Re: \transpose and \transposition combination error(?)

[Trevor Daniels]

Anthony W. Youngman wrote
> In message <address@hidden>, Peter Chubb
> <address@hidden> writes
> > > > > > > "Trevor" == Trevor Daniels <address@hidden> writes:
> >
> > Trevor> Hmm.  Not sure it's a bug.  The \transpose command 
> > transposes
> >
> > I think it is (and I reported it as one some time ago).
> >
> > The point of \transposition is to notate a Staff at a different 
> > pitch
> > from its sounding pitch.  When you combine this with other staves,
> > with different transpositions, the whole thing shoul dthen be
> > transposable.
>
> iirc (from falling afoul of this myself), \tranposition is to do 
> with
> midi output. Nothing whatever to do with printing music. Seeing as 
> I
> don't do midi, I just dropped using \transposition and forgot 
> about it.
> Mind you, I think the then-current version of lilypond was 2.4 ...

Producing the correct pitch in MIDI for transposing
instruments being notated at pitch is certainly the
principal use of \transposition.  It's other use is
to transpose cues into the correct pitch when they
appear in other parts.  So if you don't need either
MIDI or cues \transposition can be ignored.

> Umm ... I do everything in concert pitch anyway (playing the 
> trombone,
> it's a transposing instrument if it feels like it :-) so I would 
> do
> "Clar=" just like you do when entering notes so Clar is concert 
> pitch.
> Then, under normal circumstances when printing it I'd transpose it 
> back
> to B flat. Obviously, you'd not do it here.
>
> So, FROM CHOICE, the way I would do it is
>
> Clar = \transpose c' bf { clarinet notes }
> Piano = \transpose c' c' { piano notes }
>
> % to output music at pitch
>
> \score {
>        \staff
>                \transpose bf c' \Clar
>        \staff
>                \Piano
> }
>
> % to output music transposed down a tone
>
> \score {
>        \staff
>                \transpose c' bf { \transpose bf c' \Clar }
>        \staff
>                \transpose c' bf { \Piano }
> }
>
> I know you might look at that and think "what on earth", but to me
> (playing an instrument that may or may not transpose, and working 
> with
> other instruments that are mostly transposing), I just find it so 
> much
> easier to work with everything at concert pitch, and transpose as
> required on input and output. (You could probably put that 
> transpose at
> score level, I don't know, but I'm just trying to show the way I 
> think.)

Holding all music in variables at concert pitch is
a sensible approach.

Trevor