Re: "Instrument" as first-class citizen

[Carl Sorensen]

On 4/23/15 6:32 AM, "Kieren MacMillan" <address@hidden>
wrote:

>Hi Carl (et al.),
>
>>> It doesn't help that many things are implicit and based on contexts
>>>which
>>> are invisible and undocumented
>
>> Hmm.  I have a bit more trouble understanding this.
>
>I infer that he (correctly) means how
>
>    \version "2.19.18"
>    \score { \new Voice c' }
>    \score { \new Staff c¹ }
>
>creates two identical scores, even though one is apparently missing a
>Staff context, and the other is apparently missing a Voice context.  =)

or even \score{c'}


>
>> have an instrument be a collection of settings that would be applied to
>>a
>> context (perhaps a Staff, as in the case of violin, or perhaps a
>> StaffGroup, as in the case of piano).
>
>That, of course, is the [only?] real difficulty: there are ³instruments²
>that will always fit in a single Voice, and some that require at least 2
>(piano), 3 (organ), or more (percussion) Voice or even Staff contexts.

But as long as an "instrument" will fit everything that applies to a
grouped context, it can work.

>
>> Are there any other music objects (not LilyPond music objects, but music
>> objects in your world) that are missing from LilyPond?
>
>It¹s a good question. However, I would suggest calling ³Instrument²
>something other than a ³music object², if ³Clef² is a ³music object².
>They do very different things, and should be treated as such. Perhaps
>³engraving object² and ³performing object² (or similar) might be better?

I never use the word "music object" for LilyPond entities.  LilyPond
doesn't have "music objects".  Clef is a grob.  \clef treble is a music
expression.  I was asking for things in his mental model of music (as
opposed to his model of LilyPond as organizing grobs).

If we are missing structures needed to capture music the way musicians and
composers think about it, it may be desirable to add them.  I'd like to
see if there are any others beyond "instrument".

Thanks,

Carl