microtone in XML

[shing_kwei]

Hello!
When will be available microtone ( quarter tone) in MusiXML? for musicologist, composer contemporary, music educator we do need a microtone.
ref. attachment: upper microtone in OpenMusic ( voice); lower imported to Finale.

best regards

Shing-kwei

[Mogens Lundholm]

To me it seems like microtones are covered in MusicXML, e.g.

<pitch>
<step>E</step>
<alter>0.5</alter>
<octave>5</octave>
</pitch>

(From the Lilypond test suite, example "01d-Pitches-Microtones.xml")

The MusicXML DTD, "note.mod" says:
"Decimal values like 0.5 (quarter tone sharp) are used for microtones."

You can check your MusicXML-file for this <alter>-command. If you upload the MusicXML-file, then other users of the forum may contribute, but it looks like microtones are fully defined in MusicXML, but your notes are not imported right into Finale. Eventually compare with MuseScore import.

Kind Regards
Mogens

[shing_kwei]

Hi Morgens,
thanks for your reply, sorry it's beyond my knowledge, I don't know how to program a MusicXML. there is some thing wrong between connecting OpenMusic / MusicXML and Finale.
though, here is the XML file.
thanks again.

best
Shing-kwei

[Mogens Lundholm]

Since the file "Ms.Lee.xml" has no semi-notes, it looks like OpenMusic does not export the notes
right.
/Mogens

[Michael Good]

As Mogens mentions, MusicXML handles sounding microtones by using decimal values in the alter element. The alter element uses semitones, so 0.5 would be 1/4 sharp and 1.5 would be 3/4 sharp. MusicXML also has many microtonal accidentals in the accidental element, including the quarter-sharp and three-quarters-sharp accidentals used in your example.

Your file exported from OpenMusic contains neither microtonal alter elements nor microtonal accidental elements, so there is nothing that any importing program can do with this in terms of microtonal music. The version of OpenMusic that you are using has many other MusicXML export problems. You can see this discussion on the OpenMusic forum about some of the progress being made to improve OpenMusic's MusicXML export: http://forumnet.ircam.fr/user-groups/op ... post-18551

Please contact the OpenMusic developers about your request for better microtonal export to MusicXML files.

[shing_kwei]

Dear Michael, Dear Mogens,
thanks for your patient and kind explanation I understand the basic structure of MusicXML better.
Yes, I think the object export-musicxml of OpenMusic might be not accurate or perfect enough, the team of OM IRCAM still improving the new code, I send them the new Evaluate of OM patch before.
thanks again.

best regards

Shing-kwei