Re:orchestral template, please comment

[Keith E OHara]

On Fri, 01 Oct 2010 03:20:48 -0700, <address@hidden> wrote:
> > 1) Remove the outermost \GrandStaff{}
>
> Someone had already made this change in an unapproved snippet.  I've 
> nowapproved it

Thank you, Phil.
Someone was me; I didn't want to let that one problem be forgotten if I got 
distracted.


All,
  How about the other proposed changes?
Do they help to give new users a starting point for the types of scores you 
write?
Do they steer new users away from issues and traps?

> 2) Change the key signature to something other than C.
> 3) Enter notes as written on parts, as opposed to concert pitch.
> 4) Add some the introductory text5) Add \midi{}.
> 6) Remove redundant parts

my current suggestion for the introductory text being:
"This template demonstrates the use of nested @code{StaffGroup} and
@code{GrandStaff} contexts to sub-group instruments of the same
type together, and a way to use @code{\transpose} to handle music
for transposing instruments more conveniently.

"The pitches for the clarinet are entered as written on a
manuscript for clarinet in A.  The command @code{\transpose c' a}
converts this music expression to concert pitch before it is
stored in @code{clarinetMusic}.  In the score, @code{\transpose
bes c' clarinetMusic} produces the pitches to be printed for a
B-flat clarinet.  A single application of @\code{\transpose bes a}
would have produced the same output, but consistently storing
music in variables at concert pitch simplifies the mental task
when making new arrangements.

"The @code{\transposition bes} statement tells LilyPond that a
printed middle-C in the following music represents the sound of
concert B-flat.  This information is used when the sounded pitch
is needed, such as in the MIDI output."


From here, people who want a concert-pitch score can remove the \transpose 
operations and \transposition events from the score block.  People can 
\addQuote the concert-pitch variables and get cue notes with the correct 
pitches. People using MIDI output have a playground for experimentation to 
learn how \transpose and \transposition function.

People writing for horns that change transposition mid-symphony can put 
\transposition events into the music expressions for the horns, and maintain 
correctly pitched MIDI and cue notes. (If the music given to \addQuote is 
either in concert pitch, or preceded with the correct \transposition event, 
then we get the right quoted pitches.)
--
Keith

orchestra_template.ly
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