Re: Accidentals: Unwanted naturals

[Jonathan Wilkes]

> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:24:51 +0100
> From: Graham Percival <address@hidden>
> Subject: Re: Accidentals: Unwanted naturals
> To: Leonardo Herrera <address@hidden>
> Cc: address@hidden
> Message-ID: <address@hidden>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> On Tue, Aug 25, 2009 at 10:05:45AM -0400, Leonardo Herrera
> wrote:
> > I do have a suggestion: I would add two examples to
> the section that
> > shows this clearly.
> 
> How is that more clear than:
> 
> ----
> In this example:
> 
>     \key d \major
>     d cis fis
> 
> No note has a printed accidental, but you must still add is
> and
> type cis and fis in the input file.
> 
> The code b does not mean “print a black dot just on
> the middle
> line of the staff.� Rather, it means “there is
> a note with pitch
> B-natural.� In the key of A-flat major, it does get
> an accidental:
> 
>     \key aes \major
>     b
> 
> If the above seems confusing, consider this: if you were
> playing a
> piano, which key would you hit? If you would press a black
> key,
> then you must add -is or -es to the note name!
> ------

The hint at the end about black keys doesn't work for b- and e-sharp, nor 
c- and f-flat, nor double-sharps and flats.  What about something like 
this:

If the above seems confusing, imagine someone asks you for the first 
four notes of Beethoven's fifth.  If you say, "g, g, g, e-flat," you 
are correct.  However, if you say "g, g, g, e," you are wrong and 
will be corrected by any theory teacher within a fifty-foot radius as 
follows: 
"That's an e-flat, not an e.  Have a look at the key signature."

Unlike the theory teacher above, Lilypond doesn't know the answers ahead 
of time and assumes you know what you're doing.  The way you say 
note-names out loud at sounding pitch corresponds directly to the 
way you enter pitches into a Lilypond score. That means no matter what key 
signature you put in front of it, Beethoven's fifth always starts with 
g g g ees when input into a Lilypond score.

---

I say "sounding pitch" so that it covers transposing instruments as well.

-Jonathan


> 
> 
> Really, all the info is already there.
> 
> Cheers,
> - Graham
>