Random Method Compositions

Random method compositions - Notation

In random method compositions, you specify the calls and methods that Abel is to use to create a touch, and the frequency of those calls. The notation is very similar to, but should not be confused with, that for lead-end compositions.

A plain lead or calling position is shown by the letter 'p'.

A bob is shown by the letter 'b' or a '-'.

A single is shown by the letter 's'.

If you have defined extra call types (see methods for more detail), these are represented by 'x' or 'y' respectively. If you specify any call, but haven't defined these calls for the method that is ringing at the time a call needs to be made, then a plain lead is used instead.

Case is not significant, so you can use either 's' or 'S' for a single.

White space (spaces, tabs, newlines etc.) are ignored. These can be very useful to help make compositions more legible!

Comments are allowed. A comment is introduced by a '#' and runs to the end of the line.

The calls, and method changes, you specify indicate the ratio of calls, not their position in the compositi. For example, the sequence

pbs

indicates that plain leads, bobs and singles are to be used, in approximately equal quantities. The sequence

pppb

indicates that plain leads and bobs are to occur in the ratio 3:1 approximately.

Multipliers are allowed. These indicate the ratio of calls, and unlike call-position compositions are not used to repeat sections. For example, the sequence

3(pb)s

indicates that plain leads and bob leads occur 3 times more often (and in approximately equal balance) than singles - statistically, one in seven leads will be a single. See lead-end compositions for the full syntax of multipliers.

If you want to make the random composition always ring the same method, then include that methods's identifier somewhere in the composition by double-clicking on the method name. If you want to ring spliced, then double-click on each method that you want to include. If you want to ring spliced, but to ring more of one method than another, then include that method more than once.

See Examples for some examples of random compositions.

Important Note. Touches generated by Abel using random compositions are exactly that - they are NOT guaranteed to be true, not to split the tenors, or be musical. They are for practice only. If truth or musicality is important to you, then you should use other means to generate touches.