Re: N.C. No Chord poll

[Jean Abou Samra]

Le vendredi 19 mai 2023 à 22:35 -0400, David Olson a écrit :

<https://lilypond.org/doc/v2.23/Documentation/notation/displaying-chords>

the default setting for LilyPond chord engraving is: whenever there is a rest, to display "N.C."

Iteration after iteration, this default setting has persisted in all the versions of Lilypond I have ever used.

Having always found this bizarre, I'm wondering now what other's think.

1. How many Lilyponders think that "N.C." is elegant?

Whether music notation is “elegant” is a personal opinion. Are beams or flags “elegant”? N.C. is standard, which is enough for LilyPond to do it by default.

N.C. is standard enough to be mentioned on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_notation#Other_symbols

or, e.g., here:

https://www.studybass.com/lessons/reading-music/reading-chord-symbols/

2. How many guitar teachers instruct their students to keep strumming when they see a rest?

3. In what genres is it normative for guitars to continue strumming through every rest?

4. If genres exist where it is normative for guitar players to strum throughout a rest, in these genres is it also normative for the other musicians to sustain or fiddle throughout a rest?


MORE SPECIFICALLY, the <displaying-chords> page has a section:

Customizing the no-chord symbol
By default, rests in a ChordNames context cause the “N.C.” symbol to be printed. This markup can be customized.

• Two options are given for customization: a bar over the rest, and the text
"Ssh!"

5. Has anyone ever seen sheet music that uses the convention "Ssh!" over a rest? 

This is a humoristic example, as Knute explained.

6. Has anyone ever seen sheet music that places a bar over the rest?

7. The decision with every LilyPond iteration not to allow a third option, namely, normative blank over the rest, i.e. suppress the "N.C." gimmick -- what are the reasons which LilyPond insiders have found so persuasive over the years?

8. How many people feel that LilyPond is being clueless when it comes to making "N.C." the default setting? 

Here you make assumptions about people, namely that LilyPond developers have deliberately restricted configurability, and these are simply untrue. Honestly, it would be wise to inform yourself more before making statements such as calling LilyPond “clueless”.

9. How many people feel frustrated that the <displaying-chords> page does not contain any information, or links to information, on suppressing the "N.C." symbol?

NOTE THAT


\set noChordSymbol = ""
\set noChordSymbol = " "

still results in "N.C." being engraved. 

Over here, compiling

\version "2.24.1"

\chords {

\set noChordSymbol = ""

c1 r1

c1

}

results in

Even in songs for children, I've never seen "Shh!" appear above a rest in the chords line. Has anybody?

Why is this helpful?

If the intention is not to be helpful, but cute, then it's an insult to anyone who wants to suppress the "N.C."

Likewise, assuming an “insult” is unnecessary and simply wrong.

All the best,

Jean

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