Re: A must-see for anybody on this list

[David Kastrup]

Joseph Rushton Wakeling <address@hidden> writes:

> On 02/12/2013 03:05 AM, David Kastrup wrote:
>> The advantage LilyPond has over the hand engraver is that it does not
>> need to say "I don't make mistakes".  The hand engraver puts down the
>> staff lines, and short of throwing the plate(s) away and starting over,
>> the layout has to fit those lines, and the page breaks have to match
>> those bars in eternity.  And "give me that transposed for Bb" is an
>> inexpensive option, as well as "can you play that for me?".
>
> That's something of a dangerous assumption.  Consider this little
> snippet, where a trill-with-accidental is included according to the
> instructions on articulations and ornamentations:
> http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.16/Documentation/notation/expressive-marks-attached-to-notes#articulations-and-ornamentations
>
> {
>   \once \override Script #'script-priority = #-100
>   a'\trill^\markup{ \flat }
> }
>
> i.e. an A trilling with B flat.  Now compare what comes out of a
> transposition to the key of B flat:
>
> {
>   \transpose bes c' {
>     \once \override Script #'script-priority = #-100
>     a'\trill^\markup{ \flat }
>   }
> }

Looks we are missing the proper command for this.  With \pitchedTrill,
transposition works.

> This is a general problem of most computer notation programs, not just
> Lilypond -- friends who work extensively on film/TV scores or who do
> regular workshops with composition students in music colleges
> encounter these sorts of issues all the time.

As long as we provide a _proper_ command for that _and_ the user learns
them and does not put the names/notes/accidentals manually, things
should work fine.

> The other very typical one is seeing things like F-flats and B-sharps
> scattered throughout an atonal score, because the automated
> transposition rules assume tonal music.

You can write a pitch-normalizer for that purpose.  Not sure whether we
might not already have something like that.

-- 
David Kastrup