Re: kneed beam a la Bach

[Simon Albrecht]

Am 20.06.2015 um 00:39 schrieb Nick Payne:
> On 20/06/2015 08:30, MarcM wrote:
> > i played with the kneed beam settings but could not find a way to 
> > reproduce
> > this kneed beam from Bach.
> > Is that feasible?
> >
> > <http://lilypond.1069038.n5.nabble.com/file/n178005/kneed_beam_Bach.png>
>
> \version "2.19.21"
>
> {
>   \once \override Beam.positions = #'(-2 . 2)
>   b'8 a'' g'' b'
> }
I’d prefer something like

\version "2.19.20"

\layout {
  \context {
    \Voice
    \override Beam.auto-knee-gap = 1
  }
}

{
  b'8\stemDown a'' g'' b'\stemUp
}

– however, it doesn’t work… (Why?)

So generally speaking: I share your fancy for Bach’s handwriting(1) and 
I also like to have more kneed beams than Lilypond does by default (my 
standard style sheet has an auto-knee-gap of 2.5, with the default being 
5.5). But for different (stylistic and technical) reasons I don’t think 
it’s possible or advisable to imitate such a handwriting with Lilypond 
more closely:
– The use of straight beams instead of curved ones.
– As can be seen in your example, Bach has been extending stems beyond 
the beam where they would else have become too short. This has reasons 
both in aesthetics, as I think, and, more importantly, in legibility. 
Such a possibility would have yet to be incorporated into Lilypond :-)
Others may be added, such as different conventions using clefs and 
distance between staves and staff-changing &c. pp.
– The scarcely limited striving to save space is relativised.
– Finally, the individuality and subtlety of handwriting cannot, or not 
sensibly, (?) be reproduced by algorithms (which leads to much more 
basic questions…). Also the goal is a different one with both the 
hand-engraved scores in the zenith of their art, and Lilyponds 
engraving, for which they serve as a model: it’s to be ultimately 
legible, balanced and somewhat objective (beauty notwithstanding :-)).

Happy engraving!

Yours sincerely,
Simon

(1) (and I try to emulate it (somewhat) in my own handwriting. Though, a 
great difference also comes by not using quill and ink, but pencil and 
modern paper :-)