Re: film score example

[David Kastrup]

Urs Liska <address@hidden> writes:

>> Unexpectedly hard parts of creating this score (all specific to v2.16):
>>
>> - General spacing and staff sizes.  I believe Lilypond by default
>> puts everything
>>      too close together for music that is read by instrumentalists,
>> particularly
>>      sight-readers.  The spacing commands are easy to use, but
>> difficult to find
>>      and look up if you don't already know them.
>
> I think this is highly subjective or task-related. For my purposes the
> spacing is usually too loose, and I usually start making things
> smaller and tighter. And I _am_ an instrumentalist and sight-reader
> ;-)
>
> This said, I suggest getting used to the concept of 'house styles' in
> order to get a layout tailored to your needs with (usually) one
> \include command.
>
> The problem with the documentation is well known. Unfortunately it
> isn't possible to make everything as digestable as the Learning
> Manual. But I think a considerable share of development power already
> goes into improving documentation.

Sometimes the effort is better spent simplifying the underlying concepts
and documenting the results.  One hits diminuishing returns pretty fast
when trying to simplify the explanation of complex matters.

I think when I tried starting to augment LilyPond's documentation about
its programming models, I got into a bad mood rather fast.  It was like
writing a driver's manual of the kind:

    "To make a right turn, you stick together the blue wire under the
    passenger seat and the black wire sticking out from the speedometer.
    The black wire is not obligatory, you can touch any blank part of
    the car's chassis instead once you scrape it open.  This will set
    the turn signal.  The turn itself is done as customary using the
    handlebar.  Power steering is available by pulling on the wire
    coming off the speedometer though it inverts the direction of the
    handlebar.  We suggest holding the wire in your teeth in order not
    to have to fumble for it."

Of course, you had to talk to the engineers and dig through the
blueprints to figure out all that.

-- 
David Kastrup