Horizontally shifting notes (erratic behaviour)

[Hilary Snaden]

It looks as though I spoke too soon. After applying various of

\override Voice.NoteColumn #'force-hshift
\override NoteColumn #'force-hshift
\shiftOn

in an engraving which needs a good many of horizontal shifts, I found 
that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

It seems that the behaviour of NoteColumn #'force-hshift varies 
considerably with the number and configuration of voices.

Examples:

1. Using voices One, Two, Two: overall alignment is right but 
force-hshift does not work.

2. Using voices One, Two, Four: force-hshift now works but the overall 
alignment is very unsatisfactory.

3. Using voices One, Two: this is the best-looking of the three (after 
the last tie is nudged up a little), but the rest of the piece really 
needs three voices.

\version "2.14.1"

\pointAndClickOff

\score {
  \new Staff {
    \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4
    \set Staff.instrumentName = "Ex.1"
    <<
      \new Voice { \voiceOne s1 \once \override NoteColumn 
#'force-hshift = #0.5 e2 f ~ \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = 
#0.5 f e }
      \new Voice { \voiceTwo a1 ^~ a g }
      \new Voice { \voiceTwo <c f,>1 ~ <c f,> <c c,> }
    >>
  }
}

\score {
  \new Staff {
    \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4
    \set Staff.instrumentName = "Ex.2"
    <<
      \new Voice { \voiceOne s1 \once \override NoteColumn 
#'force-hshift = #0.5 e2 f ~ \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = 
#0.5 f e }
      \new Voice { \voiceTwo a1 ^~ a g }
      \new Voice { \voiceFour <c f,>1 ~ <c f,> <c c,> }
    >>
  }
}

\score {
  \new Staff {
    \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4
    \set Staff.instrumentName = "Ex.3"
    <<
      \new Voice { \voiceOne s1 \once \override NoteColumn 
#'force-hshift = #0.3 e2 \once \override Tie #'Y-offset = #'1.2 f ~ 
\once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0.5 f e }
      \new Voice { \voiceTwo <a^~ c_~ f,_~>1 <a c f,> <g c c,> }
    >>
  }
}

--
Hilary Snaden

test5.pdf
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