Working with Midi from inside of Emacs

[David Kastrup]

Hi folks,

I'm currently trying to get Midi input methods for Emacs started.  While
ultimately I'd like to have Midi device support integrated into Emacs'
binary (which would allow cross-platform use of Midi without requiring
raw Midi devices I believe), the current attempt is intended to run on
existing Emacs binaries as long as some ALSA Midi devices are available.
If the operating system offers raw read/write on Midi ports, it's
conceivable that it will work on more than Linux, but I have no idea.

To make this integrate well with LilyPond-mode, LilyPond-mode requires a
better grasp of music syntax, pitches and other things.  I am working on
that bit by bit.

At the current point of time, I got midi-kbd.el up.  It produces Channel
switching events and pitch events as of now, and one can bind actions to
those events like to any native Emacs event.

Obviously, since my Midi accordion (some old contraption equipped with
an old Merkimidi controller without any dynamics) produces discant
notes, bass notes, and chord notes all on different channels, using the
channels for inserting at different locations (possibly into editing
macros that can be later inserted where wanted) is an obvious extension.
Obviously, once one records the exact timing of those events, it will
also be interesting to let subsequent editing operations (deletion,
insertion, specification of bar checks and durations, key changes
affecting the conversion of Midi pitch to an enharmonic musical pitch)
propagate to the other recorded channels.

Again, being able to work in such manner requires LilyPond-mode to have
a much better understanding of the LilyPond syntax, so a lot of other
work is necessary before one can get this kind of stuff out.

So at the current point of time, I am just putting out the Midi key
detection, so that anybody interested in it may play with it.

midi-kbd.el
Description: application/emacs-lisp

-- 
David Kastrup