Category Archives: Pipes / Folk / Instruments

Tunebook generator

2023-01-11 Updated the script! More functions

I’m using below scripts to generate tunebooks.
These books I can print OR view on a tablet using my DIY bluetooth page turner. ( see other post )

I often work on tunes, add notes, text or write other versions.
So i needed a fast and simple way to re-generate a tunebook. ( hence the date on the title page and in the name, so i know whats the most recent version )
Now i have a separate tunebook for each instrument, with the same looks

What does this script?

  • Generates a title page using Latex
  • Generates a tune index, with page numbers ( works with multipage tunes )
  • Adds bookmarks to the tunes, so you can use the bookmark link in your reader.
  • Merges all pdf’s into one.
  • Sets title/author
  • Generic setup for multiple tunebooks
  • Generates ABC pdf and includes these

Todo: embed page numbers on every page?

BASH script:

#!/bin/bash
#sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-extra

### REMOVE OLD BOOKMARKS
ls *pdf | while read; do
rm -f "/tmp/$$.pdf"
cp "$REPLY" /tmp/$$.pdf
pdftk A=/tmp/$$.pdf cat A1-end output "$REPLY"
done


### GENERATE ABC 
if [ -d abc ] ; then
ls abc/*abc | while read abc ; do  abcm2ps -x -O - "$abc" | ps2pdf  -sPAPERSIZE=a4 - "$(echo  $abc | cut -f2 -d/ | sed 's/abc/pdf/g')" ;done
fi


nrpdf=$(ls *\.pdf | grep -vi index.pdf | grep -vi title.pdf | grep -v ^00  | wc -l)
echo "Tune PDFs in directory : $nrpdf"
pages=$(( $nrpdf / 126 ))
pages=$(( $pages + 1 ))
echo "Needed index pages : $pages"

# Extra pages : Number 002-999
extrapages=$( ls *pdf | egrep  ^00 | wc -l)
echo "Extra pages : $extrapages"

nr=$((  $extrapages  ))
echo "Total pages for tunes : $nr"
echo "create column page as text"
nr=$(( $nr +1 ))
echo $nr
ls *\.pdf | grep -vi index.pdf | grep -vi title.pdf | grep -v ^00 | sort | while read ; do 
echo "$nr $REPLY" 
next=$(exiftool "$REPLY" | awk -F": " '/Page Count/{print $2}')
nr=$(( $nr + $next ))
done | cut -f1,3- -d" " | cut -f1 -d. | sed s/\ a$//g | sed s/\ b$//g | pr -2 -t > /tmp/col
echo "Create Index pdf"
vim /tmp/col -c "set printfont=courier:h12"  -c":let &printheader = \" \""   -c "hardcopy > 001aIndex.ps | q"; ps2pdf 001aIndex.ps 

echo "Create title page pdf"
pdflatex "000 title.tex" 1>/dev/null

tempPDF=`mktemp`

echo -n "Add bookmarks : "
ls *\.pdf | grep -vi index.pdf | grep -vi title.pdf | grep -v ^00 | sort | while read i ; do
    bookmarkTitle=$( echo $i | cut -f2- -d" " | rev | cut -f2- -d. | rev)
    bookmarkInfo="BookmarkBegin\nBookmarkTitle: $bookmarkTitle\nBookmarkLevel: 1\nBookmarkPageNumber: 1"
    pdftk "$i" update_info_utf8 <(echo -en $bookmarkInfo) output $tempPDF >/dev/null
    mv $tempPDF "$i"
    echo -n "."
done
echo ""
set +x
#ls *\.pdf | grep ^[A-Z] | sort > /tmp/pdflist
name=$(pwd | rev | cut -f2 -d/ | rev)
echo $name
pdftk *pdf cat output "../${name}_$(date +%Y%m%d).pdf"
exiftool -Author="Henri Aanstoot" -Title="$name" "../${name}_$(date +%Y%m%d).pdf"

Needed tex file (named “000 title.tex”)

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{anyfontsize}
\usepackage[a4paper, total={6in, 8in}]{geometry}

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{tgbonum}

\newlength{\drop}

\begin{document}
  \begin{titlepage}
    \drop=0.1\textheight
    \centering
    \vspace*{\baselineskip}
    \rule{\textwidth}{1.6pt}\vspace*{-\baselineskip}\vspace*{2pt}
    \rule{\textwidth}{0.4pt}\\[\baselineskip]
    {\fontsize{50}{60}\selectfont Irish Tunes Test Tunebook}
    \rule{\textwidth}{0.4pt}\vspace*{-\baselineskip}\vspace{3.2pt}
    \rule{\textwidth}{1.6pt}\\[\baselineskip]
    \scshape
	{\large Tunebook}\par
    \vspace*{2\baselineskip}
    {\itshape Henri - Exampletunes\par}
    \vfill
    {\scshape generated:} \\
    \today
  \end{titlepage}
\end{document}

File naming:

000 title
001 index
002 – 099 xyz (extra pages, not in index)
100 – 999 Tunes (sorting)

000 title.pdf
001aIndex.pdf
002 tuneinfo.pdf
100 The Battle of Aughrim.pdf
101 I was born for sports.pdf
105 Cerlew Jig.pdf
110 Chanters Song.pdf
115 Gander at the Pratie Hole.pdf
120 honeymoon.pdf
125 Kitty Goes a-Milking.pdf
130 Terribus.pdf

Output from the script

 ./generatebook
Tune PDFs in directory : 8
Needed index pages : 1
Extra pages : 1
Total pages for tunes : 3
create column page as text
Create Index pdf
Create title page pdf
Add bookmarks : ........

Needed software:

pdftk, pdflatex, vim, exiftool, texlive-fonts-recommended

Avond van de filmmuziek

After 3 times being cancelled due to Covid, it finally happened.

We got to get to the “Evening of the film music”

We held on to our tickets, as apparently 90% of the people!

We love film music, but it is a treat when there is a live orchestra.
(And special effects .. like a stuntman hanging from the roof, fire (not like Rammstein haha), and big displays)

If you get the chance .. go!
Wicked good musicians and singers.
Tania Kross was amazing!

Previous concerts we went to: Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds. The star wars suite, and an evening with Hans ZImmer.

  • Richard Strauss – “Also Sprach Zarathustra”
  • The Cinematic Orchestra – “Arrival of the Birds” from Theory of Everything
  • John Williams – “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  • Ennio Morricone – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    • Main title
    • The Ecstasy of Gold
  • Ennio Morricone – Once Upon a Time in the West 
    • Man with a Harmonica
    • Once Upon a Time in the West
  • Hans Zimmer – “Maestro” from The Holiday
  • Thomas Newman – “The Night Window” from 1917
  • Ludovico Einaudi – “Oltremare” from Nomadland
  • Ludovico Einaudi – “Fly” from Intouchables
  • John Williams – “Duel of the Fates” from Star Wars:The Phantom Menace
  • John Williams –  “Main Title” from Star Wars: A New Hope

Intermission

  • Lalo Schifrin and Lorne Balfe – “Fallout” from Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  • Alexandre Desplat – “The Shape of Water” from The Shape of Water
  • Alan Silvestri – “Portals” from Avengers: Endgame
  • Hans Zimmer, Elton John and Lebo M – The Lion King
    • Circle of Life
    • King of the Pride Rock
  • Don Davis and Juno Reactor – “Navras” from The Matrix Revolutions
  • Jerry Goldsmith – Theme from Basic Instinct
  • 60 Years of James Bond
    • James Bond Theme
    • “No Time To Die” from No Time To Die
    • “Skyfall” from Skyfall
    • “A View to a Kill” from A View to a Kill
    • “Goldfinger” from Goldfinger
    • “Live and Let Die” from Live and Let Die
  • John Williams – “The Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark (encore)

An afternoon music with Irmgard

Missing playing music with our Folkband.
So i drove to Irmgard (our Harp player) to practice playing Concertina together!

Playing songs like:

  • Óró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile
  • The Rathlin Bog
  • Donegal Mazurka
  • Lucy Farr’s Barndance
  • Primrose Lass
  • Planxty Irwin

Talked about methods of music notations for Concertina.
In ireland most folk is being taught by ear.

Some examples of notation

Most of these we learn using lessons from Caitlín Nic Gabhann

At the end of the afternoon i replaced some strings on her harp.
Made someone happy again.

Music notation programs

I play several instruments, and know a lot of tunes by heart. But for some instruments i’d like to have a music sheet in front of me.
When playing new tunes or from my old stash, i need it on paper also.
And when i do, I’d like my music nicely printed and in the same style.

So i’ve been using multiple programs and tools to get a result i can live with.
I’ve got a huge collection of pipe and folk tunes, but whenever i decide that i’m going to play it more often then i’m going to re-create the music sheet.
The musicsheet will be printed and put in a folder. But also as PDF wil be placed in my calibre server, with i use to provide my tablets and phones with a digital version.
For automatically generating a PDF musicbook i’ve written some scripts.
These PDF’s i can use with my DIY bluetooth page turner.

For my bagpipe tunes i started a long time ago with a dos version of Bagpipe Music Writer. Getting a decent result from your printer was a b*tch. But it was do-able.

Several other programs i’ve tried but few stuck.
CelticPipes, Ceol Mor, Bagpipe (French), MusicTex, Lilypond for example.
I don’t like to click a symbol and place it on the bars, i like typing .. so i’m a little biased.
For midi and printing multi bar/staff music i also used Cakewalk Pro.

So i’ve been using the following software:

ABC Music notation :

X: 1
T:After the Battle of Aughrim
R:Polka
M:2/4
K:ADor
E2A2 ABcd | e2d2 c3A | B2G2 GFGA | B2AG E2D2 |
E2A2 ABcd | e2d2 e2ag | e2d2 BedB | A4 A4 :|
|:\
a2e2 e2fg | abag e2fg | abaf g3e | dedB G4 |
a2e2 e2fg | abag e2d2 | B2e2 d2B2 | A4 A4 :|
  • I use this mainly for Whistle and skeletal melody lines for Uilleann pipes (no ornaments)
  • Bagpipe IS possible but hard and ugly.
  • Multiple voices (harmony) is possible.
  • Chord names can be places above bars, as well as vocals.
  • I’ve made scripts with headers and footers to get the same output result.
  • Creating the music is typing the notes and ornaments in a text file.
  • Little chords for guitar mandoline are also possible.
# Edit/createing a abc music file
vi musicpiece.abc ; edit with plain editor
abcm2ps musicpiece.abc ; convert to ps
ps2pdf14 Out.ps musicpiece.pdf ; ps convert to pdf
Also EasyABC i use occasionally

Bagpipe music:

I still use Bagpipe Music Writer, but the free Player, which is a full version also. (Long story)
Using wine on linux it is usable.



In the past i made a virtual machine which could be controlled by a web form and some CGI scripts.
I could paste a “bmw” score in a webform which would be send to the virtual machine, a BMW program would be started, printed the tune as a PDF that was send to the website again.


For a long time i also had a abc music to PDF convertor on my website.

I like the way of writing the tunes .. just type abbreviations of ornaments to print.
When you know these you are faster than using a mouse!

& sharpf sharpc
I!	hdbe Er_8 'e LAl_16		gbr LA_4					dbe Er_8 'e LAl_16			gg Fr_16 El_16 Dl_8
!	dbe Er_8 'e LAl_16		gbr LA_4					dbhg HG_4					tg Fr_16 HAl_8 'ha
!	hdbe Er_8 'e LAl_16		gbr LA_4					dbe Er_8 'e LAl_16			gg Fr_16 El_16 Dl_8
!	dbb Br_8 'b LAl_16	gg LGr_8 'lg dg Bl_16					dbhg HG_4					tg Fr_16 HAl_8 'ha			!t

There is no way to write harmonies.
In the past i’ve been using a pdf editor to merge music bars and align those by hand.
I’ve stopped doing that. I just print 2 versions.
Sometimes i use MuseScore for harmonies and multiinstrumental sheets

Mhairi Bhan Og with multiple other midi instruments (a test composition I did in 2024)

I wil post my MusicBook compiler here, when i’ve cleaned up the code.
UPDATE: https://www.henriaanstoot.nl/2022/12/09/generating-pdfs-from-abc-files-to-include-in-tunebooks/

Bought some tunebooks in Scotland

While visiting the Ardbeg dristiller on Isle of Islay, i notished a tunebook with CD in the whiskyshop. Tunes for multiple instruments and pipe settings .. interesting! Fraser Shaw, didn’t know who he was. The tunes in the book looked interesting. I bought both .. we will see.

While reading more about him, i learned he was a driving force on the islands when it comes to folk music. Sadly he died by a illness .. far to soon. While on holiday we drove by some places he was know to play.
Tunes for whistle with guitar chords and pipe settings. Some tunes are in a complex time measure. I lost the CD but it is on spotify .. favourites: £50 Cashback and Air Chall

While visiting the Kildonan Museum in South Uist, i found a tunebook which was compiled of tunes from a piper named: Calum Campbell.

This oldskool piper wrote some amazing tunes. The book was made after he, his daughter and her two children lost their lives in a heavy storm in 2005.
2005 Was a bad year .. we lost John D Burgess, Martyn Bennett and Gordon Duncan the same year.

On our way home we visited the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum.

Most of the pipes here where Northumbrian bagpipes and some borderpipes ( even a shuttlepipe )

Our Northumbrian pipes

In the touristy shop i found these books, amoung others.

Last two are Duets/Trios also for different instruments .. nice!

20 years www.pipetunesearch.org

I’ve took it offline, maybe someone wants the source code and database.

It was much fun, time to move on.

UPDATE: 20230228 – It is online again.
(I’ve got some mails and mentions in music forums)

https://pipetunesearch.henriaanstoot.nl/

Apparently still a lot of visitors last year
Above example is not showing book covers

At least i’ve got some nice reactions

I’ve create my own bww/bwm to parsons code convertor.
Rest of the website is php, mysql … first one started in 2001 using php3, until php7.

Wow i found a screenshot from one if the first mobile versions!

PARSONS CODE: OMG, you don’t know how long I have been waiting for a search engine to find tunes in my head. I thought about creating some kind of dictionary based on theme notes, or searching through bww files for sequences. What a thrill to find your site. I just hum a tune, use the up, down, repeat letters and… like magic the title is found. You are a genius. I will never be stumped for a title again. Thanks so much, John

Other successes i’ve heard of are: 2 Youtube movies being identified, a nameless bww file and mp3’s

Mail from Dave:

Hiya

My name is Dave Mason. I put a few tunes together a few years ago called "Tummle Yer Wilkies" which, I see, gets mention on your website. However, I see that you're not sure where people can access the tunes.

Well, the book is free to download from https://sites.google.com/site/tummleyerwilkies/home and I hope to have volume 2, "Tummle Yer Wilkies Too!" uploaded in the near future.

Cheers
Dave Mason

Geneva, Switzerland.

NEW - Palm version by Andreas Joebges (updated)
Added stuff changed software
Added parts in booklist and search.
Additions to www.drumscoresearch.org
Many additions by: Chris MacKnight
Palm version by Andreas Joebges
Added index send by : Henning
sat 14 feb: Installed DB on macbumm's site
sun 15 feb: Made some changes, limit search and layout
            Removed own collections from DB 
            Expanded statspage with jig/hornp/march/etc.
mon 16 feb: Imported College of Piping index i got from Ralf .. (thanks!)  
            Imported Irish Tunes for Warpipe
            Added Log, Fixed Members Login for edit purposes
tue 17 feb: Layout, testing new functions
wed 18 feb: Imported Bagpipe Music - John MacFadyen
thu 19 feb: Uploaded some Book Covers, 
            programmed a export-to-xls function, so you can use the
            DB data yourself (bottom of booklist pages) 
            Imported Gordon Highlanders Vol 1
sat 21 feb: Fixed m?c and l*ken search
            Imported Gordon Highlanders Vol 2
            Added AKA search
            Old search request stays in search field
            Added some covers
            code cleanup
mon 23 feb: Fixed bookcover popup
            Imported Mark Saul Vol I 
            Uploaded Mark Saul Cover II and changed faulty cover other Vol
            Bookinfo added ISBN, Price, etc.  Suggestion i got by Email
            Uploaded Queens Own Highlanders The Pipers Day  
            Imported Seaforth Highlanders - Standard Settings
thu 26 feb: DB cleanup
            Added Code
            Imported Donald MacLeod vol 1 2 and 4
fri 27 feb: 1st editor assigned - Henny Barnhoorn 
sat 28 feb: Imported Vol 5 and 6 Donald MacLeod 
sun 29 feb: CD Information added
            2nd editor - Coline Gerritsen
mon 01 feb: Added CDs .. Thanks Coline
            Gordon Highlanders Book 1 checked/added/etc. by Henny .. thanks
            CD displaying code changed
            Imported Robert Mathieson Book 4  (now over 4000 tunes in DB!)
fri 05 mar: Added CDs
            Altered ShowCD Code
sun 07 mar: Imported some books (NOW 50!)
            Henny Completed reediting Gordon Highlanders Vol2
            Add MP3 clip code in cdinfo
mon 08 mar: Imported book
            Fixed image caching for faulty browsers
            Search finds composers also
            Fixed Menu structure
            Added Templates
tue 09 mar: Added link under advanced search - find ALL harmonies. :)
wed 10 mar: Added book with cover + MP3 sample
thu 11 mar: Imported Piob. CD
            Added edit icon help 
fri 12 mar: Find tunes on CD in beta test .. :)
            (click search -> advanced .. enter a keyword, mark the media
            checkbox and click search .. CDs found at bottom of page .. :) 
sat 13 mar: Imported another filled-in cd-template :)
            Added some covers
wed 17 mar: Added 15 Piobaireachd Society Volumes
sat 20 mar: Added 3 CD's
tue 23 mar: Added several books (5166 tunes now!) Thanks John 
thu 25 mar: Changed code, checked book, imported book
tue 30 mar: Uploaded covers, edited book (Murray Blairs) and added books 
till
tue 06 apr: Uploaded Covers, Added books, Changed code
till
sat 17 apr: Imported some books, added parts to export-excell
            (will be in search later)
            Henny checked/edited some books
tue 20 apr: Imported books, testing query caching for speed improvement.
            (yes getting kindda large .. this thingy)
thu 22 apr: 100! BOOKs!
--missing log--
Added book, covers e.t.c.
sun 11 jul: Added Battlefield Book (thanx Markus)
mon 11 jan: Added 2 books (thanx again Markus)
  • 159 Books
  • 9868 Tunes
  • 1047 Air’s
  • 1315 Jigs
  • 638 Hornpipes
  • 3352 Marches
  • 489 Piob’s
  • 1586 Reels
  • 844 Strathspeys

3D printed double chanter proof of concept

We both got a smallpipe, so there are 2 chanters in the house.

I designed a 3D adaptor for two chanters, and 3D printed this.

Taping the bottom part of one of the chanters and a part of the other, gave me the possibillity to play harmony’s.

There are only a few tunes which are suitable for playing like this.

First recording after connecting the chanters and doing a 30sec tuning.

Blender model

Repairing my Concertina

UPDATE: 7 Jan 2023 – Another repair

15 Feb of this year my Concertina was deliverd on my doorstep.

It is a Wren 2 Anglo C/G Concertina by McNeela. A affordable good instrument.

Features

  • 30 button Anglo Concertina in the key of C/G
  • Fully chromatic
  • Measures 6.3″ across the flats (16cm)
  • 8 fold bellows
  • Steel reeds
  • Loud, crisp tone
  • Durable black buttons
  • Wheatstone/Lachenal layout
  • Excellent response
  • Easy to play
  • Lightweight concertina – easy to handle for all ages
  • Traditional size – unlike other bulky beginner concertinas
  • Softer, more comfortable, adjustable hand-straps – suitable for both children and adults
  • Finished with improved stylish gloss exposed-grain wood
  • Comes with a complimentary Concertina Padded Hard Case 

The word concertina refers to a family of hand-held bellows-driven free reed instruments constructed according to various systems, which differ in terms of keyboard layout, and whether individual buttons (keys) produce the same (unisonoric) or different (bisonoric) notes with changes in the direction of air pressure.
It is weird playing two notes with the same button, but i gives you a broader tonal range. Some notes are double, one on the pull action and one on the push action. When playing for a while it is possible to switch between those two to be able to play faster.
Because you can use the same pull or push as you already where playing, or the button is close by the one you already play.

A little diagram i drew myself using inkscape to learn the buttons i needed. (Blanks also have notes)

So i had a little problem with the pull motion of the right hand A’ B’.
I didn’t want to send my Concertina back (Still has garantee, i know)
But sending it back to Ireland will take a while and has postal costs.
(I’ve fixed my Accordeon also, so why not try to fix it myself?)
(… aaand i was curious of the insides )

I had to look at the inner workings for a minute, and finding the right reed.
The middle picture above shows a white plastic strip, one of them was stuck. Moving it a little and carefully bending it, got it free and moveable again.

On with the lessons from Caitlin Nic Gabhann again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3tPzc6kKM0

2023 Repair:

One of the reeds fell off! It was not glued properly. A 5 minute fix!

Folk band instruments 2021

Today newest addition Concertina

Bert Visscher and Herman Finkers