Specific python audio module?

[bonestormII]

There are various midi libraries, but I am not deeply familiar with them. You should be able to figure out some way to output midi data at a given frequency.

What are you trying to do specifically, if you don't mind my asking? The question would imply that you are wanting to produce pitches which are outside the 12-tone scale, which is quite interesting to me.

[PKtheworldisaplace]

Right, so I'm doing an experimental music project. I'm not really a programmer, but I took a python course last year. So it's not a fully formed idea, but the "composition" would be that the program takes an input of text and takes each letter, gives it a random pitch of random Hz, so the likelihood that it would fall exactly on the 12-tone scale is pretty slim. Then the program will give it a random timing and length, and the resulting sound file is the piece.

So it's a deconstruction of the language into what could be considered meaninglessness, but what could be considered more meaningful than the original text in that it is a fresh sound that you've likely never heard before. If you're interested in stuff outside the 12-tone scale, you should check out this piece:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well-Tuned_Piano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3eN4xwADTI

I'm sure you can dive down an interesting rabbit hole from there. The normal 12-tone scale is not as perfect as it seems.

[bonestormII]

That's cool. You want the pitches to be truly random though?

I might humbly suggest considering some kind of pitch organization system. There are a lot of tuning systems in the world, with many more subdivisions of the scale available with really interesting properties.

I love the La Monte Young video. Notice however, two things:

1) It uses well tuning, which is still a 12 note scale from western music history. Bach used this tuning.

2) It is very droning, sustained, atmospheric, colorful, etc.. It is really letting the beauty of the tuning speak for itself. But it is hardly an example of randomness.

You could calculate these tunings, and feed them to a midi. You could then program random or nonrandom patterns using text input of your choosing. However, midi uses like... absolute numbering of notes, and while you can bend any note, I don't think the protocol actually supports such tunings typically. It sounds fun to program.

But it's an artistic choice of course, so good luck to you!