Re: Questions from new lilypond user

[Wilbert Berendsen]

Op dinsdag 1 januari 2008, schreef guitarmiami:
> I'm trying to learn Lilypond by transcribing Dowland's Lacrimae Pavan from
> lute tablature to guitar.
>
> I have a few questions:
>
> * when I generate the PDF, each note links to the file on my desktop.  Is
> there a way to de-link the PDF file?

Yes:
Either call lilypond like:
        lilypond -dno-point-and-click yourfile.ly
or put:
        #(ly:set-option 'point-and-click #f)
in your lilypond file.

On my Linux system, I have in my ~/.bashrc:
        alias lilypond='lilypond -dno-point-and-click'

> * In the piece below (intro to Dowland's Lachrimae Pavan) the string
> indication isn't showing (\3).  I want to indicate that the f# is on the
> 3rd string (open).

It seems the note must be inside a chord to get stringnumbers to work, so I 
changed fis'8\3 to <fis'\3>8 which works (but the number is close to the 
note)

> * I'm writing it with three voices.  Should I write out the entire piece on
> those three lines? Or are you supposed to start new lines? e.g., every four
> measures...

You can just press enter to put a long piece of music on multiple lines, like:

{
<<
        b'4.
        e''4.
>>
d''16 c''16 
b'4 g''4
}

is the same as:
{ <<b'4. e''4.>> d''16 c''16 b'4 g''4 }

Whitespace is insignificant in most cases.

> * Any other suggestions based on my snippet below?

Yes...

> \version "2.10.25"
>
> {
>   \key e \minor
>   <<
>   \voiceOne { <<b'4. e''4.>> d''16 c''16 b'4 g''4 } \\
>   \voiceTwo { g'4. fis'8\3 g'8 a'8 b'4 } \\
>   \voiceFour { e4 e'4 e2 }
>
> }

- When the duration of the next note is the same as the current, you don't 
have to repeat the duration, so d''16 c''16 is the same as d''16 c''  .

- It is better to put \voiceNNN inside the music expressions, like:
  << { \voiceOne c d e f g } \\
        { \voiceTwo a b c d }  >> etc.
\voiceNNN just sets some parameters regarding the direction of stems etc, and 
\voiceThree and \voiceFour also add a slight horizontal displacement. In 
summary:
\oneVoice : al directions (stems, slurs etc.) neutral, decided by lilypond
\voiceOne : all stems up (and also slurs, etc.)
\voiceTwo: all stems down (and also slurs, fermatas etc)
\voiceThree: like One, but a little moved to the right
\voiceFour: like Two, but a little moved to the left

But the { } \\ { } construct actually adds the settings for voiceOne etc:
        << { a } \\ { b } \\ { c } >>
is already equal to
        <<
                \new Voice { \voiceOne a }
                \new Voice { \voiceTwo b }
                \new Voice { \voiceThree c }
        >>

- Inside a voice you can use <b e> instead of <<b e>> when you just want a 
chord (more than one note attached to the same stem).
http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.11/Documentation/user/lilypond-learning/Combining-notes-into-chords

- You could use relative mode to make note entry even more simple.
http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.11/Documentation/user/lilypond-learning/Simple-notation

Which these suggestions in mind I changed your file to:

\version "2.10.25" 

{
  \key e \minor
  <<
  \relative c'' { <b e>4. d16 c b4 g'4 } \\
  \relative c'' { g4. <fis\3>8 g a b4 } \\
  \relative c { \voiceFour e4 e' e,2 }
  >>
}

More improvements:
- it is not clear that the circled 3 belongs to the fis in voice 2,
add \set stringNumberOrientations = #'(left) right before that note
- the third voice does not need the displacement everywhere. (simply make it 
voiceTwo as well, and ignoring note collisions could be done, and temporarily 
change to voiceFour to get the displacement.... which gives:

\version "2.10.25" 
oops = \once \override Staff.NoteColumn #'ignore-collision = ##t
fleft = \set stringNumberOrientations = #'(left)
{
  \key e \minor
  <<
  \relative c'' { <b e>4. d16 c b4 g'4 } \\
  \relative c'' { g4. \fleft <fis\3>8 g a b4 } \\
  \relative c { \voiceTwo \oops e4 e' \oops e,2 }
  >>
}

Hope this helps!
Happy new year,
Wilbert Berendsen

PS: http://12stringmusings.blogspot.com/2007/03/lilypond-notation-program.html
more nice lilypond guitar tips.

-- 
http://www.wilbertberendsen.nl/
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
        -- Mahatma Gandi