Re: Accidentals: Unwanted naturals

[Kieren MacMillan]

David,

> It is also perfectly reasonable for a person who has been writing
> music for decades for it to make no sense.  Why?
> Because it makes no sense, and never did.

?

> Why not a \followKeySignature command?

??

I can't remember who in this thread first suggested that when you  
play an instrument you "follow the key signature", but this notion is  
silly — and ultimately harmful (to music education).

When you play a piano, if you want to hear a d flat, you play a d  
flat — you don't play a d and let the piano change the pitch for you  
"according to the key signature". This is true of every instrument,  
with the only exceptions being technologically-altered performances  
(e.g., pressing the "transpose" button on a keyboard, or scordatura  
on a string instrument).

The state of music education in the world — and especially North  
America — is already dire enough; let's not accelerate the slide by  
dumbing down notation entry under some misplaced desire to make  
computer engraving "easier".

> It would save typing

Yes... that's what we, as musicians, should be worried about...  =\

> it would make the notes blocks easier to read, for /musicians/ that  
> is.

I could not disagree with you more.

Regards,
Kieren.