of Microprocessors

694 MUSICAL ApPLICATIONS OF MICROPROCESSORS
a note statement begins with either an ID number or simply one or more
blanks. The statement ID number is not important to the interpreter but
may be included to identify various portions of the score such as measure
numbers to the user. The remainder of the note statement consists of one or
more event (note) specifications. As before, a semicolon following a specification
is a signal that more follow on the same or next line.
Quite a bit of information is needed in the specification such as the
voice ID, pitch, duration, and articulation so the syntax is somewhat condensed
to save space without unduly affecting readability. For a tone event,
the specification starts with a number corresponding to the voice statement
defining the "instrument" that will play the event. Immediately following
the voice ID is a single letter pitch mnemonic, which is simply one of the
letters A-G. If the basic pitch must be sharped or flatted, the letter is
followed by a # or an @ sign, respectively. Following this is a single digit
specifying the octave where C4 through B4 spans the octave starting at
middle C. Note that the octave numbers "turn over" at C in accordance with
usual musical practice.
After the voice and pitch have been specified, the duration is needed. In
the original version of NOTRAN, standard fractions such as 1/4 were used
for the duration. However, single-letter mnemonics will be used here for the
common durations as listed below:
W
H
Q
E
S
T
Whole note
Half note
Quarter note
Eighth note
Sixteenth note
Thirty-second note
These stock durations may be modified by appending one or more dots
(periods) or the digit 3. The dot extends the duration specified to its left by
50% and can be repeated if desired, that is, Q .. is 75% longer than a
standard quarter note. The "3" modifier indicates a triplet, which has a
duration two-thirds of that specified. This format is much faster to type than
the old fractional form but may not be quite as flexible. For example, tied
notes are not readily specified, although for most common cases dots can be
used to simulate tied notes. A general solution to situations such as a half
note tied to an eighth note is left to the reader's imagination. (In the original
version, a simple 5/8 would have been used.)
The final variable to specify is articulation. Currently, only staccato is
recognized and is indicated by the letter "S" following all other specifications.
When normal (legato) notes are interpreted and given to the sound
generation routines, the sustain duration is made equal to the note duration
minus the attack and decay duration. Thus, the release phase of the note
occurs beyond its musical stopping poinr. If the note duration is shorter than
the attack plus decay time, the full attack, decay, and release phases are still