Re: midstaff line = stem shortened?

[Carl Sorensen]

Sent again, with a smaller attachment ....


On 4/7/10 8:06 AM, "Kieren MacMillan" <address@hidden> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> I don't have Ross or any comparable book...
> 
> Could someone please confirm that the stem on a midstaff note (e.g., a d in
> the bass clef) is traditionally shortened?
> I always thought shortening started with notes in the space above/below the
> midstaff line -- looking through several of my library scores confirms this
> intuition.
> 
> Lilypond currently shortens such stems, which looks odd to my eye.
> 

Read, p. 64: "Generally the stem length is one octave... This principle is
not literally observed when the end of the stem is extended avobe the secont
added space over the staff (for upward stems) or below the second added
space under the staff (for downwards stems)... Such stems are usually
somewhat shortened..."

The example in read does not show a note on the middle staff line; only
notes on the spaces above or below the middle staff line are shown.
However, in example 5-1 on page 64 (which talks about stem direction for
notes on the middle line, the stem is shortened).

Stone, p. 47: "Stems on single notes should be one octave long unless the
note is farther than one octave from the middle line of the staff, in which
case the stem is lengthened to reach the middle line."   This appears to
apply only to notes whose direction is chosen strictly by note location,
i.e. not for polyphonic situations.

Stone, p. 48: "Notes below the middle line of the staff are stemmed up;
notes above an on the middle line of the staff are stemmed down."

Stone, p. 48: "In double stemming, the stems are usually shortened by 1/2 to
1 space, i.e., from an octave to a seventh or sixth.. [Except for some
exceptions]"

Ross, p. 83: "The normal length of a stem is one octave (three and one-half
spaces)."

Ross, p. 86: Paraphrase:  Notes with stems up on the space above the middle
staff line and up have 2 and a half space long stems.  Notes on the second
staff line and below with stems down also have 2 1/2 space long stems.
Notes on the center staff line with stems up have 3 space stems.  Notes on
the space below the center line with stems down have 3 space stems.

My assessment after reading them all:

A stem going down on the midstaff note should be 3 1/2 spaces.  A stem going
up on the midstaff note should be 3 spaces.  (Although Read shows the stem
going down on the midstaff note as slightly less than 3 1/2 spaces).

HTH,

Carl

Read example.png
Description: Read example.png