GDP: flattening the manual to two layers?

[Trevor Bača]

Hey Graham, hey everyone,

The GDP discussion has been extremely interesting and I think I've
caught up on most of the threads. But I'm not certain so feel free to
tell me if this topic has already come up.

Question: has anyone suggested replacing the three-layer chapter /
section / section structure with a two-layer chapter / section
structure? The major sections are extremely useful and have,
importantly, self-evident titles; but I've never felt that grouping
the major sections into "basic", "decorating", "instrument-specific"
etc really buys anything ... it's always going to be quite arbitrary
as to what counts as "basic" versus "decorating" versus "text", IMO,
so maybe best to just kill the false disctinctions. That would leave
us with a 20 or 30 chapter manual, which makes perfect sense for
something like a notation reference for an engraving system (again
IMO).

So like this:

>          o 6 Pitches
>                + 6.1 Normal pitches
>                + 6.2 Accidentals
>                + 6.3 Cautionary accidentals
>                + 6.4 Micro tones
>                + 6.5 Note names in other languages
>                + 6.6 Relative octaves
>                + 6.7 Octave check
>                + 6.8 Rests
>                + 6..9 Skips
>          o 7 Affecting multiple pitches
>                + 7.1 Clef
>                + 7.2 Key signature
>                + 7.3 Transpose
>                + 7.4 Instrument transpositions
>                + 7.5 Ottava brackets
>          o 8 Rhythms
>                + 8.1 Durations
>                + 8.2 Augmentation dots
>                + 8.3 Tuplets
>                + 8.4 Scaling durations
>                + 8.5 Automatic note splitting
>                + 8.6 Aligning to cadenzas
>          o 9 Meter
>                + 9.1 Time signature
>                + 9.2 Partial measures
>                + 9.3 Unmetered music
>                + 9.4 Polymetric notation (alternating)
>                + 9.5 Polymetric notation (simultaneous)
>                + 9.6 Time administration
>                + 9.7 Proportional notation (introduction)
>                + 9.8 Automatic beams
>                + 9.9 Manual beams
>                + 9.10 Feathered beams
>          o 10 Bars
>                + 10.1 Bar check
>                + 10.2 Barnumber check
>                + 10.3 Multi measure rests
>                + 10.4 Bar lines
>                + 10.5 Bar numbers
>                + 10.6 Rehearsal marks

etc ...


-- 
Trevor Bača
address@hidden