Making Music with MicroPython

"Frere Jacques"

https://python.microbit.org/v/3/ideas/fr%C3%A8re-jacques

from microbit import *

import music

passage1 =["c4:4", "d4:4", "e4:4", "c4:4"]

passage 2= ["e4:4", "f4:4", "g4:8"]

passage3 =["g4:2","a4:2","g4:2", "f4:2","e4:4","c4:4"]

passage4 =["c4:4","g3:4","c4:8"]

for x in range(2):

music.play(passage1)

for x in range(2):

    music.play(passage2)

for x in range(2):

    music.play(passage3)

for x in range(2):

    music.play(passage4)

import music

​Once you have imported the music library, it is possible to programme your device to play notes (or tones).

​In Micro Python, we use lists to play a sequence of notes. Here is the code for the opening bars of ‘Frere Jaques’:

​tune = ["c4:4", "d4:4", "e4:4", "c4:4", "c4:4", "d4:4", "e4:4", "c4:4", "e4:4", "f4:4", "g4:8", "e4:4", "f4:4", "g4:8"]

​Each note is expressed as a string of characters like this:

“c4:4”

Where C = note, 4 = octave and :4 = duration (beat or ticks).  Note names are case sensitive.

Example

Try the following example:

​from microbit import *

import music

tune = ["c4:4", "d4:4", "e4:4", "c4:4", "c4:4", "d4:4", "e4:4", "c4:4", "e4:4", "f4:4", "g4:8", "e4:4", "f4:4", "g4:8"]

music.play(tune)

​Did you recognise the tune?

Transcribing songs from sheet music

If we want to re-create our favourite songs on our micro:bit, we first need a basic understanding of sheet music.

Here’s a reminder of the most common notes used in a musical score: