Re: Help getting started

[Jim Sabatke]

Hendrik wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm trying to make my first file with Lilypond.  What I have so far:
>
> \version "2.2.0"
>
> \include "espanol.ly"
>
> \header {
>  title = "Una Caricia"
>  author = "Eduardo D. Bensadon"
> }
>
> melodie = \relative la''' {si-2 la#-1 si fa2-4 sol-4}
>
> begeleiding = \relative sol' {r <<sol si>> <<sol si>> r <<la si>> <<la si>>}
>
> bas = \relative la, {mi2. si'}
>
> \score {
>  \notes {
>   \clef violin
>   \time 3/4
>   \key sol maj
>   <<  \melodie
>     \begeleiding
>     \bas
>   >>
>  }
> }
>
> Of course this does not work.  What I would like to ask: are there some
> examples where do re mi ... are used in stead of c d e?  The manual sais to
> \include espanol.ly, but this doesn't seem to do it.  And further: any
> comments on why this doesn't work are of course welcome.
>
> Is there some book or anything on Lilypond?  What is a basic document
> structure? etc. etc.
>
> The point of this all: is it possible making anything work without browsing
> through the endless tutorials on the web, and memorizing things like #(ly:
> blabla) which I really don't understand (yet).
>
> Pf, I'm asking a lot, but one can always try right?
>
> Greetings, Hendrik

I don't think it's possible to use lilypond without lots of 
painful research.  I haven't been able to find an index, or 
google search that will reliably return simple information.

To be fair, lilypond does a lot.  It is big and complex. 
I'm sure that comprehensive documentation for all user 
levels would be very time consuming to produce.

I would like to see some varied introductory tutorials that 
show how music is constructed for different music types.  I 
am planning to do this for bagpipe music, if the lilypond 
people are interested in making such tutorials available.

I also think there may be a little bit of a "I struggled 
like hell to learn it, so should you" culture.  But again to 
be fair, there would probably be no end to the questions if 
people don't learn where to look things up and perform 
seemingly endless searches for info.

I understand your frustration.  I'm new to this too and I 
have spend days at a time trying to find little clues for 
why seeminly simple music doesn't print properly.  I'm 
trying to write a specification language that will translate 
bagpipe source music notation into lilypond source.  This 
way, other Linux users who want to do this may find it a lot 
easier.

BTW, I have no clue why your music doesn't work.

Good luck!


Jim Sabatke
Hire Me!! - See my resume at http://my.execpc.com/~jsabatke

Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy 
and good with ketchup.