Can you get B-sharp out of Nslider?
Basically. -72 doesn't work. :)
Come on, there has to be a simple way to do this, i only need a chord nothing else - seems wasteful and unnecessary to download so many externals just for that - also most of them are OS X only and I need crossplatform compatibility.
you need to describe your process, upload a patch... something. I can easily get note 72 out of it.
I'm having trouble wrapping my head around B Sharp.
I think composers sometimes do write B sharp if they are working in particular keys but of course it's just a C natural.
Of course B-sharp is a real note, probably most often appearing as the leading tone in the key of C-sharp. So a chord spelled B#-D#-F# is completely legit.
And no, in music with functional harmony a B-sharp is not "just a C natural."
And of course, in anything other than equal temperament, B# ≠ C...but for most standard MIDI applications that's not really a concern (i.e., it's either note# 72 or it isnt...).
Near the end of the first movement of Beethoven's string quartet in C# minor, Op. 131, there is a long, low B# in the cello part. Here, the B# is being used, as stringtapper said, as the leading tone to C#.
The note gives some people pause because the lowest note of a cello is C. However, as leafcutter points out, B# is really just another way of spelling C.
Except that it's not. David Soyer, cellist for the Guarneri String Quartet, points out that in order to play this particular note in tune in its context, he has to put his finger on the fingerboard right next to the nut, reducing the effective length of the string by 1/4 inch or so, to make the pitch just slightly sharp compared with an accurate C natural.
This makes sense, as for accurately tuned accidentals A# is above Bb, etc., again, assuming one is not playing in equal temperament, where only the octaves are actually in tune. ;)
You might want to check out the [bach] external, it can do that as well as a ton of other notation things.
You can also display x, bb, and microtones too.
It might be much more involved than you were hoping for. It's a little tricky to get at first, but once you get it, you can do a lot with it.
B flat doesnt work with Nslider, you must use the B-slider.
-110
The appearance of any kind of Western Notation in Max could be viewed as something of an abomination.
Thanks guys for the replies.
@Michael Sperone: Yeah, MUCH more involved. Still, it is crossplatform, and I guess it's better because it allows me maneuvering space for further development, and you can get Maestro font for free with Finale NotePad, also crossplatform. I'll try to wrap my head around it, thanks.
@mzed: heh :) unfortunately I'm not exactly a capable programmer so I'm trying to whip up some custom education tools for music theory which unfortunately still relies on traditional harmony, no matter how much I actually agree with your notion.
@Roman: there I go looking for B-slider object. Sleep time obviously...
mzed - amen!
NSlider was meant for MIDI, and MIDI doesn't recognize B-sharp as something inherently different from C-natural.
B-sharp and C-natural are close, but not identical. For most MIDI-heads, they're close enough for rock-n-roll.
To make matters worse, the question of whether B-sharp is higher or lower than C-natural depends on whom you ask and the context it's in. Soyer (and, indeed, practically all traditionally trained string and wind players) hear the B-sharp as a leading tone to C-sharp, and play it sharper than C-natural. But in just intonation, B-sharp is actually a little flatter than C-natural. And on a keyboard instrument, you just play a C and hope no one will notice;-)
on the B-Piano it has always been 3 cents higher compared to traditional N-Pianos.
Just wanted to say: I think this was solved in max 7.
You can now send a messages in the first inlet of nslider like:
[C3]
[D#4]
instead of only integers.
and yes, also:
[B#3]
Which outputs as expected.