Re: transposing instruments

[Kevin L. Mitchell]

Almost every score I've ever seen prints the notes in the instrument's
key.  That is, the flute part (in C) might be in the key of G, but the
clarinet part (in B-flat) would be in the key of A.  The one score I've
seen where all parts were written in C was next to useless for us--but
that was partially because we'd lost all the parts and so had to play
from the score :)  (I finally got so tired of that and so excited about
Lilypond that I retypeset the thing...)

For reference, here's the code I used for the clarinet part in this
piece.  This is older Lilypond syntax--I'm not certain of the
vintage--so adjust accordingly:

global = {
    \time 3/4
    \skip 4*12 \bar "||"
    \skip 4*42 \bar "|."
}
Key = \notes \key g \major
#(define text-flat '((font-relative-size . -2)
                     (music "accidentals--1")))

clarinetKey = \notes \transpose d' \Key
#(define clarinet-transposition -2)
clarinet = \notes \transpose d' \relative c'' {
    g4\f g g | g4. g8 g4 | g8 a g4 fis4 | g2. |
    d4 e e | d4. e8 fis4 | g a a | g4. fis8 g4 |
    e d d | d2. | b'4\ff b b | b4. a8 g4 | a a a |
    a4. g8 fis4 | g g g | g4. g8 g4 | g8 a g4 fis4 | g2.
}

And, inside a Score block:

\context Staff = clarinet <
    \property Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet"
    \property Staff.instrument = #`(lines "Clarinet"
                                    (columns "(B" ,text-flat ")"))
    \property Staff.instr = #`(lines "Cl."
                               (columns "(B" ,text-flat ")"))
    \property Staff.transposing = #clarinet-transposition
    \global
    \clarinetKey
    \clarinet
>
-- 
Kevin L. Mitchell <address@hidden>

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