Questions tagged [engraving]
For questions about the engraving of scores and how to achieve intended notational effects. Questions regarding the meaning of specific notation are best served with the notation tag. For questions discussing a particular engraving software, the software should also be tagged.
203
questions
9
votes
2
answers
683
views
LilyPond: how to restore the old figured bass font
I've been looking at the latest stable version of Lilypond (2.24.2) and noticed that the figured bass font is not the same as before. Not only that, but (without changing anything) the symbols are ...
- 589
5
votes
3
answers
457
views
LilyPond lyrics affecting horizontal spacing in score
While attempting to typeset a piece of baroque vocal music, I've come upon this issue where lyrics cause uneven spacing of the notes in other voices in the score. For example, the 2nd violin on the ...
- 589
1
vote
1
answer
51
views
Lilypond - Moving around the number for a tuplet
I'm trying to replicate a triplet drawn as a bow with the number over the bow rather than under and shifted to hover over the first note. By following LilyPond - change tuplet bracket to a small bow, ...
- 113
2
votes
1
answer
133
views
Lower voice in Chopin's Nocturne Op 9 No 1 not adding up to 6/4 time signature
I wanted to learn Chopin's Nocturne Op 9 No 1. In most cases, the note values add up to the time signature of 6/4. However, in measure 6 of the right hand part, I counted the note values of the lower ...
- 153
1
vote
2
answers
102
views
Is there a way for one player to have a solo but the rest of the instrument keep playing?
I'm writing a piece where there is like a bass line which is made up of all 5 string section parts (orchestra) that each have a similar rhythm, and that all together makes a cool sound.
I want to add ...
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is it okay to change the key signature in the middle of a bar?
In music notation, is it okay to change the key signature within a measure? Or should I split the meter into two for that?
For example, I have the following four quarter notes in one measure with:
𝄞 ♭...
- 937
4
votes
4
answers
459
views
Dotted quarter or tied notes
I know in 4/4 you are supposed to clearly indicate beats 1 and 3 in the measure, but does this apply to beat 2 as well? I am transcribing a song on piano and don't know which version of this measure ...
- 43
1
vote
3
answers
80
views
Placement of articulation on middle of three voices
I have a drum part that looks like this (instruments shown are cymbal, tambourine, tom, and kick):
Whether splitting the upper voice this way is even standard in the first place I'm not sure, but it ...
- 1,018
1
vote
1
answer
41
views
How can I adjust this grace note alignment in a Lilypond score?
I'm working on a transcription/editing project. At one point, the piano part has some grace-note arpeggios while the bass plays a melodic line. I am trying to make this "look nice" in the ...
- 2,960
3
votes
1
answer
164
views
Where does divisi marking go if vocalists begin a slurred/tied note together, but end it divided?
In a vocal piece, the basses sing a B as a section. Half the basses tie to a second B in the next measure; the other half descend to a low E. In this divisi writing, bass 1 has a tie and bass 2 has ...
- 4,428
0
votes
2
answers
64
views
Tremolo strokes above stems with flags
Is it okay to draw tremolo strokes above/below stems with flags for more readability? Otherwise, it looks a bit tight when tremolo strokes are positioned right on a stem with a flag:
Also, I just don'...
- 165
2
votes
2
answers
80
views
Simple repeat notification
Trying to script in musical notation a section of music that plays repeatedly within a tune without writing it out multiple times and I'm getting confused with some of the notation symbols. In the ...
- 21
5
votes
3
answers
516
views
How to avoid double sharps in LilyPond
I have this code:
\new StaffGroup <<
\override StaffGroup.SystemStartBracket.stencil = ##f
\new ...
- 620
3
votes
2
answers
127
views
Why are 6/5 chords written in different ways? [duplicate]
Sometimes the 6th of a 6/5 chord is displaced to the right and other times the 5th is displaced to the left. Why?
user35708
5
votes
1
answer
387
views
How do I enter these triplets into MuseScore?
I'm a total beginner with all things music theory, so I figured I'd ask.
I'm trying to enter this into MuseScore, but the triplets in the last two bars are confusing me. If I try to enter them I get ...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
125
views
Secondary brackets in the string section
In an orchestral score, each section of the orchestra gets a thick square margin bracket, e.g. the woodwind section.
Within these, thin square secondary brackets are used to group instruments in the ...
- 12.1k
3
votes
1
answer
45
views
How to place a number by a sustain bracket to indicate variation in lilypond?
I have the following markup which gives the output below:
\version "2.22.2"
\language "english"
global = {
\key df \major
\numericTimeSignature
\time 2/4
}
right = \fixed c'...
- 133
6
votes
1
answer
72
views
Lilypond: How to avoid overshooting melisma in last stanzas [incl. MWE and output]
I am trying to create some sheet music with lyrics. Some features of the music are:
There are repeat sections in the music with alternative endings.
The music starts on the chorus.
There are more ...
- 63
5
votes
4
answers
908
views
A standard way of marking alternate tunings for classical guitar?
I'm writing a piece that needs to have a drop D tuning- how do I mark the guitar's tuning at the top of the score? Is there a standard? Something like "E = D" or just "DADGBE"? ...
- 157
9
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Is there a notation for borrowing a beat from the next measure?
First off, just to be clear, this is a purely historical/theoretical question. In the example I'm going to give, I think it would universally be considered clearer just to write it in 4/4, maybe with ...
- 99
5
votes
1
answer
175
views
Lilypond glissando across piano staves
I'm trying to typeset the glissando shown below using Lilypond:
There are examples in the docs but they weren't helpful.
My code:
\version "2.24.0"
upper = \relative{
\clef treble
\key c \...
6
votes
2
answers
223
views
Change staff position of hi-hat
This is what it currently looks like:
This is what I want it to look like:
My code currently looks like this:
\version "2.22.2"
\header {
title = "abc"
}
\drums {
\clef ...
- 269
7
votes
1
answer
137
views
Finale writing problem, four cross-beamed eighths
How do I enter cross-beamed eighth notes in Finale?
- 71
8
votes
3
answers
657
views
can lilypond generate this, connect beam on every other note - use voices?
Can lilypond generate this (see attached image), connect the beam on every other note - use voices? It also has slurs between the 'voices.'
- 123
5
votes
2
answers
470
views
LilyPond: How to avoid pitch-squashed chords ending up as colliding noteheads?
On the guitar it is common, both, to follow staff notation, as well as to strum chords given by their names.
Using Lilypond, I am trying to notate explicit notes in staff notation and named chords ...
- 361
7
votes
3
answers
653
views
Number of measures per line
I'm relatively new to reading piano score and I notice lots of little subtle things about it which have great importance. One feature I wonder if it is ever used with special importance is number of ...
5
votes
4
answers
472
views
When should I use polyphonic voicing for the upper piano staff?
I am learning to use some notation software, but I am unsure if what I have so far is the best way to notate this piano piece.
The ties kind of bug me, and I am not sure if I should have polyphonic ...
user35708
7
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What is the meaning of a notation that looks like a rest superimposed on a note
In the picture above, it looks like a rest superimposed on top of a note. What does that mean?
- 79
7
votes
4
answers
232
views
Name and meaning of "mirrored" accent sign
I'm currently engraving a hand-written SATB piece in LilyPond and encountered some music notation I'm not really sure what to do with. It consists of four consecutive quarter notes with each note ...
- 171
7
votes
3
answers
835
views
LilyPond: help to merge notes in different voices
I am trying to engrave Mendelssohn's "Variations sérieuses". I need to tie notes from different voices. Here is the desired effect:
You can see that the last A is tied to the next from a ...
- 823
4
votes
3
answers
123
views
Are these 2 clef-change notations equivalent in meaning and result?
I've been copying over my purchased PDF of John Adams's score for "China Gates" into a new MuseScore copy for my personal use. There are frequent clef changes which he notates in this manner ...
- 307
4
votes
3
answers
737
views
What is the best way to notate an arrangement and melody for a low singing voice?
I am a bass-baritone singer and am trying to figure out how best to write and and arrange my music so that I can have the best representation of what I will be performing and recording in my studio. ...
user35708
1
vote
1
answer
87
views
When removing the StemEngraver, how can I ensure Lilypond properly places adjacent notes?
The following code compiles without a hitch:
\version "2.20.0"
left = \relative c' {
<b c g'>
}
\layout {
\context {
\Voice
% When I uncomment below, the
% note ...
- 83.7k
1
vote
1
answer
88
views
Align \markup and fermata in make-music-function?
The end goal is to have some function that takes a rest and optional text and outputs the rest with a fermata, boxed "vocals", and the optional key words.
Inspired by this question, I was ...
- 1,083
1
vote
1
answer
33
views
Raise or lower position of percent repeat counters by voice in Lilypond?
There is a very similar question; however, I cannot use its answer because it sets the \override PercentRepeatCounter.Y-offset = #-3 inside the \layout of a score block.
I need the ability to leave ...
- 1,083
3
votes
2
answers
185
views
Vertically centering text in a Lilypond Dynamics staff
When engraving my own scores, I like to have all dynamics centered vertically. In Lilypond, we can easily do this by inserting a Dynamics "staff" between the two staves of a piano score.
...
- 83.7k
2
votes
3
answers
148
views
Removing entire barline in Lilypond
How can I remove the entirety of the barlines (including that between the staves) from these examples using a \with-based solution?
I continue trying the solutions shown in the documentation, but with ...
- 83.7k
6
votes
1
answer
490
views
Can I use/when can I use dotted rests in time signatures such as 5/8 or 7/8?
I'm writing a song that changes to 7/8 and I'm wondering if or when dotted rests are appropriate (assuming that dotted rests are appropriate for compound meters).
- 71
2
votes
1
answer
99
views
Force Lilypond staves to continue on next page
For an analytical project I'm working on, I want three separate scores right on top of each other: the bottom staff of the three has the actual music, and the top two staves are of the same size/shape ...
- 83.7k
4
votes
2
answers
480
views
Which Lilypond engraver handles accent marks?
In the following example (from my recent question, Globally removing engravers from LilyPond), I've managed to remove every engraver I need except for one: whichever engraver is responsible for the ...
- 83.7k
7
votes
2
answers
464
views
Globally removing engravers from LilyPond
Using the following adjusted musical example:
I'm hoping to remove all elements except for clefs, key signatures, the staff itself, note heads, and accidentals. All other elements—ties and slurs, ...
- 83.7k
7
votes
3
answers
702
views
Most readable way to write left hand flowing towards higher notes
I'm struggling to make a simple passage I've written look and feel 'comfortable'. The left hand is 'travelling' across the piano.
Which of these are more readable? My instinct says to stick with the ...
- 133
5
votes
3
answers
362
views
LilyPond: How to make a "Blank Staff Paper"?
I was trying to "update" and change some properties from the "Blank Staff Page" piece of code that appears here:
https://snipplr.com/view/579/blank-staff-paper-with-lilypond
Which ...
- 615
4
votes
2
answers
231
views
Suppressed repeated tuplet numbers
In older scores that have been engraved by hand, it is very common to see something like this:
i.e. if there are many of the same tuplets in a row, the tuplet number is shown only for a couple of ...
- 5,985
5
votes
2
answers
766
views
8va or clef change?
I've been transcribing music on and off for a few years now as a hobby and noticed while reading someone else's sheets that they have heaps of clef changes midway through the piece. It sort of blew my ...
- 53
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why aren't octave clefs used in piano notation?
It's not uncommon to find piano music where the left hand plays primarily in octave 1, or the right hand in octave 6 (i.e. below the staff of a bass clef or above the staff of a treble clef). This ...
- 83
8
votes
3
answers
958
views
Instances of note beams across measures
How rare was it, in classical and romantic periods, for composers to notate eighth note and sixteenth note beams across measures? Are there examples from composers other than Schubert?
In two of ...
- 265
4
votes
2
answers
317
views
Note placement for beat/rhythm clarity
I have been transcribing a piece in 4/4 time for the piano. I am not fully certain as to how I should format the notes on the upper staff – as they split every beat.
I have provided 3 options below ...
1
vote
1
answer
96
views
LilyPond: stack order of Multimark engraver
I continue my struggle (began here) with engraving Barrozo's collection of Czerny exercises. The problem is in engraving brackets that Barrozo uses to mark parts for repetition. Following advice of ...
- 823
8
votes
1
answer
900
views
Do all voices deserve rests, or can I tactically omit rests?
The voice 3 (magenta) plays for just two semiquavers at the end of the bar:
should I add a series of rests for that voice?
it's hard to understand which rests belong to which voice when rendered in ...
- 255