WHAT IS RAGTIME? An infectious type of music Not many things can surprise, but I was recently surprised by finding a “new” type of music - Ragtime. While writing piano music for my computer. I decided to look for a program to write music notation. I found MUSESCORE4 which does the job. They also have a libraby of music scores that can play. Some of it has graciously been made public domane. There I found a collection of Ragtime pieces arranged by year. It was hugely unknown to me. In 1897, Scott Joplin wrote down a piano piece in Ragtime. He needed extra study to do so. It was a big hit in the USA and the world. In the following thirty years, similar pieces were written and sold mostly as sheet music and piano rolls. This was obviously an age of piano music. People had pianos, played pianos, listened to them, danced to them. Ragtime music seeks piano novelty within its two handed happy framework. It is American Music and as such has a newness, freshness, freedom. It is optimistic. It died out in the late 1920's. People had enough? Classical music also ended. Ragtime has had revivals. Two of Scott Joplins "rags" were made popular in the 70's. However it did not extend to the others in the inventors. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of them. Finding these is similar to the discovery of dinosaurs - there was a whole lost world. Ragtime music is nice background music sounding, like music from a Western Saloon. It is surprisingly complicated. What I have done: I made a player to make the music available. I am not a sophisticated music player user but I made a player that seems useful to me. It can play in the background of talk shows using one computer; this is why I made it partial screen with adjustable volume. There are eleven Ragtime players on TES with twenty tunes each, including the rags arranged in years as put there by CEANTHIC in a set. I hope you like this music; it was very popular once upon a time. Paul Skittone

HOW TO LEARN TO READ MUSIC SKITTONE 2023 A pleasant way to do this is to follow simple music scores as you hear the music. I am writing music players that shows the note names as the music is played. I am using the book The Public Domain Song Book by David Berger and Chuck Israel - Such Sweet Thunder Press. This has a lot of well known, simple piano music with no double notes, perfect for a beginner or a computer program. The lyrics are fun too. The Music Player: I have written a computer program to play piano. I started from scratch with children's books and a keyboard. I learned that the music scale has three half notes in it, making it all a horror. Players must memorize scales - which black keys are required in a particular scale (there are twelve of them!). This is a daunting task. The piano keyboard is designed with this issue in mind. Some white keys have the half notes built into them. The key of C requires no black keys because the half notes are built in. If you want to raise the pitch (up to 11 keys) and play a scale it involves black keys; ingenious but a real mess. In other words; you see B on the score and press the appropriate key, knowing the key signature. The staff has which keys are sharp or flat as an aid at the beginning of the line. There are 6 sets of 12 keys playing the FACE EGBDF pitches; sounds complicated. The repeating black key pattern configurations serve as landmarks on the keyboard. Becoming an accomplished player is a lengthy and commendable accomplishment. An alternative to this is a computer program to sort this out. The 85 keys of the piano can be treated equally so key shifts are accomplished by just moving up and down a number of keys. The tune is just a pattern; recognizable if shifted up or down the keyboard. This works! Tricks are possible like changing key signtures and octaves; playing note by note; backing up, etc. Note names are shown both as on the score and the key pressed after the key signature change. The Limitations of my Music Player: Being reckless, impulsive and irreverant, I took on this project directly irregardless to music traditions. This quickly resulted in a workable player that has problems and limitations. Music is divided into beats with time signatures. My player uses wait times. That is, it has recorded piano notes which are allowed to play different amounts of time. This greatly simplifies writing music but is wrong. It even greatly upsets real musicians! Sorry. My computer has a limited tolerance to playing sounds quickly; if overloaded it just breaks down, so having a precise idea on the length of played sounds is a good idea. Beats help organize several instruments playing together but my program is solo voce.

Here are 12 Public Domain piano songs as adapted from The Public Domain Songbook by David Berger and Chuck Israel. Follow along in their book to learn to read music! Many new cool features including note for note playing with the ability to go backwards to play notes again. Note names shown as on the score and as played in a key signature. Songs with lyrics: I’m Alway Chasing Rainbows Let Me Call You Sweetheart Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning Low Bridge Everybody Down Oh! Danny Boy Pack Up Your Trouble in Yoy Kit Bag Nearer My God to Thee Columbia the Gem of the Ocean Look for the Silver Lining Lift Every Voice and Sing Greensleeves It’s a Long Way to Tipperary Suitable for a sing along.

156 SIMPLE PIANO SONGS PLAYED BY THE COMPUTER. MANY NEW FEATURES AND CONTROLS. YOU’LL LIKE IT.

This program plays a song in different scales. There are 12 Major scales. Hear the differences.

A piano Sreinway playing 12 songs with lyrics.

12 more great simple piano songs. program uses wav files from a Steinway piano. Key and octave changes possible. Continuous play. Original lyrics with bouncing ball. Learn about the major scales. Program code in BBC included. Easy and fun. Songs included: AFTER YOU’VE GONE ALEXANDER’S RAGTIME BAND APRIL SHOWERS THE BAND PLAYED ON BILL BAILEY, WON’T YOU PLEASE COME HOME BEAUTIFUL DREAMER BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA THE BOWERY BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON CAROLINA IN THE MORNING CHICAGO (THAT TODDLIN’ TOWN) YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU

Much music can be made of the twelve notes of the scale. This program does this: Shows a scale of notes. Plays the notes one by one with its note lit up in red. The purpose of this program: Familiarizes you with the notes and their pitches. You should be able to recognize which note is being played. This will make it so you can read music from notes on a scale.

WHY AM I WRITING MUSIC PROGRAMS? SKITTONE 2023 Many people sing and hum; however; the musical score is a barrier to many. Have you even looked at a sheet of music and tried to read it? What I intend to do is make programs to aid in playing the piano: Which key to press to make what sound. I think of it like learning touch typing. There is a good dose of rote learning in it. The kind of thing a computer can aid in. Sight reading of notes; playing are composing are goals On the way; I will have to teach the computer to read music too. The computer must have sounds that come out in response to some sort of notation system that is computer like.

This program is ear training. A note is played and you say what note it is. You can pick a range of notes.

In this program, you pick the notes you hear. The program plays one of these notes. You pick which note was played. The answer is give. It has auto play which plays notes automatically. This is ear training; you will gain the ability to distinguish what note is being played. Because you can pick notes further apart, it is easier. You may want to pick notes one octave apart, etc.

This program play a song. You can change the key. It also plays the song in random keys (there are 12 major keys) so you can hear the differences the keys make.

Plays the 12 major musical scales.

12 SIMPLE PIANO SONGS WITH WORDS. CHANGES THE KEYS. FUN AND EASY TO USE.

Twelve beloved piano songs with lyrics. The computer will play the songs. With note names and tools for studying the score.

Players simple piano pieces. Used Steinway piano notes.

Twelve beloved piano songs played by the computer. With visual notes on a staff. Tools to study the scores. Very easy to use .

Here are 12 beginner piano songs played by the computer. Note names and notes on a staff included. Features to change the key and octave. Note by note playing option. The BBC BASIC program code is included. Song: 1 Deck the Halls 2 Down in the Valley 3 Go Tell It on the Mountain 4 Hark the Herald Angels Sing 5 Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush 6 I’ve Been Working on the Railroad 7 If You Were the Old Girl in the World 8 It Came Upon the midnight Clear 9 John Henry 10 Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho 11 Joy to the World 12 The Marseillaise

Here is a computer piano player with tools for studying the scores. Twelve beautiful student piano pieces from the past: Jingle Bells Michael Row the Boat Ashore Just a Closer Walk With Thee Listen to the Mocking bird Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me MacNamara’s Band Mademoiselle From Armentieres Mary’s a Grand Old Name My Man My Old Kentucky Home My Melancholy Baby My Wild Irish Rose Easy to use to play and study the scores. Follow along line by line. Fast forward to plays of the score. Note by note mode. Change key and octave. Learn music in a pleasant way. Paul Skittone

TWELVE BELOVED PIANO TUNES WITH TOOLS FOR STUDYING THE SCORES. THE COMPUTE WILL PLAY THE SONGS WITH REAL PIANO SOUND!