Re: Entering Chords using Nashville Number System

[Amelie Protscher]

Hi Valentin, all,

this looks very good, but I have a few questions:

(1) I'm sure nobody will use chords anticipated by 1/32, 1/64, and 1/128
(bars 10, 12, 14). If they're just there for completeness's sake, that's
fine, but stuff like that just never happens.

(2) I don't know what the symbol 7-° stands for (bars 16, 18, 22).
Either the chord is minor, then it has to get a -, or it is diminished,
then it gets a °. They both exclude each other.

(3) Although we are in 4/4 time, bar 24 include 5 dots. That won't work.
If a measure requires dots because of uneven division, it has to get as
many dots as it has counts. A NNS reader would read this as a single
measure of 5/4 time and expect that measure to be surrounded by
parentheses – the usual symbol to denote a single bar of a different
time signature.

(4) Key changes with flats or sharps (as before bar 27) aren't customary
in NNS. Rather, we should print "Key of G-" or "Key of Bb" as a
rehearsal mark.

(5) Ties in NNS are usually only between diamonds, and usually on the
top, not the bottom of the chord symbol.

That's it from my end. Thanks for everything you've done! I'd say 90% of
NNS functionality is present by now!

Warm regards,

Amy

On 20.01.22 03:48, Valentin Petzel wrote:
> Hi Amelie,
> 
> See here the current status quo. Alignment is still not done, and 3,4 are 
> still missing.
> 
> Cheers,
> Valentin
> 
> Am Dienstag, 18. Jänner 2022, 14:25:56 CET schrieb Amelie Protscher:
>> Hi Valentin,
>>
>> I'm sorry. I thought it was a matter of course that time sig and key
>> were specified in the NNS environment, and thus accessible from there
>> because the whole system depends on it. Or is there a deeper
>> misunderstanding there that we haven't yet covered?
>>
>> As for the typical formatting of a NNS-only chart, it usually consists
>> of the NNS line, with linebreaks usually every 4 bars (for a 2-column
>> layout) or every 8 bars (for full width), rehearsal marks, dynamic
>> indications and repeats/alternatives. When a melody, a drum groove or
>> the like needs to be specified, there's also a regular staff.
>>
>> Key, time signature and stuff would usually be placed into the \header.
>> Time sig/key changes during the piece would have to be printed into the
>> chart, though.
>>
>> To visually separate the different sections of a piece, some also put a
>> horizontal line between two NNS lines.
>>
>> Hope that gives you an impression how this is supposed to look. If not,
>> I can handwrite an example.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Amy
>>
>> On 18.01.22 13:08, Valentin Petzel wrote:
>>> Hi Amelie,
>>>
>>> I mean exactly that. If the duration of a count is the denom of the time
>>> sig then there needs to be a way to specify it. The probably most obvious
>>> way would of course be simply including Time Sigs into the chart.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Valentin
>>>
>>> Am Dienstag, 18. Jänner 2022, 08:43:59 CET schrieb Amelie Protscher:
>>>> Hi Valentin,
>>>>
>>>> I'm not sure I know what you mean. Do you mean the time changes in
>>>> parentheses (for just one bar or a few) or a completely new time
>>>> signature specified by a fraction? And what do you mean by the base
>>>> duration – is it the duration of one count? That's the denominator of
>>>> the time signature.
>>>>
>>>> Oh, by the way: NNS by default does not support a harmonic tempo greater
>>>> than one chord change per count. If we were counting fourths, then there
>>>> could be 4 chord changes to a measure of common time, although these
>>>> could be displaced 1/8 ahead (<), 1/16 ahead (<<) or 1/16 behind (>>).
>>>> But a 4/4 measure with, say, 8 chord changes of 1/8 duration each would
>>>> break the system, unless we invent a new symbol (which we shouldn't, I
>>>> think).
>>>>
>>>> Another important thing are harmonic rests, when no chords are played.
>>>> They should receive the mark "N.C." (no chord).
>>>>
>>>> And we need to pay attention we make the rhythmic markings switchable.
>>>> Because if you print NNS chords above a staff containing the music, the
>>>> vertical alignment makes it clear at what point in time the chords are
>>>> supposed to be sounded and all the dots and underlines and
>>>> greater/smaller signs would just be visual clutter.
>>>>
>>>> However, if NNS is printed without a staff, the rhythmic markings become
>>>> essential.
>>>>
>>>> Let me know if that makes any sense.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>> Amy
>>>>
>>>> On 18.01.22 00:27, Valentin Petzel wrote:
>>>>> Yes, the ties are not yet done. I basically doing this in the order that
>>>>> is on your sheet, also these won’t be particularly hard to do. And I do
>>>>> know that some compositions on the sheet are not likely to be useful.
>>>>>
>>>>> When a time change occurs how do we specify what the base duration is?
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> Valentin


-- 
Dr. Amelie Protscher (amy@amelieprotscher.com)
Pianist, Bassist, Guitarist, Composer, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 25, 14548
Caputh, Germany
https://www.amelieprotscher.com/
https://www.facebook.com/amyprotscherjazz/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9A6rVmXjGxAGSsUL9Tt6g/