Re: absolute pitch entry: accept an offset octave (issue 235010043 by k-ohara5a5a <at> oco.net)

[Wols Lists]

On 23/05/15 23:39, Keith OHara wrote:
> <tdanielsmusic <at> googlemail.com> writes:
>> > I'd prefer the syntax and options to parallel those of
>> > \relative.  That is, an optional prefix pitch to indicate
>> > the starting octave, and taking the starting octave from
>> > the first contained note if the prefix is omitted. 

> We could implement this, but unlike \relative where each octave mark
> increments the octave of the previous pitch, there is no simple way to
> start the machinery of \fixed so that the octave shift is determined by
> the first pitch it acts upon. 
> We need code to explicitly find the first pitch and extract its octave.

Is this a good idea though? If I want "\fixed c {}" but my first note
just happens to be d' then it's going to be a pain. It's also going to
be very odd in that the octave markings for the first note are going to
be different from the octave markings for all the rest.

I don't know what fraction of parts start on a relatively high or low
note compared to the bulk of the part, but taking the octave from the
first note won't work in those circumstances. If that's a fair few parts
(I'm minded of a Benjamin Britten part, the trombone's first note is
also almost off the top of its register! :-) then I'd say that code
isn't worth the trouble - it really depends on whether the majority of
parts start in the middle of an instrument's register.

I'd be a lot happier assuming that if no note is given, then you assume
c so it's the same as if you were using neither \fixed / \absolute, nor
\relative.

Cheers,
Wol