Tutorial 02: Commands

Learn about commands for controlling notation behavior

Commands control aspects of notation like beat duration, cycle patterns, and layout. Commands start with a backslash.

Beat Duration

The \beatDuration command sets how many notes fit in one beat:

\beatDuration(1) S R G M P D N S. \beatDuration(2) S R G M P D N S. \beatDuration(4) S R G M P D N S.

This is commonly used to notate different speeds in Carnatic music without changing the actual notation.

Note Durations

You can set the duration of individual notes by prefixing them with a number or fraction:

\beatDuration(4) S 2 R G M

Here, R has a duration of 2 units at the current beat duration (4 notes per beat), making R twice as long as S, G, or M.

Cycle (Tala)

The \cycle command defines the rhythmic pattern (tala). A cycle is made of multiple bars, each with a specified number of beats:

\cycle("|4|2|2|") \beatDuration(4) S R G M P D N S. , S. N D P M G R S

The pattern "|4|2|2|" means:

  • First bar: 4 beats
  • Second bar: 2 beats
  • Third bar: 2 beats
  • Total: 8 beats per cycle (Adi Tala)

Creating Lines

The \line command starts a new line in the notation:

S R G M \line P D N S.

You can add margin text to lines:

\line("Pallavi") S R G M P D N S. \line("Anupallavi") S. N D P M G R S

Creating Roles

The \role command creates new roles beyond the default Sw and Sh:

\role("Perc", notes=true) Sw: S R G M P D N S. Sh: sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa Perc: ta ki ta ta ta ki ta ta

Practice Exercise

Create a notation with varying beat durations and multiple lines:

\cycle("|4|2|2|") \beatDuration(2) \line("First Speed") Sw: S R G M P D N S. \beatDuration(4) \line("Second Speed") Sw: S R G M P D N S.

Next Steps