OpenMusic

Visual Programming | Computer-Assisted Composition

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Tonal Display

Contents

  1. Tonality
  2. Editor Scale
  3. Cadences, Degrees and Figuring
  4. Modulation

Tonal display options concern all musical objects with possible tonal harmonic or melodic progressions : chord-seqs, multi-seqs, voices and polys .

Tonality

Editor Preferences

The Editor preferences tab provides a number of options and tools, which relate to tonality expression and analysis.

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Tonality Dialogue Window

To choose a tonality

  1. select the editor and press t.

  2. A tonality dialogue window pops up.

  3. Select the Minor or Major mode in the pop up menu, and a key signature via the < and > buttons.

  4. The tonality is indicated on the upper left corner of the editor, as well as a conventional key signature.

To restore the original “atonal” configuration, press SHIFT + t .

Enharmony

OM automatically assigns the expected accidentals, depending on the chosen tonality. Accidentals can though be modified enharmonically.

To modify an accidental :

  1. select the note tool,

  2. Ctrl click on a note and select an item.

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Editor Scale

The default accidental notation system in score editors uses sharps. This system can be modified, to a certain extent.

The Editor Scale dialogue window offers a limited number of enharmonic accidentals, based on the standard twelve semitones notation.

This especially makes sense when using a tonal or modal semitones scale pattern.

To specify a scale

  1. select an editor and press s.

  2. The Editor Scale dialogue window opens.

  3. Choose Edit.

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To assign an enharmonic accidental to a note, Ctrl / right click on it and select a menu item.

Modifications of the default scale are displayed by the dialogue window.

Click on Default to reset the default scale.

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Cadences, Degrees and Figuring

An elementary tonal analysis tool is implemented in musical editors. It is based on the options provided in the Editor preferences :

The analysis takes place as chords are being edited, provided OM can recognize a listed chord and chord progression.

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Modulation

Specifying Modulations

Modulations can be specified textually in the score editor.

  1. Select a section in a score and press t.

  2. Choose a tonality.

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Boundaries

OM displays the modulation but it doesn’t automatically adapt the key signature or accidentals to the new tonality.

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References :

Contents :

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