music21.musedata.base40

Implementation of Walter Hewlett’s base40 system for musical intervals. (See Hewlett and Ann K. Blombach 1989 article)

BaseN

class music21.musedata.base40.BaseN(order=2)

BaseN methods

BaseN.generateLetters()

Functions

music21.musedata.base40.base40ActualInterval(base40NumA, base40NumB)

Calculates a music21 Interval between two Base40 pitch numbers, as calculated using the music21.interval module.

Raises a Base40 Exception if (a) Either of the Base40 pitch numbers does not correspond to a pitch name or (b) If an unusual interval is encountered that can’t be handled by music21.

>>> musedata.base40.base40ActualInterval(163, 191)
<music21.interval.Interval m6>
>>> musedata.base40.base40ActualInterval(186, 174)  # Descending M3
<music21.interval.Interval M-3>
>>> musedata.base40.base40ActualInterval(1, 5)
<music21.interval.Interval AAAA1>
>>> musedata.base40.base40ActualInterval(1, 3)
<music21.interval.Interval AA1>
>>> musedata.base40.base40ActualInterval(2, 6)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Pitch name not assigned to this Base40 number 6
music21.musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(delta)

Returns a music21 Interval between two Base40 pitch numbers given the delta (difference) between them.

Raises a Base40 Exception if the interval is not handled by Base40. Base40 can only handle major, minor, perfect, augmented, and diminished intervals. Although not for certain, it seems that the engineers that designed this system assumed that other intervals (doubly augmented intervals, for instance) would be of a very rare occurrence, and extreme intervals which would trigger an incorrect answer (C– to C##, for instance, would return a diminished second, even though it’s a quadruplely augmented unison) just would not occur.

>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(4)
<music21.interval.Interval d2>
>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(11)
<music21.interval.Interval m3>
>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(23)
<music21.interval.Interval P5>
>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(-23)
<music21.interval.Interval P-5>
>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(52)
<music21.interval.Interval M10>
>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(-52)
<music21.interval.Interval M-10>
>>> musedata.base40.base40DeltaToInterval(77)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Interval not handled by Base40 37
music21.musedata.base40.base40Interval(base40NumA, base40NumB)

Returns a music21 Interval between two base40 pitch numbers, using their delta (difference) as defined in Base40. The interval provided is without direction.

Raises a Base40 Exception if the delta doesn’t correspond to an interval in Base40, or if either base40 pitch number doesn’t correspond to a pitch name.

>>> musedata.base40.base40Interval(163, 191)
<music21.interval.Interval m6>

>>> musedata.base40.base40Interval(186, 174)      # Descending M3
<music21.interval.Interval M-3>

Base40 has limitations for intervals smaller than diminished or bigger than augmented.

>>> musedata.base40.base40Interval(1, 5)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Base40 cannot compute interval between 1 and 5.

>>> musedata.base40.base40Interval(1, 3)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Interval not handled by Base40 2

>>> musedata.base40.base40Interval(2, 6)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Pitch name not assigned to this Base40 number 6
    Interval does not exist

>>> musedata.base40.base40Interval(12, 6)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Pitch name not assigned to these Base40 numbers
    12 and 6 Interval does not exist
music21.musedata.base40.base40ToPitch(base40Num)

Converts a Base40 pitch number into a music21 Pitch. The Base40 number is octave specific.

Raises a Base40 Exception if the Base40 pitch number given doesn’t have an associated pitch name. There is one unassigned number each time the interval between two letters is a whole step.

>>> musedata.base40.base40ToPitch(1)
<music21.pitch.Pitch C--1>
>>> musedata.base40.base40ToPitch(40)
<music21.pitch.Pitch B##1>
>>> musedata.base40.base40ToPitch(23)
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Pitch name not assigned to this Base40 number 23
>>> musedata.base40.base40ToPitch(186)
<music21.pitch.Pitch G5>
music21.musedata.base40.pitchToBase40(pitchToConvert)

Converts a pitch string or a music21 Pitch into a Base40 pitch number. The Base40 number is octave specific.

Raises a Base40 Exception if the pitch to convert is outside the set of pitches that Base40 can handle; for example, half flats and half sharps or triple flats and triple sharps.

>>> musedata.base40.pitchToBase40(pitch.Pitch('C--5'))
161
>>> musedata.base40.pitchToBase40('F##4')
142
>>> musedata.base40.pitchToBase40('F###4')
Traceback (most recent call last):
music21.musedata.base40.Base40Exception: Base40 cannot handle this pitch F###4
music21.musedata.base40.quickEnharmonicString(nameStr, allowDoubleAccidentals=True)

Takes a name of a string and returns a list of the quick lower and higher enharmonics, limited to double sharps and double flats (or to single sharps and single flats if allowDoubleAccidentals is False)

>>> musedata.base40.quickEnharmonicString('C')
['B#', 'D--']
>>> musedata.base40.quickEnharmonicString('C', allowDoubleAccidentals=False)
['B#']
>>> musedata.base40.quickEnharmonicString('G')
['F##', 'A--']
music21.musedata.base40.quickHigherEnharmonicString(nameStr, allowDoubleAccidentals=True)

Takes a name of a string and returns a list of the quick higher enharmonics, limited to double sharps and double flats (or to single sharps and single flats if allowDoubleAccidentals is False)

>>> musedata.base40.quickHigherEnharmonicString('F#')
['G-']
>>> musedata.base40.quickHigherEnharmonicString('C##')
['D', 'E--']
>>> musedata.base40.quickHigherEnharmonicString('C##', allowDoubleAccidentals=False)
['D']
>>> musedata.base40.quickHigherEnharmonicString('B#')
['C', 'D--']
music21.musedata.base40.quickLowerEnharmonicString(nameStr, allowDoubleAccidentals=True)

Takes a name of a string and returns a list of the quick lower enharmonics, limited to double sharps and double flats (or to single sharps and single flats if allowDoubleAccidentals is False)

>>> musedata.base40.quickLowerEnharmonicString('B-')
['A#']
>>> musedata.base40.quickLowerEnharmonicString('G-')
['F#', 'E##']
>>> musedata.base40.quickLowerEnharmonicString('G-', allowDoubleAccidentals=False)
['F#']
>>> musedata.base40.quickLowerEnharmonicString('C-')
['B', 'A##']