Piano learning app, for those who struggle with the conventional music scores.
Look on the Internet for a MIDI file version of the song you want to learn.
Copy this file in the /songs directory.
Run the main.pyin a Python interpreter, select you digital keyboard and select you MIDI file. The main app loads.
The interface shows a virtual keyboard and a pianoroll view. Everything you play on your input keyboard is mirrored on the virtual keyboard.
But most importantly, the virtual keyboard also shows the notes you are supposed to play to follow the song.
Instead of showing a pianoroll view, gangQin can also show the actual score in the staffScope view.
This view loads and displays the printed score right at the location where you are playing.
Of course, the staffScope view requires more than just the MIDI file to be available. But as soon as you have a digital version of the printed score handy, you can import it in the staffScope viewer. The scoreShot tools will help you to do that import.
Note
Refer to the sources in /scoreShot for more information about the database elaboration process.
A piano keyboard with MIDI output, plugged into a computer running your favorite Python interpreter.
- MIDI import: import your songs from standard MIDI files
- Bookmarking: navigate quickly from one important section to the other without scrolling through the entire song
- fingersatz edition: edit and display the finger to use for each note
- Looped practice: define a complex section you want to practice, play it on repeat
- Single hand practice: practice the left or right hand only
- Key highlighting: highlight the notes associated to the current key of the song (Cmaj, Dmin, etc.) Highlighting changes dynamically if there are key changes
- Readable work file: annotated score, bookmarks, fingersatz, ... are saved in a human readable '.pr' file (JSON)
- Combo counter: keep track of the number of correct notes played in a row
- Quick find: a given chord whose location is unknown can be found just pressing the query chord on the MIDI keyboard.
- Perfect loop practice: in looped practice, progress can be reset as soon as a mistake is made 😈
- Lookahead view: the keyboard shows the notes to be pressed, but also the upcoming ones with different shades for improved 'sightreading'. Lookahead distance can be adjusted.
- Built-in metronome: practice with perfect timing.
- Unbound looped practice: define a start point and try to play from it on. Any mistake sends you back to the starting point.
- Direct view on the real score: import the real score and have it displayed while playing.
- Enhanced fingersatz edition: more shortcuts, make it quicker and easier to edit
- More complete playing statistics: provide some hindsight on the overall playing performance of a song
- Dynamic comments display: a comment, or notes show at a certain cursor, for a certain section, like a copilot
- Flexible MIDI loading: select the specific tracks you want to import (MIDI might have way more than 2)
- Metronome with dynamic tempo: tempo is adjusted automatically throughout the score. It also helps to monitor your playing speed, hence your progress
- Semi-automated fingersatz edition: simplify the assignation of repeated sections (repeated chords, codas, etc.)
- Auto-highlight of the complex sections: in the staffScope view, a color code shows the section that caused the most trouble, based on the playing statistics
- Time accuracy score display: shows how well you play the notes at the right time
- the gameplay has been tested extensively for 50+ hours on various songs
- arbitration process (what is a good/wrong input) is tested and reliable, but can fail for arpegios. Upcoming updates in March 2025 will fix this
- no fatal flaw (crash with loss of information) has been reported since a few updates
Known limitations:
- Edition of the internal score representation (.pr file) is limited to pitch adjustment
- MIDI import interface allows to select the tracks but is not fully operational yet
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| ← | Previous cursor |
| → | Next cursor |
| ↑ | Next bookmark |
| ↓ | Previous bookmark |
| S | Save to .pr file |
| B | Bookmark the current cursor |
| L | Toggle ON/OFF left hand practice |
| R | Toggle ON/OFF right hand practice |
| M | Toggle ON/OFF the metronome |
| M+ | Increase metronome tempo |
| M- | Decrease metronome tempo |
| V | Toggle pianoroll/staffscope view |
| F2 | Increase lookahead distance |
| F3 | Toggle 'strict' mode in looped practice |
| F9 | Set the beginning of the loop at the current cursor |
| F10 | Set the end of the loop at the current cursor |
| F11 | Erase loop information |
- pygame (tested with version 2.6)
- numpy
- shapely (tested with version 2.0.4)
- playsound
- pip install --upgrade setuptools wheel
- pip install playsound
- mido (tested with version 1.3.2)
- rtmidi (tested with version 1.5.8)
- pip install python-rtmidi
- add a weak arbitration mode
- catalog of exercise sessions: add the possibility to save the current location + loop settings + hand practice to a catalog, so that it can be restored later
- add a rehearsal mode, where inputs don't trigger anything (i.e. practice without wrong note count)
- make the widgets inherit from a parent class containing basic operations, like text display and keyboard interaction
- CTRL+ and CTRL- adjust the view span in pianoroll mode.
- terminate properly when the last cursor is reached.
- scoreShot-capture: on the capture window, show the snapshot count number.
- add a perspective effect to the pianoroll view