Music Blocks/2025-02-04-meeting

Notes from impromptu MBv4 meeting with Walter, Devin, and Anindya

Topics discussed

Restrictions we may introduce

Restrictions on nesting

No more notes inside of notes inside of notes. (Q: How many levels is appropriate?)

Debugging

The user wants to know "What is this thing, and why doesn't it work?"

We don't we have very good debugging tools.

Visualization

We need to be able to visualize things in time.

To be able to see things as a timeline would help debugging.

Discussion: Perhaps we start the user with a phrase maker widget, and perhaps we add a timeline -- either a piano roll or standard notation?

Examples

Examples of indeterministic music in Music Blocks

• Galton Box
• Random number generator
• Video game music (Referenced: https://www.nprillinois.org/2023-02-06/composer-stephanie-economou-wins-first-ever-grammy-in-video-game-music-category)

Note duration

Duration needs to be predictable

• Tempo can be indeterminate
• Box will still work within note value

Syntax

Syntax may have to change a little bit.

Q: Change in what way?