Quick Start

Get up and running with Relanote in 5 minutes.

Hello, Music!

Create a file called hello.rela:

; Set the key and tempo
set key = C4
set tempo = 120

; Define a major scale
scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

; Create a simple melody using scale degrees
let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <3> <1> |

; Play it!
melody

Run it:

relanote run hello.rela

Or try it in the Web Playground.

Understanding the Code

Intervals

R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 are intervals:

• R = Root (unison)
• P = Perfect (4th, 5th, octave)
• M = Major (2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th)
• m = Minor
• A = Augmented
• d = Diminished

The number indicates the scale degree.

Scales

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

A scale defines a set of intervals from a root note using curly braces.

Scale Degrees

| <1> <2> <3> <4> <5> |

<n> refers to the nth degree of the current scale. The | | delimiters create a block of notes.

Relative Rhythm

The number of slots in a block determines the rhythm:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

| <1> <2> <3> <4> |    ; 4 notes in 1 beat = each is 0.25 beats
| <1> <5> |            ; 2 notes in 1 beat = each is 0.5 beats
| <1> |                ; 1 note fills the whole beat

Use :n to set the block's total duration:

| <1> <2> <3> <4> |:4  ; 4 notes in 4 beats = quarter notes

Block Concatenation

Combine blocks with ++. Each block keeps its own rhythm:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

let fast = | <1> <2> <3> <4> |      ; 4 notes = fast
let slow = | <1> <5> |              ; 2 notes = slower
let melody = fast ++ slow           ; Both rhythms preserved!

melody

Pipes

melody |> repeat 2
melody |> transpose P5
melody |> reverse

The pipe |> applies a transformation to a value, reading left-to-right.

Render to MIDI

relanote render hello.rela -o hello.mid

Open hello.mid in any music software to hear your composition!

Setting the Key

By default, the root note is C4 (middle C). You can specify a different key:

set key = Bb3   ; B-flat below middle C
set tempo = 140 ; 140 BPM

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }
| <1> <3> <5> |

Quick Reference

Syntax	Meaning
R, M3, P5	Intervals
C4, Bb3, F#4	Absolute pitches
scale Name = { ... }	Define a scale
<n>	nth scale degree
| ... |	Block (sequence)
| ... |:n	Block with n beats
-	Rest
++	Concatenate
|>	Pipe
[ ... ]	Chord
set key = C4	Set root note
set tempo = 120	Set tempo

Next Steps

• Learn about Intervals in depth
• Explore Blocks and rhythm
• Try the Tutorial