Re: midstaff line = stem shortened?

[Kieren MacMillan]

Hi Carl,

Thanks for the in depth and very useful response -- sounds like Lilypond is 
currently doing essentially the right thing.

Best,
Kieren.

On 2010-Apr-8, at 00:33, Carl Sorensen wrote:

> 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>