Re: Doc: Some miscellaneous suggestions from Peter Toye (issue 579280043 by address@hidden)

[Carl . D . Sorensen]

On 2020/02/09 15:32:14, lilypond_ptoye.com wrote:
> Sunday, February 9, 2020, 2:16:50 PM, you wrote:
> 
> > I'm a native US speaker.  The following is my opinion.
> 
> > Alteration is a change in pitch from the base
> > pitch.  Base pitch is C,
> > alteration is sharp, actual pitch is C#.
> 
> > Accidental is a change in pitch from the
> > standard scale pitch.  As
> > mentioned by Peter, C# in a D major scale is
> > not an accidental, although
> > it is an alteration.
> 
> Surely "standard scale pitch or previously altered pitch". In D major:
"cis c
> cis" the first note is an alteration but not an accidental, the second
is an
> accidental but not an alteration, the third is both. Now I'm really
splitting
> hairs.
> 
> I'm beginning to think that this is all getting too theologial. I'm a
practising
> musician, not a theorist, and I raised the point as I'd never heard of
> 'alteration' used in this rather technical sense. If people are happy
with the
> distinction let's just keep it and I withdraw my suggestion.

I guess, strictly speaking, in lilypond we input a pitch that consists
of a base pitch, an optional alteration, and an octave (which in
relative music is most often omitted to accept the default octave).

Then the display (or lack thereof) of an accidental is governed by the
accidental display rules and any overrides we add.

Interestingly, as you correctly pointed out, a natural can be an
accidental (overriding a sharp or flat in the key signature).  And we
don't add anything to the input stream to indicate a natural.

I can see that this is all potentially a bit confusing, but I think it's
 captured pretty easily by example.  So we should probably just make
sure we don't say things that are blatantly false.


Carl


https://codereview.appspot.com/579280043/