Re: OT: singing training

[Tim Litwiller]

Graham Percival wrote:
> On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:21:38 -0500
> Tim Litwiller<address@hidden>  wrote:
>
>    
> > What I would like to find is some kind of program that would play a
> > note or tone and she would try to sing that note or tone back into a
> > microphone and then it would continue to the next note when she hits
> > it.  Just dreaming now it would be nice if i could  use lilypond
> > files of the children songs I have entered as the source of these
> > notes. then as she gets better at hitting the correct note. it should
> > start going faster and train her on timing also.
> >      
>
> My Master's project is very similar to what you want.  Compared to
> the above, MEAWS:
> - does not play notes (student must be able to read music)
> + grades pitches (some users call it an "addictive game")
> + exercises can be user-created lilypond files (although for
>    display reasons, I only recommend one line of the score)
> - does not do rhythm and intonation practice at the same time (a
>    deliberate design choice based on pedagogy and politics).
>
> However, there are two huge problems:
> - isn't compiled for Windows.  (your email client reports you as
>    being on windows)   The source is available, and all the
>    libraries used are cross-platform... but windows is a *terrible*
>    environment for developers, so it'll probably take 2-20 hours
>    to get the libraries compiled and installed.
> - the note segmentation is TERRIBLE at singers.  MEAWS was
>    designed for violin and cello (it works very well for those
>    instruments!)   It only works for singers if you add rests in
>    between every note.  Not terribly useful... but then again, it
>    might be better than nothing.
>
> At the moment, neither of those is a priority for me, I'm afraid.
> I don't have a windows machine, so fixing the first issue would
> require external help or trying to do it on my Mom's computer.
> And to be honest, I have a hard time motivating myself to start
> fighting with windows again.  I haven't used that OS myself in
> eight years.
>
>    
I have several linux machines that could be used for this - including 
the childrens game machine - it will dual boot linux.

> Fixing the second issue is much more interesting, but there are
> more important tasks that I need to finish first.  I'll probably
> start a google code or sourceforge project for MEAWS in a few
> weeks (once I've fixed some of those more important issues), so
> in theory this feature could be added by somebody else.
>
>    
even just trying to get on pitch for one note at a time would help to 
start with.  What I was really thinking was on screen it would show the 
note and play the tone. Then she would try to duplicate the note. If it 
could show the pitch she is singing back so she has some visual  
indication where she is and how far she needs to adjust that would be 
great also.  I really think after a short while with something like this 
she will be able to start to "feel" / hear when she get the right pitch.

> Currently:
> http://web.uvic.ca/~gperciva/meaws/
>
> Soon to be:
> http://percival-music.ca/
>
>    
It sounds very intersting, I'll definitely take a look at what you have.
Thanks very much.

> Cheers,
> - Graham
>
>