Re: absolute pitch entry: accept an offset octave (issue 235010043 by address@hidden)

[tdanielsmusic]

On 2015/05/03 09:02:51, dak wrote:

> However, I _think_ that your comment would suggest \absolute f'' { f
... to be
> the same
> as \absolute { f'' ...

Correct

> whereas I suggested making \absolute f'' { f ... the same
> as \absolute { bes'' ...

> Now there _is_ a difference between \relative c and \relative f.  With
what I
> guess from your proposal, \absolute c and \absolute f would be the
same.  And so
> would be \absolute b.

Yes, in Keith's and my model \relative sets a starting pitch, \absolute
would set a starting octave only, and pitches thereafter are relative to
the octave of the previous note.  So the input notes are always in a
clearly defined octave.  Perhaps a better name for this mode of entry
would be \relativeOctave.  I'll use this later to be clear what I mean.

> Now I actually like the idea of using \absolute bes' for entering a
trumpet in
> audible pitch using an input scale of { c d e f g ... }.  That's a
concept
> different from \transpose c' bes' { ... } or \transpose c bes' which
primarily
> suggest a connection between _printed_ pitch and audible pitch (like
> \transposition does) rather than _input_ pitch and printed pitch.

A nice idea (your original suggestion was too cute indeed to register as
meaning this to my old brain ;)  But it does rather muddy the concept of
an absolute pitch, which is enshrined in >10 years of manuals.

> I do realize that \relative only ever touches the octave, and it seems
to make
> little sense to have \absolute f turn { c, d, e, f g a b c d e f' ...
} into one
> continous scale even though it would only touch the octave (like
relative) and
> allow using as few octave marks as possible for a given tessitura.

No, a continuous scale would be \relativeOctave { c, d e f g a b c' d e
f ... }.  The c' resets the octave.  This doesn't work so well for a
melody oscillating a tone or two above and below a c, of course, but it
does avoid multiple ''' and ,,,.

>   But while
> that would also be a consistent possibility, I don't think having e be
a higher
> pitch than f is going to win us a lot of sympathies.

No, e would never be higher than f in \relativeOctave.

> I prefer the transposing interpretation.

I wouldn't oppose it.  Indeed, the two possibilities could exist
together, depending on the presence or absence of a prefix pitch.
\absolute bes' { ... } transposes the input; \absolute { ... } works
like \relativeOctave.

Just some thoughts.  We need some other views I think.

Trevor


https://codereview.appspot.com/235010043/