[gcompris-devel] More music activity comments, based on git commit 672eb8eecd 12.09.2012

[Peter Albrecht]

Hi!

Some more comments on the music activities.
(My test is based on git commit 672eb8eecd...
 from 12.09.2012)

If I post too much or too fast, just tell me. Until I hear
something else, I keep testing every now and then and report
the things I notice. ;)


** Explore Farm Animals

Level 1:

Questionmarks turning to stars works very well! Usability
feels good. Thanks!


Level 2:

Guessing an animal sound correctly, will display a bonus.
But the bonus sound is only played ~200 milliseconds before
the next animal sound is played.
Looking at the code, in checkAnswer() there is:
> gcompris.bonus.display(gcompris.bonus.WIN, gcompris.bonus.SMILEY)
> self.playRandom()

Have a look the hexagon-activity at the function pause().
This one is called once when the bonus starts to be
displayed and another time when the bonus disappears again.
Evaluate the pause parameter to identify the state (bonus
start or bonus end). And play the next animal sound after
the bonus has disappeared.


In all three levels there is no final bonus, showing "level
complete".
For expample in level, having visited the last animal and
going back to the farm screen, the activity just switches to
level 2. Maybe there should be a bonus being displayed. Just
to help the user understand: "you have completed level one,
lets go to level two".


** Play Piano

The rubber showing only if notes have been played, works
well. And the new note bonus is very nice. ;)


** Play Rhythm

Works also very well! :)
One little bug: The rubber is being displayed after some
rhythm has been entered. Clicking the rubber will delete the
entered rhythm, but the rubber is still visible. It should
disappear after been clicked (and the entered rhythm
is erased).


** Piano Composition

Listen to "Frere Jacques", I can't hear a sound for the note
"D'" (the top most one in this song). This note also is not
on the keyboard on the left side. Maybe this is the problem.
Same problem for "Baa, Baa, Blacksheep" or "Fuchs du hast
die Gans gestohlen".

Listening to the music of the world makes much fun!


** Name that note

When playing at level 2 (3, 5, 6 ... 12), clicking at the
solutions in the middle plays that tone. So clicking
different letters plays different tone. But if the question
is for an "upper C" (the C at the upper end of the scale),
every alternative note in the middle plays the same tone:
the "upper C".
This problem does not accur, if asked for a "C" or any other
note.

I also have some error output on console for this activity:
----------------------- 8< -----------------------
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "/usr/local/share/gcompris/python/note_names.py", line 82, in start
>     self.display_level(self.gcomprisBoard.level)
>   File "/usr/local/share/gcompris/python/note_names.py", line 142, in display_level
>     self.rootitem, 'teal')
>   File "/usr/local/share/gcompris/python/gcomprismusic.py", line 1326, in textButton
>     line_width = 2.0)
> TypeError: could not convert value for property `fill_color_rgba' from str to guint

> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "/usr/local/share/gcompris/python/note_names.py", line 445, in set_level
>     self.display_level(level)
>   File "/usr/local/share/gcompris/python/note_names.py", line 142, in display_level
>     self.rootitem, 'teal')
>   File "/usr/local/share/gcompris/python/gcomprismusic.py", line 1326, in textButton
>     line_width = 2.0)
> TypeError: could not convert value for property `fill_color_rgba' from str to guint
----------------------- >8 -----------------------


** Final words

After pointing to bugs (bad things), I also want to say some
nice words to honor your effort, Beth, Bruno and everyone
else, who helped:

All in all the music activities are very mature! And I
think, the are a very good addition to gcompris. Thank you all!

Regards,
	Peter