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55 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
55 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
# PyTheory: Music Theory for Humans
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PyTheory is a Python library for exploring music theory computationally. Notes, scales, chords, intervals, and temperaments, all represented as Python objects you can inspect and manipulate.
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$ uv pip install pytheory
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## What It Looks Like
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```python
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from pytheory import TonedScale
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# Create a C minor scale.
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c_minor = TonedScale(tonic="C4")["minor"]
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print(c_minor)
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# <Scale I=C4 II=D4 III=Eb4 IV=F4 V=G4 VI=Ab4 VII=Bb5 VIII=C5>
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# Get the frequency of a note.
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c_minor[0].pitch()
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# 523.251130601197
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# Get the symbolic pitch representation.
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c_minor["I"].pitch(symbolic=True)
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# 440*2**(1/4)
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# Try Pythagorean temperament.
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c_minor["tonic"].pitch(temperament="pythagorean", symbolic=True)
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# 14080/27
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```
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The `symbolic` parameter is the part I find most fascinating. Instead of just calculating a frequency, it shows you the mathematical relationship. Music is math made audible, and PyTheory lets you see both sides.
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## The Story
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This project is highly experimental. It's more of a thought exercise than a production library. I built it to explore how music theory concepts translate into code, and it ended up teaching me more about music theory than any textbook.
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Scales become lists you can index. Intervals become arithmetic. Temperaments become parameters. When you can query a chord the same way you'd query a database, the underlying structure of music becomes tangible in a way that sheet notation doesn't capture.
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It sits at the intersection of my two longest-running interests: programming and music. The "for humans" philosophy applied to a domain where the theory has always been more intimidating than the practice.
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## Install
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```bash
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$ uv pip install pytheory
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```
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## Resources
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- [Source Code on GitHub](https://github.com/kennethreitz/pytheory)
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- [Python Package Index](https://pypi.org/project/pytheory/)
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## Related
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- [**Programming as Spiritual Practice**](/essays/2025-08-26-programming_as_spiritual_practice) — Code as a lens for understanding the world.
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- [**From HTTP to Consciousness**](/essays/2025-08-27-from_http_to_consciousness) — The "for humans" philosophy applied beyond software.
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