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Basic questions about LilyPond.


From: Michael Edwards
Subject: Basic questions about LilyPond.
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 23:58:17 +1000

     Hallo, everyone - I'm new here.
     I'm not a member of the list - at least not yet.  So I'm not even sure if
this will get through, and whether I will be able to read any response on the
web site archives.  (If not, I guess I'll have to join, then submit this message
again.)
     I'm considering whether to use LilyPond; but, because I have hard disk
space problems and this is a very active list, I'm a bit hesitant to subscribe
and receive lots of mail until I have an idea whether LilyPond will be suitable
for me to use or not.  If I decide that it is, no doubt I will want to subscribe
in due course, and discuss things a lot more.
     In any case, I will need to do something about my space problems before
starting to use any music notation program at all.  While I'm about it, I should
change operating systems, too, since I cannot live with Windows, long-term.
     This is all bound up with the problem of choosing a music notation program,
which has been plaguing me for several years.  (Long story, which it would bore
people to explain here.)  I am on the mailing lists for Sibelius, Score, Finale,
and Igor Engraver - and for each of these, there seem to be reasons that make me
hesitate to adopt that program.  Perhaps the most general of these reasons is
that all are Windows or Macintosh programs, and I do not feel committed to using
either of these systems long term, and have been considering whether to convert
all or most of my computing activities to some version of Unix or Linux.  (I
haven't done so yet, though, for a variety of reasons.)
     So that is why, when LilyPond came to my attention and I found it to be
Unix-based, I was interested.  Hitherto, I had not been aware of particular
programs for Unix or Linux which I knew to be of good quality.

     In general, each of the programs I named above seems to have problems for
me, at least insofar as I have gleaned information about how they work (since I
do not have copies of any of them, and have tried only demo versions of older
versions of Finale and Sibelius):

Finale:
  User interface seems awkward and difficult, not sufficiently keyboard-based.
Perhaps I just haven't learned enough about it, but I couldn't perform any tasks
at all with the keyboard.

Sibelius:
  Keyboard use seems better than Finale, but still not sufficiently so.  Certain
things seemed rigidly determined, not alterable by the user.  (Admittedly I was
using an older demo, and the problem may have been corrected - but an example
is: I was able to change the position of a note, but couldn't change the
position of an accidental relative to the note.)
  Also, heavy reliance on the keypad seemed too much of an obstacle for use on a
laptop.

Score:
  Being an MS-DOS-style program is, if anything, a drawcard for me; but I gather
this program is more suitable for engraving already-complete music than for
composing, which involves frequent changing of bars.

Graphire Music Press:
  I'm not aware of any mailing list for this program, and know almost nothing
about it.  But I believe that, like Score, it is not suitable for composing in,
for similar reasons.

Igor Engraver:
  I have concerns about speed of operation and stability of the software, based
on reports I heard from others.  Constant crashes of Windows-based software I
already use make my computing life a real obstacle course, and the last thing I
need is unstable major software.  (My attention has drifted away from Igor, so
maybe more recent releases have corrected this - I don't know.)
  Also, changes in the company and in the apparent direction of development of
the software give me concern about long-term commitment to this software.

     Maybe I have the ideal software in mind, which doesn't exist outside my own
mind, and maybe I'd find significant problems with any existing software.
However, since it appears LilyPond is Unix-based, and doesn't have a graphical
user interface (which I don't like much anyway), and I have read high praise for
it, and am considering switching to Linux, it at least seems worth considering
for my own use.

     Could I please ask for any general opinions on the following questions?

1.
     Does LilyPond compare well in features with professional-level programs
such as those I named above?  My composing style is not avant-garde, but does
tend to occasionally use rather complex textures which require flexible
solutions to notation problems.  So I definitely need to be able to notate the
sort of complexity one might find in late-19th or early-20th century piano
music.
     For instance: are devices such as polytonal key signatures in different
staves, non-standard key signatures, and different metres in different staves
possible in LilyPond.

2.
     I am a touch-typist and pianist, and thus efficient keyboard use of
software is an important consideration to me.  I do not like software where I
have to alternate my right hand often between the mouse and the keyboard; and I
do not like any software that requires me to use the mouse hundreds of times per
hour, and feel that it could cause hand damage (even more than the keyboard
might).
     So I would appreciate some opinions about how efficiently music can be
entered on the computer keyboard without using the mouse at all, or at least not
for often-repeated operations.

3.
     If I adopt any music notation program, it will be used on a laptop
computer, with its lack of a separate numeric keypad.  (While this can be
simulated by toggling shift keys, this seems a clumsy procedure.)  Is LilyPond
dependent on frequent use of a numeric keypad - like Sibelius is, for instance.
If so, can the configuration be altered to get around this.
     In general, how configurable is LilyPond for different methods of usage?

4.
     Playback of a score on the computer is of secondary importance to me, but I
might as well know about this: so does LilyPond play back music?  Or is it
strictly *notation* only.  Are the playback features (if they exist) quite
advanced, or rather basic?  Do you need a lot of technical knowledge to get good
playback.  (I know a lot about notation and music theory, but almost nothing
about the use of audio on computers, and have limited interest in getting
involved in complex technical matters.)

     If I get interested in LilyPond, no doubt I will come up with lots more
questions.  Perhaps that will do for a start, though.
     I would be grateful for any opinions anyone can offer on these questions.
     Thanks.

                         Regards,
                          Michael Edwards.







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