Re: lilypond/Documentation/user examples.itely

[Graham Percival]

On 10-Jan-05, at 5:41 AM, Mats Bengtsson wrote:
> - I normally use a separate identifier for annotations like
>   tempo changes ("Andante", ...) that should only appear on the
>   top of the full score but in all the individual parts. Of course,
>   such a thing can also be done with \tag commands, but it will
>   will soon get very messy.

I agree, this shouldn't be done with tags.

> - Another common thing to add in the separate parts that (often)
>   don't appear in the full score is cue notes. Again, it seems
>   to me that it just gets more messy to try to make a single
>   definition of \score that can be reused both for the full score
>   and the separate parts.

I admit that I haven't really thought about cue notes.  I'll try using
them and see how they work.

> - I'm afraid a beginner (at least one who is not used to computer
>   programming) will find the \tag related commands much more
>   complicated than retyping a few lines for each part.

As it stands now, you're right.  But what if we add the ability
to define tags on the command-line and lilypond-book?

Currently, the string quartet template requires new users to
copy and save six text files.  Four of them are identical,
apart from a "vn1" "vn2", etc.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could
say "copy and paste this example into a new file.  To get
the score, type `lilypond -t=score piece.ly'.  To get the
cello part, type `lilypond -t=vlc piece.ly' "

Will new users understand how the tags are constructed?
No.  But new users (generally) don't understand how the
\score{ << >> } stuff is constructed, either.  That's the whole
point of the templates; they don't need to know the construction,
all they need to do is find the right place to insert notes.

Cheers,
- Graham