Re:Quit [now definitely O/T]

[Jonathan Wilkes]

> > 
> > Things like "ritardando" can't be found in the
> notation index and are
> > programmed something like
> > 
> >     Some performance indications,
> e.g., rallentando or accelerando, are
> >     written as text and are
> extended over multiple notes with dotted lines.
> >     Such objects, called
> "spanners", may be created from one note to
> >     another using the following
> syntax:
> > 
> >          \override
> TextSpanner #'(bound-details left text) = "rit."
> >          b1\startTextSpan
> >          e,\stopTextSpan
> 
> Yes, so we should add "ritardando" to the index.  A
> patch is within the
> ability of any LilyPond user, and would be speedily
> applied.
> 
> The code to establish a ritardando could be easily written,
> and may (or may
> not) be done as part of the forthcoming GLISS (Grand
> LilyPond Input Syntax
> Stabilization) project.  There's currently some
> disagreement about whether
> it would be good to define
> 
> spannerText = 
> #(define-music-function (parser location span-text)
> (string?)
>   #{
>       \override TextSpanner #'(bound-details
> left text) = #$span-text
>   #")
> 
> which would allow above example to be coded much more
> easily in the input
> file
> 
> \spannerText "rit."
> b1\startTextSpan
> e,\stopTextSpan
> 
> but would hide the underlying LilyPond functionality (the
> \override) and
> make users less likely to learn how to do overrides that
> they may need to do
> for their own challenging music.
> 
> Stay tuned for the GLISS, and get your own opinion in.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Carl
> 

Hello David and Carl,
     I was really excited to read David's suggestion for \startTextSpan 
taking an argument.  For me, it makes much more sense and flows better 
when entering notes to write:

b1\startTextSpan "accel."
c,\stopTextSpan "a tempo"

than the syntax Carl has used above.  I cannot imagine any scenario 
where this would hinder one's understanding of the \override syntax and 
am curious what the reasoning is behind this assumption.

To me, this syntax looks a lot like:

b1^"so easy to learn, retain, type..."
c,_"...and teach!"

Just my two cents.  I'm not a programmer but would be happy to test the 
heck out of this functionality if you know how to implement it, David. 
Well, I'm also happy to test Carl's syntax too if that's the way 
most people prefer it; it's still way better than having to "override" 
the text spanner to enter text (which is still not as bad as having to 
draw your own splayed stem when you click the splayed stem button in 
Finale!).

As for the original topic, I definitely felt a similar amount of 
frustration when initially learning lilypond.  But the recent 
improvements in the documentation kept me on track.  I'll contribute 
some revisions/errata when I finish up my second time through the 
docs.

Thanks,
Jonathan

-Jonathan