (at 9:00 and at 13:30 hours) followed by
practical exercises. In week two you will create your own composition with Python.

In the first week we use the online programming environment TunePad and in week two we
move to EarSketch (another online environment).

TunePad is well suited for the basics of Python. EarSketch is designed to use Python on music
samples and provides the possibility for the creation of your own composition (which you
will present at the end of week 2).

The practical exercises are explained in this document and in the book Introduction to Digital
Music with Python Programming (Horn, West, Roberts, 2022). You do not need to purchase
the book. We will provide a copy.

Music is an important part of the daily lectures, as inspiration, but also to explain the
similarities between programming and music. For sure you will think of your own examples
of suitable songs. Please share your thoughts with us.

Some EarSketch examples:

https://youtu.be/JqkWljZ3EW0

On how to learn music (and the same applies to programming):

https://youtu.be/3yRMbH36HRE

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Lesson 1: TunePad
We will start with the online environment TunePad.
1) Open your web browser and go to: https://tunepad.com/
2) Scroll down and look at the video (see the image):

Before we really start with TunePad you need to login in order to save your tunes. You can
first register or use your gmail account.

Now you are ready to start with TunePad. Look closely at the code underneath. This is
Python. Do you have any idea what is happening?

The text after # are comments. Python does not do anything with this text. Programmers add
comments to inform the human reader on what is happening.

playNote() and rest() are called functions. Functions are important concepts in many
programming languages. More on functions later.
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3) You can try the code through this link
https://tunepad.com/project/34129
4) Scroll down and play the code by clicking the green triangle (see image).
5) Change a couple of the 1’s into 2’s or 3’s. (To do so you first have to click ‘remix’):

6) What is the difference between functions rest() and playNote()? Hint: just play with
the functions and listen to what is happening.
7) What does the number between brackets do? (e.g. rest(1) en playNote(1))?

IMPORTANT
You hopefully noticed that the code is running in a sequential order and when coming to
the end it starts over (a loop). This loop is an automatic part of TunePad. Soon you will
find out how loops work in Python.

You might know that music has beats. Much of the music you hear on the radio has four
(4) beats in a bar. If you count with the music, counting to 4 (and start over again) seems
‘natural’. Often there is some emphasis on the first beat.

You can count to 4 with the rhythm: https://youtu.be/lQnG9HlWok0

Try to put a 1 on each stronger drumbeat.

However, there is a also a lot of music that has three (3) beats (and there are more options
such as 2 or 6)
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In TunePad you need to explicitly state how many beats per bar. This is done on the right
top. See the image, it says ‘4/4 time’.
The tune you were working with has eight beats (2 bars with 4 beats). TunePad loops
after the eight beats. You can see it in the image but you can also count the numbers
between brackets in the functions (1+1+1+1+1+1+1+0.5+0.5):

What do you think will happen if the tune would be nine beats? There is only one way to
know for sure à Try out it!
playNote(1)
rest(1)
playNote(1)
rest(1)
playNote(1)
rest(1)
playNote(1)
rest(1)
playNote(1)

Do you understand what is happening?

TunePad has now a 4 beat to the bar rhythm. It can only loop after a complete bar (so
after 4, 8, 12 etc.).

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Introduction to TunePad

Your aim might be to learn Python, but of course you also want to create your own beats and
tunes. As before, go to the website and sign in:

If you are signed in already, you can click on ‘My Tunes’:

After signing in you can start a new project; click on New Project, click on +. You might need
to add a new cell (see images):

The cell you want is Drums:

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Add the code underneath and execute it by clicking on the triangle:

In the previous chapter the code said: playNote(1) instead of playNote(kick)

Change kick into 1. Do you hear any difference? What if you change the word kick
everywhere into boom? Does the code still work?

Exercise 1.1
Create your own rhythm in 2 bars (8 beats). Use at least kick, snare and tom. The kick sound
has number 0 or 1, snare sound number 3, and tom numbers 6, 7 or 8. (see image)
Also use rest(1) and rest(0.5) functions.

Python intermezzo 1
The aim of this course is learning about Python. Python was first released in 1991 by Guido
van Rossum, at that time working for CWI in Amsterdam. Python has developed into one of
the most used programming languages.

Guido Van Rossum

Photo: Doc Searls

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45984776

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In this course we use the TunePad online Python editor to work with, however it is important
to know there are many other IDE’s (Integrated Development Environments) which can be
used for Python programming. Examples are IDLE and PyCharm, which need to be installed
on your computer. There are also online coding environments such as Google Colab and
Jupyter. In the Python Intermezzo parts of this syllabus you need to use one of such general
Python editors. The examples are created with the Jupyter online notebook, but you are
encouraged to experiment with other editors.

For music creation we use TunePad editor, as it has built-in functions for making music (such
as playNote() ). A function is a block of code that is only executed when it is called. Later in
this intermezzo it is explained further.

In this chapter you have already practiced with the following programming concepts:
• Comments à if you put # in front of a line, Python will not do anything with it. This
is handy to explain in plain English what is happening in this part of the code.
• Functions à such as rest() and playNote().
• Variables à you used variable boom in the line boom = 1. This line means that the
number (integer) 1 is assigned to variable boom.
• Sequence à you might have noticed that Python seems to do things in sequence;
starting with line 1 and then moving from line to line until the end of the code.

In this intermezzo you practice with these concepts outside the music context.

Step by step:
1) Open your general Python editor. If you use Jupyter go to https://jupyter.org/try-
jupyter/retro/notebooks/

2) In case you get a pop-up about the kernel, you select Pyolite.

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 3) Try out the code underneath. What is the result when you click the triangle?

4) And what is the result of this code?

5) And this code?

Do you understand better variables (such as varX) and how a value is assigned to a variable?

Functions
You have now used functions such as print(), playNote() and rest(). A function is a block of
code that can perform a specific task. Examples are:
• printing something on the screen à (print(),
• creating a sound à playNote(), or
• wait for a certain period à rest().

Not all functions are available in all Python editors. You can try this:

You probably get an error message as the function rest() is not known in Jupyter (it is a
specific NotePad function):

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 6) You need to know that you can create your own functions. In this example a function
is created with the name one_print. After that the function is carried out thrice:

7) A function can also be called with a parameter between the brackets. The parameter
can subsequently be used in the function, Here and example with parameter varNum:

Do you understand what happens? First number_print(3) is called. In the function the
number 3 is assigned to the variable called varNum. Later varNum is printed.

Functions are not an easy subject. In many tutorials it is only addressed after a couple of
chapters. However, as functions are used right from the start in TunePad it is necessary to
introduce them already in lesson 1.

Important to know:
Python is very strict with indents. You see that a function is constructed with the keyword
def.
After the name and the parameter there is a :
All lines that are part of the function need to be indented in the same manner. The code
underneath is not going to work:

What kind of error message do you get after executing this code? Do you understand the
error message? Can you fix it? (hint: have a look at the code above).

In this intermezzo you practiced with comments, variable assignments and functions.
You learned how to create functions and to interpret some error messages. Also you now
know about indentation in Python.
That’s a lot.

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Exercise 1.2
Create a Python function with the name double_number. This function takes a number and
doubles it. The result is printed on screen.

Book reference
- Read chapter 1: Why music and coding.
- Carry out the steps in Interlude 1: Basic pop beat

Assignment 1

All assignments need to be handed in in the DLO (https://dlo.mijnhva.nl)

You can use the function playNote() in the following manner:

playNote(1)
but also:
playNote(1, beats=0.5)

playNote() can take only one parameter, but more is also possible. If the beats parameter is
not specified, the default duration of 1 is taken.

Create a function beatRhythm() that takes a parameter.

In the function a note is played. The duration of the note is the parameter that is received.
Call the function at least 8 times (with various durations) so that it creates a nice rhythm.

Handing in the assignment.

You have the hand in the assignment at the DLO. You probably can find the course here:
https://dlo.mijnhva.nl/d2l/home/443650

However, you can also go to: https://dlo.mijnhva.nl/

And look for the course Learning Python through coding music.

You hand in the MIDI file: go to ‘Export’ and click on ‘Download MIDI’

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When submitting the assignment you put the URL of the TunePad code in the comments and
upload the MIDI file:

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Lesson 2: Tempo and rhythm
If you didn’t know before, lesson 1 has taught you that music is, among other things, defined
by beats. You have read (and maybe experienced) that a 4 beats per bar is quite common.

You probably know already that another factor is the speed in which the rhythm is played.
This speed is usually indicated by bpm (beats per minute). In general, rock music is around
100 to 140 bpm, while R&B is a bit slower with 60 to 80 bpm. Techno on the other hand, is
more up tempo with 140 bpm and over.

You can change the bpm of you TunePad creation on the top of the cell.

Exercise 2.1
Take the TunePad code of the image above and change the bpm into 70 and then into 100.
Experience the difference.

Beats per bar

In TunePad, on the right of bpm, you see the beats per bar. In the image it says 4/4. The top
number tells you how many beats there are in a single bar.
Understanding the bottom number is a bit more difficult for people with limited musical
background.
If the bottom number is a 4, it means the beats are quarter notes (four quarter notes in a bar).
If the bottom number is 2, it means the note value is half notes (half notes per bar).
Do not worry so much about understanding the bottom number.

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4/4 time means 4 beats to the bar.

Exercise 2.2
Take your tune of the previous exercise and play with the time (e.g. change it into 3 /4 or 6/8).
What do you notice?

Loops
A very nice and flattering image of programmers is related to their laziness which drives them
to create efficient code (meaning ‘less’ code). Take for example the two blocks of code
underneath:

If you try out both blocks of code, you notice that the result is exactly the same. Even people
illiterate in coding would probably prefer the shorter version with the for-loop.

A for-loop carries out a specific block of code a number of times. You can try out the code
underneath. You need to make some changes to the TunePad configuration:

1) This time we want to hear the ‘cowbell’ which is part of the percussion sounds.
2) There is a print() statement in the code. We want to see the result. Click on the …
and ‘Show/Hide’ and enable ‘Show Python Output’:

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Explanation of code:
- function range(8) gives you list of 8 numbers starting with 0: [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
- for i in range(8) means that the program will step through the list (first 0, then 1
etcetera).
- after every step the indented lines are carried out.

Try out the following code:

for i in [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7]:
print(i)
playNote(1, beats=0.75)
rest(0.25)

Is there any difference with the previous code?

Exercise 2.3
Create a program that continuously plays:
• a kick followed by the other kick sound, then
• a snare followed by the other snare, then
• a hat followed by the other hat, and
• finally a tom followed by the other tom sound.

You cannot use more than 4 lines of code.

Hint: use a loop and have a look at the image underneath:

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Python intermezzo 2

In chapter 1 you have already practiced with functions and variables. You also have seen how
comments work and practiced with error messages. In lesson 2 lists and for-loops were added
to your knowledge.

In this intermezzo a little more is explained on lists and loops.

Lists and other datatypes

You have seen that the function range(8) can have a somehow similar use as list
[0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]

A list is usually put in between square brackets: [ and ]. A list is actually a datatype. Within
programming all data has a specific type.
For example in the line varA = 3. The value of variable varA is an integer (3), thus the
datatype of varA is an integer.
In case of varB = [0,1,3]. The value of varB is [0,1,2,3] and the datatype is list.

You can check the datatype of a variable with the function type(). Try the following in your
favorite Python editor:

You will see that the datatype of varA is an integer (int) and the datatype of varB is a list.

But what happens if you try the following code?

As you can see, the datatype of varX is ‘str’ this is short for string. A string can contain 0 or
more characters.

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Exercise 2.3
Try out the code underneath and explain the two results of the print-statements:

And what about executing the code underneath? Do you understand what is happening?

Book reference
- Read chapter 2: Rhythm and temp.
- Carry out the steps in Interlude 2: Custom trap beat.

Assignment 2
Have a look at (part of) the following music video of the song Lowrider by War:
https://youtu.be/BsrqKE1iqqo

A key percussion sound in the song is the cowbell. Other famous ‘cowbell’ songs are:
• Don’t fear the reaper – Blue Oyster Cult ( https://youtu.be/Dy4HA3vUv2c ) which
inspired this sketch ( https://youtu.be/R8fpVNhiqKQ )
• Honky Tonk Women – Rolling Stones ( https://youtu.be/hqqkGxZ1_8I )

In this assignment you need to use TunePad to program the cowbell rhythm in Lowrider. It is
possible to use the following video as help: https://youtu.be/ShsSpqt2lVE
Try out the different percussion sounds.

Go to the DLO and hand in the MIDI file and the URL

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Lesson 3: TunePad melody
Of course, music is more than just rhythm, it also consists of melody. TunePad holds different
musical instruments. Try out the piano with the code underneath:

You can try this melody also out on an actual instrument (if you have one available):
playNote(48) gives a C note, playNote(55) a G note, and playNote(60) also a C note (but an
octave higher).

The numbers used are so-called MIDI note numbers. MIDI is a protocol that can be used to
exchange musical information between digital systems.

You can change the pitch by changing the MIDI-numbers. Try the same rhythm with
numbers: 55, 62 and 67.

As with drums, it is possible to add effects to the piano. Try the code underneath. What do
beats do?

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As drums, also piano sounds can have effects. Try the code underneath. You know what beat
does, but what does velocity do?

for i in [36, 43, 48, 43]:

playNote(i, beats=0.5, velocity=25)
rest(0.1)
playNote(i, beats=0.5, velocity=50)
rest(0.3)

Explain how the for construction works in the code above.

Music with different layers

‘Real’ music compositions usually have a variety of sounds. Traditional rock is often a
combination of guitar, bass and drums. With TunePad it is possible to join different sounds.

To do this you have to add different cells to a project and with the triangle right on top you
can start these different cells at the same time.

Exercise 3.1
Create your own song containing piano and percussion.

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Python intermezzo 3

In Python intermezzo 2 you have read that each variable has a certain datatype. Within Python
it is not necessary to explicitly state in advance which datatype a variable has. In some other
computer languages this might be different. For example, in the programming language Java,
a variable (varX) can be declared as such:

int varX = 10;

varX has thus datatype integer (int).

In Python you can write:

varX = 10

As 10 is a whole number (not a fractional number) Python assumes the datatype will be an
integer. You can try out the following code in your favorite Python editor:

Frequently used simple datatypes in Python are: integer, float, strings and booleans:
- integer – whole numbers (not fractionals) such as 10, 2015, and -13
- float – decimal numbers, such as 0.5, 14.234, and – 12.123
- string – a set of characters, such as: “b”, “2@#4x”, or “__appelx 3s”
- boolean – a type that can only have the values True or False.

Exercise 3.2
Use the following code to find the datatypes of the variables.

Lists
A list (such as [1, 14, -1] is one of the more complex datatypes. It is complex as the list
contains elements that also have their owns specific datatype. The list [1, 14, -1] contains
elements with datatype integer.

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Each item in a list corresponds to an index number, which is an integer value, starting with
the index number 0.
In the code underneath, the first element (1) has index number 0.
Consequently the fourth element (4) has index number 3.

You can print out a single element by using the index number:

A list can have elements of different types. Take this list for example:
varListA = [1, “hallo”, True]

The datatype of varListA is list ( you can try print(type(varListA) ).

However, the first element (which has index 0) is of datatype integer.
The following element, “hallo”, is a string
And the last element, True, is a boolean.

Do not take our word for it. Check it yourself:

List manipulation
In the previous intermezzo you have seen what happens if you ‘add’ strings in comparison
with adding integers.

Adding lists is similar to adding strings; they are linked together (concatenated).

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Another fine trait of lists is that they can be changed after creation (they are mutable). E.g.
with the function append() an element can be added.

Exercise 3.3
If you have listX = [1,2] and listY = [2,3]
What is the difference between listX+listY and listX.append(listY)?

As you might have gathered from the previous question, it is possible to have a list in a list.
Another reason to consider lists as a complex datatype:

In the above example, the element with index 2 is a list ([3,4]):

So how, to find a single element in such a list in a list? You can use the following syntax:

Exercise 3.4
So how to get element “red” from varList underneath:
varList = ["A", "B", [1, 2, ["red", "blue"]]]

A list is just one of the complex datatypes of Python. Some others are:
- Tuples, which resemble lists, but after creation they cannot be adapted (they are
immutable).
- Dictionaries which can hold key:value combinations. To find the value, you can
reference the key.

25
Here examples of the use of tuples and dictionaries. Do you understand what is happening?

Book reference
- Read chapter 3: Pitch, harmony and dissonance
- Carry out the steps in Interlude 3: melodies and lists.

Assignment 3
In this assignment you are going to add to the work that has been done in Interlude 3 of the
book (Melodies and lists on page 68). The subject of the interlude is Beethoven’s composition
Für Elise.

https://youtu.be/s71I_EWJk7I

In the interlude a remix of Für Elise by the YouTuber Kyle Exum is presented.
https://youtu.be/EWYAQHMIa4Y

In the remix the traditional piano melody of Für Elise is combined with a modern bass and
drums.

An interesting aspect of the remix is that the complete piano piece is 72 beats before it loops
back to the start. The drums and bass are 76 beats. This means that they are not synchronous.
Each loop the combination creates a slightly different effect.

Please have look at the code. Underneath it will be explained:

26
In lines 1 to 8 variables are defined. Actually each variable name is a note.
The variable _ (on line 1) means that there will be no sound (None).

In lines 11 to 16 five lists are defined. Each lists is a sequence of notes:

• P1 has 12 notes
• P2 has 8 notes
• P3 has 12 notes
• P4 has 12 notes
• P5 has 16 notes

From line 17 to line 21 there are 2 for-loops.

The first for loop combines 7 of the lists. In total there are 80 half notes (each with beat=0,5)
The second loop combines 6 lists with a total of 64 half notes

The combination of 80 half notes and 74 half notes gives the total of the previous mentioned
64 beats.

The drum code is much simpler than that. It is a rest of 12 beats followed by 16 times a
sequence of 5 sounds:
rest(12)
for i in range(16):
playNote(kick)
playNote(snare, beats = 0.5)
playNote(snare, beats = 0.5)
playNote(clap)
playNote(kick)
27
In this assignment you need to make your own drum sequence. The code must contain at least
three lists that can be combined in different ways.

Do not forget to hand in the assignment (as a link to TunePad and as a MIDI file).

28
Lesson 4: Chords
In lesson 3 you have learned about melody and how lists can assist in playing a melody.
This is a simple melody

In MIDI format:
c = 60
e = 64
g = 67
b = 59
b = 59
c = 60

You might want to code this with a for-loop that is iterating through a list. However, not all
notes have the same length. How to deal with such a problem?

For this you need to develop real coding skills. There are probably a variety of solutions, but
this is one of them:

You noticed already that each note has a pitch (such as 48) and a length (e.g. 2). These
attributes can be combined into a list of two elements: [48, 2]. With this simple melody you
get 6 small lists: [60,2], [64,1], [67,1], [59,1.5], [59, 0.5], and [60, 2].

These smaller lists can be combined in one bigger list

listNotes = [[60,2], [64,1], [67,1], [59,1.5], [59, 0.5], [60, 2]]

Now we are getting somewhere.

As you learned in the Python intermezzo of lesson 3, you can identify each element with
Python.
Try out the following code:

29
And if you want, you can play a note like this:

playNote(listNotes[3][0], listNotes[3][1])

Exercise 3.5
Put all notes in a list (as above) and use the info in this paragraph to code the simple melody
with a for-loop.

Exercise 3.6
There are other ways to code the same simple melody, but now you put the pitch in one list
and the duration in the other:

while using the list. Underneath you find a framework for such code. The spots with ****
need to be changed to make it work:

listPitch = [60, 64, 67, 59, 59, 60]

listDuration = [2, 1, 1, 1.5, 0.5, 2]

30
So, now you have seen that there are often various solutions possible for a problem. This
understanding is important for anyone who codes.
Moreover you have practiced with using the representation of pitch and duration into lists,
and then using the lists to recreate a melody.

These are big steps.

Chords
You now have learned about rhythm and melody. Both important aspects of music. Some
melodies seem to be more pleasant to the ear than others, but do not be rigid about wat
melodies consist of ‘good music’ and what melodies are ‘wrong’.

Bassist and educator Victor Wooten advocates taking ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ out of the picture in
creating music:
https://youtu.be/UBNT5K2sEFQ

So far the melody has been a succession of single notes. However, it is also possible to have
notes sounding simultaneously. These are called chords.

Chords are possible in TunePad with the use of lists. In the code underneath you hear the
sound of the C major chord:

A C major chord, has the C note as a root note combined with an E and a G.

How will you make an F major? Now you will take 53 as a root note followed by 57 (53+4)
and 60 (53+7)

31
Python intermezzo 4

In this intermezzo we continue the practice of functions (as introduced in intermezzo 1).
A function is block of code that is executed when it is called. It can take parameters as input
and can return data as a result. Underneath the example of a function named twoTimes() that
takes a word (a string) and returns it twice.

The nice thing about functions is that you can write code once and use it multiple times (so
less work). Even better, there are a lot of functions available that have been written by others
(so no work). An example are functions within the random-module.

To use the random module you have to import it first. Underneath you do the import and then
use the function uniform()

The function randint() takes two integers parameters, and returns an integer that is between
these two numbers.

32
Exercise 3.6
you might need a random decimal number (a float). For this you can use the function
uniform(). Create code in which uniform() is used.
For information on the random functions you can have a look at:
https://docs.python.org/3/library/random.html

If you do an import random , and use the uniform() function multiple times, you need to write
out random.uniform() each time.

To shorten it, you might want to use the import line:

from random import uniform

If you do that you can directly use uniform()

Book reference
- Read chapter 4: Chords
Carry out the steps in Interlude 4: Playing chords.

Assignment 4

In real life the rhythm of the music has some ‘randomization’. For inexperienced musicians it
can be difficult to play ‘exactly on the beat’. The note might be slightly earlier or later.
The experienced musician might use timing in a deliberate way, not playing on the beat can
make the piece more interesting and create a surprising effect for the listener.

In this exercise the chord F-major is not played exactly on the beat. Have a look at the code
underneath and change *** in such a way that there is a random rest between C-major and
Fmajor:

33
Lesson 5: Scales, keys and melody
In the previous lesson you have learned about chords. It was mentioned that chords have a
root note. The root note of the C major chord is (logically) a C.

In Western music compositions usually also have a root note. This is called the key. Most
chords and notes will then be part of the scale of the key.

For example, the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen has the key C major. All notes in the
song a part of the C Major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C).

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen:

https://youtu.be/M6mU0wMEmbQ

The C major scale is interesting as only the whole notes are used. Whole notes are the white
keys on the piano. The black keys are half notes.

This means the C major scale is 48, 50, 52, 53, 55, 57, 59, 60

Exercise 5.1
Create a NotePad python program that plays the C major scale

Extra: you can reverse the list CmajorScale with CmajorScale.reverse() . Play with that as
well.

There is another way you can define the C major scale in a list

rootNote = 48
majorScale = [rootNote, rootNote+2, rootNote+4, rootNote+5, rootNote+7, rootNote+9,
rootNote+11, rootNote+12]

With this knowledge you can easily change the root note and still have a valid major scale.

34
Exercise 5.2
Create a function which takes as a parameter the root node (in MIDI notation) and plays the
major scale of that root node.

There are many other scales possible (besides the major scale). In Western music the minor
scale is also quite common. Usually, the minor scale is considered a bit sad in comparison
with the ‘happy’ major scale.

The C minor scale has the following notes: 48, 50, 51, 53, 55, 56, 58 and 60.
Notice that the 51, 56 and 58 are half notes.

Exercise 5.3
Create a function which takes as a parameter the root node (in MIDI notation) and plays the
minor scale of that root node.

Python intermezzo 5
A very much used construct in most programming languages is the if-statement.
If something is true then an action is carried out.

For example:

So what is between the brackets ( ) should be true? In this case we put the boolean True (do
you remember what a boolean is?). The boolean True is per definition always true.

You can also define a course of action in case the statement is false. This you can do with
else:

Comparison operators
In python you use the comparison operator == to decide if two elements are similar.
Have look at this code:

35
Do you understand the difference between = and == ?

There are many more comparison operators:

Exercise 5.4
Demonstrate each comparison operator with Python. Herewith an example with the < (less
than) operator:

Maybe you still wonder why the statement if (True): is always true. Consider the code
below:

Do you understand why it says: <class ‘bool’> ?

Logical operators
A logical operator (or boolean operator) is used to evaluate a combination of comparisons.
An example is:

36
As statement (x > 3) is true and (x < 10 ) is true. The result of ((x>3) and (x<10)) is also
true.

If one of the statements is false then the complete statement is also false:

Other frequently used logical operators are: or and not:

Book reference
- Read chapter 5: Scales, keys, and melodies
- Carry out the steps in Interlude 5: Lean on me.

Assignment 5

Have a look at the following video and do the exercise:

https://youtu.be/YSlIKe_2kG8

Add a bassline and drums to the basic melody of Hallelujah.

You can get inspiration from here:
https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/leonard-cohen/hallelujah
37
Lesson 6: Diatonic chords and chord progression
Chapter 6 of the book is the most difficult up to now. Some new, abstract, concepts are
introduced.
• On the side of musical theory you learn about what chords to combine and chord
progression,
• with Python you learn about dictionaries (a new datatype), and
• you learn how to create your own modules with libraries in TunePad.

Do not worry if you do not understand everything. Particularly the theory about music is a
complete study in itself.

If you are short on time limit yourself to understanding the basics. However, in case you feel
like it, dive into the subjects. If you thoroughly understand what is discussed, you are moving
from the beginners phase to more advanced. Give it a try!

Chord progression
Many songs that are ‘pleasant’ to the ear contain notes and chords that are part of the
dominant scale.

You already know that the C major scale only consists of ‘whole notes’ (the white keys of the
piano).

The main other chords that you can make with the C major scale are the following:

A much used chord progression is to take the following chords:

• C major (I) – which is the first chord of the scale C .
• G major (V) – the fifth tone of the scale as root note.
• A minor (vi) – the sixth tone of the scale as root note.
• F major (VI) – the fourth note of the scale as root note.

Try the following code if you want to hear this progression of chords:

38
You might notice the ‘weird’ names of the variables: I, V, vi, and IV.
These are roman numerals to indicate the chord in relation to the root note of the scale.
The roman numerals from 1 to 6 are I, II, III, IV, V, and VI
If written in capital letters they indicate a major chord (I, V, and IV). When using small letters
they indicate a minor chord (vi).

This specific chord progression shifted from being famous to being infamous. Instrumental
was the 4-chord sketch of the comedy group Axis of Awesome:
https://youtu.be/5pidokakU4I

Python intermezzo 6

You know already the following simple datatypes: string, float, boolean and integer.
With datatype list you practiced with a more complex datatype.

In this intermezzo another datatype is introduced: dictionary.

A dictionary stores values in pairs and can be recognized through the ‘curly brackets’ { and
}.
An example of a dictionary is:
dictCapitals = {“Netherlands”:”Amsterdam”, “France”:”Paris”, “Italy”:”Rome”}

In the above example the countries (such as “Netherlands”) are the keys and the capitals
(“Amsterdam”) the value.
Underneath you can see how such key:value pairs are used:

39
So, how is it possible to find the country of a certain capital? You could try this out.

As you get an error, you know this is not the right way to find the key of a value.
You might want to solve this by looping through the dictionary. To start try to find out how a
loop works.

So, now how to find the capitals of each county:

You can find the capital of a specific country (such as “France”) with an if-statement:

40
Book reference
- Read chapter 6: Diatonic chords and chord progressions.
- Carry out the steps in Interlude 6: Random chord progressions

Assignment 6
Create a program that import the module chordCreation and uses the buildChords() function
to create the ‘Axis’-chord progression I, V, vi, VI.

41
Final Exercise week 1
Swing is a style of jazz music that became popular in the 1930s. It has an up tempo music
with a strong rhythm section (standup bass and drums). It usually has 4 beats per bar with an
emphasis on the offbeat (this is on count 2 and 4).

More on swing:
https://youtu.be/bGiPJZ-wRb4

The musician Wynton Marsalis on swing:

https://youtu.be/_mLvytV2GrA

In this final exercise for the first week you are going to code a variation of the song “It Don't
Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)” composed by Duke Ellington in 1931.
https://youtu.be/qDQpZT3GhDg

The song has been covered numerous times. Interesting is the video of the cooperation
between the band Zuco103 and Joe Jackson:
https://youtu.be/UVG92LRMZ2Y

The assignment

You have to make your own interpretation of the song. This should be exactly 12 bars of 4
beats.

The bpm should be 160

The scale used should be: G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, and F.

B♭ is the black key between A and B (on the piano). The D♭ is the black key between C and
E,. E♭ is the black key between D and E.

The equivalent of [G, A, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F] in MIDI can be [55, 57, 58, 60, 61, 63, 65]

What do you do:

- Create a drum part with emphasis on the 2nd and 3rd beat
- Create an easy bass part consisting of the notes in the scale
- Add a melody (see the melodies below)
- It should be exactly 12 bars of 4 beats. Of course you can use loops
- Add whatever you find is interesting.

42
43
les 7: EarSketch intro

Another option to code music with Python is the online environment EarSketch:
https://earsketch.gatech.edu/earsketch2/

Take the following steps to start out with EarSketch:

1) Go to the online environment and create an account. You will be directed to the
following screen:

• On 1 you see the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). This shows which music is
being played.
• On 2 is the Python editor to create the music with.
• On 3 it shows the online curriculum. You will start with the ‘Hour of Code.

2) Choose at the right site (Curriculum) for ‘Hour of Code with EarSketch’:

44
2) At ‘Hour of Code with EarSketch’ go to section 23.3. Ensure that it says ‘PY’ on the right side
on top (PY stands for Python). It should not be ‘JS’ (this will bring you to the JavaScript
editor, another programming language).

3) Click on the icon on the right ‘from earsketch import *’ (see image). The Python code in the
editor in the middle of the screen will appear.

Take a moment to have a closer look at the Python code (see image below):

- All lines with # are comments (lines 6, 10 , 16 and 17). As you remember from the
previous lessons; Python ignores them.
- The line 1, from earsketch import * ensures the import of the EarSketch library and the
specific functionalities.
- Init() in line 3, is a mandatory EarSketch function to start the Digital Audio Workstation
(DAW).
- The EarSketch setTempo(120) function manages the beats per minute (bpm).

45
- In the lines with fitMedia() (7 and 8) an audio file is added to the track. For example in
fitMedia(RD_UK_HOUSE_MAINBEAT_8,1,3,5) the following happens:
o Audio track RD_UK_HOUSE_MAINBEAT_8 is added.
o The audio appears at beat 3 and ends at beat 5 in the DAW.
o This audio becomes track 1 (see image).

- Lines 11, 12 and 13 contain the variables fillA, fillB, and fillC. These variables have
datatype string. Such strings (containing - and 0’s) can be used to create beats with the
makeBeat() function. The dash - signifies a rest, an 0 signifies that the sample is played..
In this case they are 16 characters (4 bars of 4).

46
Exercise 7.1
Answer the following questions regarding function makeBeat(OS_SNARE03, 3, 4, fillA):
a) Which sound is used?
b) What track in the DAW is used for this sound?
c) What is start beat and end beat of the sound?
d) How many times the sample is played in this string (and how did you find it)?

Exercise 7.2
Change setTempo from 120 to 100. In order to do this click on ‘import to edit’ and give the
file a different name. Now you can change the function setTempo().

Python intermezzo 7

In the previous chapters you learned already many Python concepts in TunePad. You will
notice that the same concepts are used in EarSketch.

Likely you will be able to answer the following questions on Python. If not, please read the
previous Python intermezzo’s again.

Exercise 7.3
a) How can you add comments in Python?
b) What is a library?
c) How do you add a library to your code?
d) What is a function?
e) Can you name a function that is embedded in EarSketch?

In EarSketch contains a Python environment to create music from samples.

However, it also has ‘standard’ Python functionality, e.g. you can print output on the screen
(previously you might have used Jupyter for this).

In the code underneath the variable varX is created with the value “Hallo Wereld!” (Hello
World in Dutch). After that the value is printed on the output part:

47
Variables can be used by creating music. You have done this with TunePad and again now
with EarSketch.
In the code underneath fillA, fillB and fillC are variables. fillA is used in the function
makeBeat().

Exercise 7.4
How can you print the value of fillA on the screen?

Datatypes lists and strings.

You know that:
- A string is a sequence of characters such as “00 _ 0_”
- A list is a sequence of objects such as [0, 0, _, 0, _]

There is a similarity between the two datatypes. The difference is that a string always contains
characters and a list can also contain other datatypes such as integers or booleans.

In EarSketch you have seen that a string can be used to create a sequence of sounds:
fillA = “0- - -0-0-00- -0000”

In NotePad you have seen that a list can be used to create a sequence of sounds
for i in [1,_, _, _, 1, _, 1, _, 1, 1, _, _, 1, 1, 1, 1]:
playNote(i)
rest(0.25)

48
Very often there are different solution possible to get to the same result (such as the creation
of a sequence of sounds). The art of programming is the choices you make (and just as in
other arts: sometimes the choice depends on you own preference).

The function type() can be used to find the datatype of a variable. Try out the code
underneath. What is the result of print(type(varX))?

Changing datatypes
Sometimes it can be useful if the datatype is change from one type to another. Of course that
is not always possible. The string “Apple” does not have an equivalent decimal number.
However, the string “3” can ben changed into an integer 3 with the following structure

To change a string into an integer:

To change an integer into a string:

To change a string into a list:

49
To change a list into a string:

Datatypes: strings, integers, floats and boolean

In the previous chapters, you have learned already about the simple datatypes int, string,
float, and boolean. As repetition is the key to learning, herewith some more exercises on
simple datatypes:

Variables of the datatype int (integer) are complete numbers such as 9, 204, and -3
Strings are sequences of characters. Try out the following code:

varA = 8
varB = varA + varA
print(varB)

varC = “8”
varD = varC +varC
print(varD)

varE = 8
varF = “8”
varG = varE+varF
print(varG)

Explain the difference in results of the print() statements above.

A float is een getal met 1 of meerdere decimalen (bijvoorbeeld 1,10 of 0,2).

A boolean can only be one of two values, either true of false (1 or 0). A boolean can be used
in evaluating whether a certain statement is true (or false).

In the code underneath two variables are added and it is verified whether the results is larger
than 10. Do you see how a boolean is used?

varX = 6
varY = 7
varZ = varY + varX
print(varZ==13)
print(type(varZ == 13))

50
Exercise 7.6
What do you see in the output part of EarSketch when executing the following code?

varBool = True
print(type(varBool))

varInt = 1300
print(type(varInt))

varFloat = 142.242
print(type(varFloat))

varString = "hello"
print(type(varString))

Book reference
- Read chapter 9: Song composition and EarSketch
- Carry out steps in Interlude 8: How to make a drum fill.

Assignment lesson 7
This assignment consists of 3 parts.

Create an EarSketch track of at least two bars that has a beat sequence. You can use the
makeBeat() function and be inspired by fillA, fillB and fillC (of the examples above).

Add another track to the composition. Choose a sound from the sound library (left side of
the screen) and use this sound with a fitMedia() function.

The two tracks should go together.

Of course you can add more tracks.

lesson 8: EarSketch remix

51
In this chapter you are going to remix the existing song Entrepreneur by Pharrell Williams
and Jay Z. EarSketch cooperates with Young Guru, the sound engineer of Jay Z. The
EarSketch content manager contains many samples of Entrepreneur.

Take some time to enjoy the song:

https://youtu.be/bTOoY5MIkvM

The song is meant as an ode to black entrepreneurs but can also be inspiring for anyone who
wants to change something in society or their own circumstances.

You gotta let go (Let go)

If you want to fly, take the leap
You gotta risk it all (Risk it all)
Or they'll be lots of things you'll never see
You gotta let, let go
'Cause you never know what's in store
Mister entrepreneur

You will make a layered remix (using different tracks) of Entrepreneur. You will use the
following samples:

• Drums à ENTREP_PERC_BONGO
• Vox à ENTREP_VOX_BK_EHH
• Vox1 à ENTREP_VOX_BK_LETOUT
• Orch à ENTREP_THEME_ORCH
• Bass à ENTREP_THEME_BASS_1
• Keys à ENTREP_THEME_KEYS_2

The samples you can find by using the search in the content-manager:

To create a new composition you have to open a new file. This you can do by clicking on the
+ . Do not forget to give the file a nice and meaningful name.

52
The next step is to add the first layer of music. For example the drum sample
ENTREP_PERC_BONGO . Because this name is quite long we create the variable drums
(see image).

Because it is a hip hop song we lower the tempo a bit to 90.

Listen to the result. Do you like it?

Now its time to add the second layer (this we do in the same file). We choose a voice sample:

How does it sound? Are you happy, or do you want to change something?

53
The next step is to add a bass sample:

Exercise 8.1
Add the following samples in a creative way to your remix:
vox1=ENTREP_VOX_BK_LETOUT
orch=ENTREP_THEME_ORCH
keys=ENTREP_THEME_KEYS_2

Python intermezzo 8

In the previous lessons you have worked with loops in different ways. Not only did the
NotePad and EarSketch environments have built-in loops, also you know how to work with a
for loop.

While loop
A for loop is used when we are aware of the number iterations at the time of execution.
For example in the code underneath we know in advance that there will be four
iterations:

However, we can also use loops when we do not know in advance how many
iterations they are. In these cases we can use a while loop. In the example below we

54
print a random integer between 0 and 3 as long as the random integer doe not become
2. The comparison (varRand != 2) is True as long as varRand does not (!=) have the
value 2. Do you realise that (varRand != 2) is a boolean?

Herewith another while loop example. In this case you could also have used a for-loop.

On line 1 the variable i gets value 1.

On line 2 the while loop starts
As long as i is smaller than 6 (i < 6) the indented lines (3 and 4) are executed.

55
Exercise 8.2
Change the code so you get the output underneath (klaar means ready in Dutch).

Also in this example does while i < 6 the indented actions as long as i < 6 is True is.
The result i < 6 is a boolean (True of False).
Try out this code. Do you understand the output?

Loops in music

Loops are very common in music. In the previous lesson you have worked with the code
underneath. There was a loop from sample RD_UK_HOUSE_MAINBEAT_8 from beat 1
until 5.
The sample RD_POP_PADCHORD_2 was repeated from 1 to 9.

However, makeBeat( O_SNARE03, 3, 4, fillA) had no repetition. The sequence fillA with
rhythm 0---0-0-00—0000 was carried out once.

56
The function makeBeat() does not have an built-in functionality to arrange repetition. This
can be done with regular Python loops.

In the code underneath the beat sequence is carried out 5 times (just as long as the sample
RD_UK_HOUSE_MAINBEAT_8).

The DAW now shows the result underneath. Is this similar to what you get?

Exercise 8.3
What should you change to get the result underneath?

Book reference
- Carry out steps in Interlude 9: How to make a snare drum riser.

57
Assignment 8

Remix with loops

You will continue to work on the remix of the song Entrepreneur by Pharrell Williams and
Jay Z.

Listen again to the song:

https://youtu.be/bTOoY5MIkvM

De remix must be around 30 seconds and contain the following elements:

1) The samples ENTREP_BEAT_DRUMBEAT, ENTREP_PERC_WHISTLE and

ENTREP_VOX_BK_LETOUT in the following way:

2) Two other fitMedia() constructs with sounds from Entrepreneur (search on ENTREP
in the Content Manager):

3) A OS_SNARE06 makeBeat() with the following sequence "0-0---0-0---"

4) At least two other samples of Entrepreneur.

58
Final assignment week 2

For your final assignment you create your own composition. You can do this alone or in a
small group of 2 or 3. The composition is at least 90 seconds

You need to use at least two samples of which one was created by TunePad. Have a look at
the images underneath on how to import samples from TunePad.

Step 1) Click on ‘+ Add sound’ at the EarSketch content manager

Step 2) Go to the ‘TUNEPAD’ tab and click on create new.

59
If you want to add an existing sample to the content manager you can click on ‘UPLOAD
SOUND’ and choose a file in the correct format.

If you have a hard time getting inspiration for this project the advice is to just start:

Some inspiration on how to create songs:

Stromae:
https://youtu.be/G41Tg4Xq5AM

create song by Ben Folds:

https://youtu.be/BytUY_AwTUs

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61