Re: Extent of graphic or text interface with LilyPond.

[Kieren Richard MacMillan]

Hello, Michael:

> I'm almost [...] getting the impression that LilyPond
> doesn't display the music on the screen at all

Technically, that's true, I suppose... Lilypond converts a text source 
into an "engraving" using (La)TeX and some other magic code.

Since this is fundamentally a "batch process": i.e., you change the 
source, then invoke the lilypond binary to do the "engraving", and then 
view the output. Therefore, short of pulling the PostScript/PDF result 
into an illustration program (something I always do for final tweaking, 
by the way), you can't graphically interact with the result directly, 
using mouse OR keyboard.

> I don't really know that I want a program where I have to work in such 
> an
> abstract way, where I can't see the actual musical notation on screen

Until you use it, it's hard to see the benefits. Lilypond really does 
The Right Thing™ most of the time, and so tweaking is necessary less 
often than you would imagine; furthermore, if you don't like one of the 
defaults, setting up a global tweak is usually enough to take care of 
the problem; worst-case scenario, you make manual "adjustments" (via 
source-code directives) and generate the result.

> you have to point and click to do everything, rather than use the 
> keyboard

You might want to check out Mac OS X 10.3, where -- using various means 
-- you can set up keyboard access to nearly 100% of the interface 
(including all applications).

> For example, I want to be able to move to the next note by pressing
> "Right-Arrow", and the next bar by pressing "Shift Right-Arrow",
> and to the next system by pressing "Ctrl Right-Arrow" and
> the next page by pressing "Alt Right-Arrow"

Igor Engraver has the best implementation of that type of interface 
I've used.

> But dealing with such a visual thing as music notation *entirely* 
> through
> a programming language does sound a bit cumbersome.

It does sound that way, but it hardly phases me anymore -- now that I 
have a library of "tweaks" and "house styles", I just enter the music 
in my text editor, generate the output, and do a couple of manual 
tweaks in Adobe Illustrator. Thanks to Lilypond's fabulous engraving 
capabilities -- and the fact that I'm now pretty comfortable and 
familiar with the input syntax -- I rarely have to do more than a 
half-dozen "preview" passes before I'm ready for the final tweaking.

However, if you are dead set on interacting directly with the notated 
elements, and you really need good keyboard navigation, I would 
recommend [OMG: I can't believe I'm about to say this!!  =\ ] Igor 
Engraver as your best option.

Best regards,
Kieren.