Re: Beginner's questions about long repeats & MIDI files

[David Wright]

On Sat 15 Oct 2016 at 22:39:28 (+0200), Mojca Miklavec wrote:
> On 15 October 2016 at 01:01, Flaming Hakama by Elaine wrote:
> >
> >> 2.) Sometimes I have a very simple repeat pattern, say, part A repeats
> >> four times.
> >> The only difference is that the third time "c2." gets replaced by "c2
> >> c4" somewhere in the middle due to an additional syllable in the
> >> lyrics.
> >>
> >> a) What's the correct way to visually represent that? Drawing the full
> >> c2. plus some additional c4 in parenthesis at the end? How do you type
> >> it in? Or "c2(c4)" with a potentially dashed tie/slur/whatever that is
> >> called.
> >>
> >> b) How does one get a correct MIDI file? I can imagine writing
> >>
> >> aa = {...}
> >> ab = { c2. | }
> >> ac = { c2 c4 | }
> >> ad = {...}
> >> aA = { \aa \ab \ad }
> >> aB = { \aa \ac \ad}
> >> melodyMIDI = { \aA \aA \aB \aA }
> >>
> >> and slightly different approach for engraving to fake proper visual
> >> appearance, but I'm sure there must be a more straightforward way with
> >> some "if this is the third time of repeating this segment, do
> >> something different for this one single note".
> >
> >
> > I'm not familiar enough with vocal scores to know the standard practice in
> > for this circumstance.
> >
> > For instrumental music, one approach I've seen is to display both rhythms
> > using parallel voices and add text to instruct the performer when to play
> > each variation.
> >
> > I'm not sure how nicely this plays with lyrics.
> >
> > \version "2.19.15"
> >
> > aa = { g'2. 2. 2. }
> > ab = { c'2. | }
> > ac = { c'2 4 | }
> > ad = { b'2. 2. }
> >
> > bothVariations = <<
> >     { <>^\markup { \column { "1st, " "2nd &" "4th X" } } \ab } \\
> >     { <>_"3rd X" \ac }
> >>>
> 
> Thank you very much for the example. I compiled it, but the output
> doesn't look too appealing to me.
> 
> But you gave me the idea how to do it with two voices. For the visual
> part I decided to use something like the following:
> 
>     <<
>       {
>         <g es'>2.~ |
>         <g es'>2. |
>       }
>       {
>         s2. |
>         s2 \parenthesize f4 |
>       }
>     >>
> 
> That is: misuse parallel voices, use as much skip as necessary and add
> a note inside parenthesis. There is no need for an explicit
> explanation of when that additional note is needed. If the lyrics
> stands below the scores, it's clear which one needs an additional
> syllable.

I can't see the point of fussing with parentheses. It just makes it
harder to read. Conventionally, one sets the subdivided notes and uses
dashed ties/slurs to join them up. The undivided words are set with a
lyric extension, and the divided words are set as normal except that
it is clearer and neater if you also left align them as if they were
being set under a melisma too.

If the subdivision is unambiguous, ie splitting 2 → 4 4 rather than
2. → 2 4 (which might be 4 2), I often just set the "two words" like
that under the (undivided) note. Doing this with a hymn like "God is
working his purpose out" (Benson—irregular) makes it easy to get a
mistake-free performance.

When the rhythms get completely different for a short passage, you
could try the method that came up here a couple of times recently.
I've never seen anything published this way, but a choir might prefer
it as an alternative to having to turn the page for another fully
written-out verse.

Cheers,
David.

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