3. The grammar: the kinds of statement
▶ Open in Aratu to hear and change the examples
The grammar says how the words go together. Each statement has one of these
shapes (what is between ⟨ ⟩ is a place to fill):
| Shape | Example | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
⟨frame⟩: ⟨value⟩ |
tempo: 96, meter: 3/4, key: A minor |
the frame of the piece |
⟨name⟩ = ⟨music⟩ |
melody = | c4 d e f | |
a named line of music |
⟨name⟩ { … } |
drums { hh = c c c c } |
a block of a part's lines |
⟨part⟩: ⟨sound⟩ -> ⟨effect⟩ … |
bass: synth.saw -> lowpass |
a part's signal chain |
⟨path⟩ = ⟨value⟩ |
bass.reverb.mix = 0.42 |
a parameter |
⟨path⟩ = ⟨value⟩ -> ⟨value⟩ over ⟨length⟩ |
bass.lowpass.cutoff = 300 Hz -> 4 kHz over 4 bars |
a parameter that moves |
⟨part⟩: ⟨order⟩ |
piano: mf, guitar: out, piano: cresc to ff over 4 bars |
an order to a part |
pattern ⟨name⟩ { … }, section ⟨name⟩ { … } |
pattern fill { sd = ss ss SS SS } |
a named group of lines |
play …, add …, form: … |
play groove x3, fill |
what plays, and in what order |
motif, row, list |
motif riff = [e4 d] |
definitions other lines use |
⟨when⟩: ⟨statement⟩ |
at bar 9: play fill, at bar 9 beat 3: …, from bar 9 to 16: …, every 4 bars: …, now: … |
the same statement, at a moment or for a stretch |
The ⟨when⟩ goes in front of almost any statement. Without it, the
statement holds from the start of the piece or, if the music is playing,
from the next bar. A line that starts with | goes on with the line of
music above, and a line's name decides how its symbols are read: chords
are chord symbols, hh is drums, pandeiro is the pandeiro's strokes.