One of the features of the MRAC approach is its ability to respond to the demands of composers working with standard acoustic instruments in serial and post-serial strategies where interval relationships may need to be expressed in a variety of ways. The function ambitus-instrument is a valuable tool to support such composition by providing a pre-set range expression for every standard acoustic / concert instrument in three different formats.
(ambitus-instrument :integer 'violin)
=> (-5 43)
Above, the example shows the violin range expressed as integers beginning -5 (semitones) below the default value 0 (middle c) and ending in the stratosphere of the violin's range.
(ambitus-instrument :symbol 'violin)
=> (-f \l)
In this example, the violin range is expressed as a symbol range beginning at -f, 5 symbols below the default value of a and extending again into the very highest regions of the violin's range.
(ambitus-instrument :pitch 'french-horn)
=> (a#1 f5)
(ambitus-instrument :integer 'piano)
=> (-39 48)
In the final example a french horn range is expressed in compressed pitch notation. Remember such notation can only be used for reference purposes if the pitch-to-symbol utility is not activated.
