RE: GDP: LM 3-4

[Trevor Daniels]

forgot to copy to list ...

calvin mitcham wrote 09 February 2008 00:44

> "LM 3 and LM 4 are quite hard going for 
> anyone fairly new to LilyPond". thank you 
> trevor! i am certainly a newbie, and 
> although i have always found these sections 
> very confusing, i never spoke up cause i had 
> no suggestions about how to improve them. 
> now that i'm trying to help, i'll ramble out 
> loud here a little... 

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Calvin.
Hearing general impressions like yours is just
as helpful as specific comments.

> to just read these sections is confusing and 
> boring. the tweaking is especially hard to read. 

I'm sure it is.  They were not really intended
to be "just read"; they were intended to guide
the reader through the intricacies of using the
Internals Reference to construct tweaks.  They
are more like a study guide, perhaps to be used
when trying to solve a particular layout problem.
  
> i mean i hardly ever have an issue about how 
> lilypond engraves, and when it is different 
> than what i'm transcribing, i usually don't 
> care.

Unless you have a good reason to construct
tweaks these sections are perhaps best left
until you have.

> i was proud/relieved recently, when after 
> ~10 minutes of targetted study, i got a 

> \once \override Score.MetronomeMark 
>    #'padding = #4 
> \tempo 4=88 
> \set Score.skipBars = ##t R1*3 

> to move the tempo marking above the "3" 
> for the multi-measure rest. when given a 
> specific problem to solve like this, 

Exactly!

> the lm and nr docs are quite helpful.
> i had to get the naming convention, which 
> engraver, and the property, and it worked 
> out pretty quickly. 

Great!  That was our aim :)

> but to just peruse the list of objects 
> and properties is painful.

Maybe this is something we could address.
Any suggestions?  Should it be deleted?
Shortened? More examples added?  Exercises
added?  Or maybe the learning process is
inherently painful anyway. 
 
> now file structure is another confusing 
> subject where again i have no sugesstion, 
> but i do wish it were easier for the newbie. 
> i worked on a couple of pieces for hours 
> trying to use includes etc to completely 
> minimize the amount of repeating any typing, 
> such as putting music notes for violin, 
> pianoright and pianoleft in separate files, 
> the combining to print a score, a piano 
> part with reduced violin above, and a 
> violin by itself. i got something passable, 
> but never nailed where some things. for 
> example, i could not get a piano with smaller 
> violin staff without repeating the violin 
> music with a smaller staff, or having the 
> violin part not show fingerings in the piano 
> printout.

This sort of thing is exactly what we need to
know - where difficulties are found - so the
sections which deal with this can be revised.
Thanks again.

Trevor D