Re: Unable to align lyric to rests (with MWE)

[Jakob Pedersen]

    Good morning,
    
    I think the original is possible only because the lyrics are
    different. If you want to write the melody with the lyrics to the
    second stanza only, it would make no sense to have lyrics
    corresponding to a rest.
    
    A version with the second stanza text only could look like this:
    
    global = {
        \time 4/4
        \key b \major
        \tempo 4=80
      }
      
      \score {
        <<
          \new Staff {
           \relative c' {
           \global
              r4 fis8 fis8 fis[ gis ais b] | gis4 dis8[ ais'~] ais4 r4 |
      
              r4 r16 cis, cis cis dis4 e8 fis |
           }
        }
      
          \addlyrics {
             but  it's writ -- ten in the star -- light __ _
             and ev' -- ry line on your
         }
        >>
      }
    
    If you wanted to copy the original and have both stanzas, you could
    indicate in the score that the note was to be omitted in some cases,
    either by reducing the note size (as I've done on the word "but") or
    a parenthesis (as I've done on the word "and".)
    
    global = {
        \time 4/4
        \key b \major
        \tempo 4=80
      }
      
      \score {
        <<
          \new Staff {
           \relative c' {
           \global
              r4 \once \magnifyMusic 0.63 fis8 \noBeam fis8 fis[ gis ais
      b] | gis4 dis8[ ais'~] ais4 r4 | 
              r4 r16 \parenthesize cis, cis[ cis] dis4 e8 fis |
           }
        }
      
          \addlyrics {
             "" and though they did hurt me so bad __
             "" in the fear and a
         }
      
          \addlyrics {
             but  it's writ -- ten in the star -- light __ _
             and ev' -- ry line on your
         }
        >>
      }
    
    You can skip a note in the lyrics by entering an empty syllable with
    "", but it only occurs in situations
    such as these where two sets of words don't match the melody.
    
    I hope this was helpful,
    
    Jakob
    
    ps. Splendid song, by the way. It always reminds me
      of the end of the episode Two Cathedrals in the show The
        West Wing where it's used rather masterfully.

On 03.01.2024 07.59, John Helly wrote:

> Mahalo to
>       all of you for injecting.
>       
>       
>       Love this stuff and just intrigued by the variety of expressions.
>       Remarkable that this has been built (i.e. Lilypond) as well as
>       this community.
>       
>       
>       J.
>       
>       
>       On 1/2/24 17:50, Christopher R. Maden wrote:
>       
> > On 1/2/24 22:18, John Helly wrote:
> >         
> > > That worked in terms of alignment.  I
> > >           still wonder if it's written incorrectly.  Seems like there
> > >           should be notes on the 'but' and 'and' when I listen to the
> > >           recording.  Not sure.
> > >           
> > >           
> > >           Brothers In Arms, Mark Knopfler.
> > >           
> > >         
> >         
> >         It’s a kind of shorthand.  As Kieren said, you can’t sing a word
> >         on a rest — if you’re singing, you’re not resting.  But in
> >         pop/folk/trad notation, when the melody is repeated with
> >         different words, one often takes shortcuts in the notation.
> >         
> >         
> >         In this case, I would either put a small parenthesized note
> >         above the rest and \skip it in the verse that doesn’t sing that
> >         note, or shoehorn multiple syllables into the first note on the
> >         verses that do, and trust the singer to just figure it out. 
> >         I’ve taken both approaches, depending on the melody and th3e
> >         expected audience.
> >         
> >         
> >         ~Chris
> >         
> >       
>       
>