mml2abc

A library transpiles Music Macro Language into ABC music notation.

Demo

https://cat2151.github.io/mml2abc/dist/

Features

• A simple text-to-text JavaScript library
• Generates ABC music notation for abcjs from MML
  • abcjs is a library that draws sheet music in the browser and plays it using a SoundFont GM software synthesizer.
• What is mml2abc used for?
  • For playing sounds in a browser
    • To write MML and play it with abcjs
  • For writing MML and playing sounds in Obsidian

Requirement

• When playing in a browser:
  • Sound can be played by writing a small index.html file.
• When playing in Obsidian:
  • Please use https://github.com/cat2151/obsidian-plugin-mmlabc
• When playing from the command line on Windows:
  • Not investigated.
    • This is out of scope. Priority is given to "writing MML and playing sounds in Obsidian."
      • Since abcjs can play sounds in Obsidian (i.e., Chromium), there's likely a way, but it hasn't been investigated.
      • Are there any command-line software synthesizers that can output audio from ABC music notation (not limited to abcjs)? Not investigated.

Installation

• How to use mml2abc in a webpage?
  • A sample has been prepared. Please refer to easymmlabc.
• How to play MML sounds in Obsidian?
  • Please use https://github.com/cat2151/obsidian-plugin-mmlabc.

Usage

• Import mml2abc and pass arguments to its functions.
• For specific examples, please refer to easymmlabc.

Note

Project Priorities

• Proof of Concept
  • Proof of concept is prioritized over high functionality, high performance, high reliability, extensibility, stability, and version compatibility.
• Playing Sound
  • Maintaining the ability to play at least basic sounds is prioritized as much as possible.
• The ability to provide an MML string to a function and obtain an abcjs-playable string.
  • Maintaining simplicity by not adding more complex features is prioritized.
• Realizing "writing MML and playing sounds in Obsidian."
  • Please use https://github.com/cat2151/obsidian-plugin-mmlabc.
• Prioritize a simple MML format that inherits a subset of existing standards.
  • It will be a subset of SiON (chords will be a subset of Z-MUSIC).
  • The dialect name is mmlabc.

Responsibilities

• Creating mml2abc.pegjs
  • is the responsibility of this repository.
  • mml2abc.pegjs is the core file of this project and serves as the SSOT (Single Source of Truth).
    • All grammar for MML to ABC music notation conversion is described in this file.
• Creating a mechanism to easily use mml2abc
  • is handled by easymmlabc.
• Creating a mechanism to use mml2abc in Obsidian
  • Please use https://github.com/cat2151/obsidian-plugin-mmlabc.

Development Workflow for mml2abc

• Developing the MML parser using TDD with peggyjs + Jest is easy. I hope this can be of some reference, and I'll try to write more about it in the future.
• Jest is used for TDD.
  • Using the VSCode Jest extension
    • It's easy to have tests run automatically (red/green) just by writing tests and peggyjs.
• chokidar is used to connect peggyjs and Jest.
  • Updating peggyjs automatically generates ES modules (for browsers) and CommonJS (for TDD & servers), and Jest's automatic tests run, making it easy.
• For printf debugging in peggyjs, control Jest's silent and verbose options (allows console.log output to be seen in the VSCode Jest terminal).
  • printf debugging is occasionally necessary, so having it enabled makes things easier.
• webpack-dev-server is used for live reload (hot reload) of browser pages.
  • Problems sometimes emerge when actually playing in the browser (e.g., unexpected behavior of abcjs), so having live reload enabled makes things easier.
• After cloning, set up the environment first.
  • This includes installing Node.js related tools, running npm install, and installing VSCode and its Jest extension.
• To start daily development, just run the following:

  code .
  npm run watch