Re: \key

[Paul Scott]

Jan Nieuwenhuizen wrote:

> Paul Scott <address@hidden> writes:
>
>  
>
> > It would be quite logical if there were an equal probability of notes
> > in a composition being in or out of the  current key.
> >    
>
> Maybe it's a language question.  In Dutch, the name of an f-sharp is a
> fis; it's quite unnatural (an uncommon) to refer to an f-sharp as 'f',
> regardless of what key it's in.
The language point of view would be the same for English.

> > Even though it's not exactly comparing apples to apples, in Finale the
> > entered notes are automatically in the current key and extra clicking
> > raises or lowers the pitch.  In my example I would type 'f' plus some
> > modifier to get f natural or f double sharp.
> >    
> Ah.  Are you certain that, if you think about it, you are not
> confusing `quite logical' with `more like Finale happens to do it'?
By quite logical I meant the least work.  Finale and some other GUI 
programs do it that way to save work.  I have just installed RoseGarden 
and I see that it has a 'Follow key' button.

> It may indeed be a bit apples and oranges, in LilyPond (or text entry,
> ftm), you have to name a note.  Then, it's not logical to use give a
> wrong name. 
Agreed that there is a logic problem there but saving work is also 
logical.  Perhaps entering in solfeggio mode would be useful but I was 
not trained that way.

> If you select a note in a GUI program, it's logical for
> the program to suggest the most probable one.
>
> I think we used to have a special entry mode for this, called it
> `viola mode' (I don't know the key we're in, but the sheet music I'm
> copying from says `f' at this point, not `#f' :-), but I can't seem to
> find it anymore.
That might useful but at least now I know the rules and can do what I 
need to get the work done.

Thanks for your work in this.

> > p.s. I am getting two copies of everything from this thread.  The
> > first one of each pair lacks the last three identification lines.
> >    
> You shoud set your Mail-Followup-To: header.
Are you referring some particular software.  I use Mozilla mail-news and 
don't know what that option means.  Why would this only be happening in 
this thread?

Thanks,

Paul