Re: Lilypond and Jazz chords

[timmcn]

> On Jan 17, 2016, at 4:16 PM, Carl-Henrik Buschmann <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> While i might agree with you to some extent this is also a practial matter: 
> 
> 1) Whether or not you call it maj or *triangle*, m or MI is indeed a matter 
> of culture and personal taste. But consider the following: A C7, a dominant, 
> might tell a performing musician lots but when dealing with academic and 
> analysis it is quite thin if the actual sounding timbre is a C13(b9), also a 
> dominant, but allowed for when performing certain styles. What the 
> composer/arranger chooses to do, is a different case than the needs of the 
> academic (and specific composer/arranger).

Perhaps.  Musicality and practicality often seem secondary in academic pursuits 
as it is the idea that seems primary, not the resultant. 13b9 chords are common 
enough in jazz, though, although practically speaking in improvisation it is 
often more fruitful to think of them as a polychord- C7 with A major triad 
superimposed in this case- as this offers more options.

> 2) There is also the matter of spacing. Cmaj7 #5 b9 #11/F# is stealing a 
> whole system! That is insane (in the membrane!) and i stand by my statement 
> that the default output of lilypond is undesirable.

Which is why you can create chord exceptions to the default behavior.

Excessive definition of chords restricts the freedom of the musician- for jazz, 
maximizing freedom is more useful.

> Both Sibelius and Finale have a comprehensive libraries of chords and while 
> not to everybodys taste, it does pave the way for a good default. The people 
> of Sib and Fin have done theire homework. Sibelius perhaps even more so 
> regarding chords. Perhaps it is possible to look what have already been done? 

Their code is proprietary, unlike Lilypond, and it may be that one of those 
applications would be more suitable for your needs.  Indeed, given the 
expectations of the academic and publishing worlds it would probably be 
required that you submit the piece as a Finale or Sibelius file in any event.  
Ideally Lilypond should be able to use a variety of chord rendering formats, 
but given that it is developed largely by unpaid volunteers it may take a while 
to get there.