Re: Partial ottava sign

[Brian Barker]

At 11:17 19/02/2021 -0500, Kieren MacMillan wrote:
> At 15:35 19/02/2021 +0000, Peter Toye wrote:
> > Is there an accepted way of notating an ottava sign for only part 
> > of a staff? I have a two-handed chord of which the LH part needs to 
> > be an octave lower than notated, but the RH part is at pitch.
> >
> > I realise that this isn't really a LilyPond question but a general 
> > music engraving one (it may turn into a LilPond question depending 
> > on the answer, though)..
>
> Do you have "Behind Bars" by Elaine Gould? It's kind of the 
> definitive starting place for all such questions --- and an 
> essential (I believe) addition to any engraver's library.

And the answer is on page 325:

"An octave sign applies to all parts on a stave. A note written with 
an octave transposition should not share a stave with a note to be 
played simultaneously at pitch (_loco_) if there is a feasible 
alternative layout. Transfer either the _ottava_ or the _loco_ 
pitches to another stave. If necessary, add a third stave for this.

Where there is not room for a third stave, the occasional 
octave-transposed note may be placed in the same stave as notes 
played at pitch, provided that the extent of the octave transposition 
is absolutely clear. For clarification, extend a dotted line 
vertically to encompass occasional octave-transposed pitches; for 
occasional notes written at pitch, extend a horizontal dotted line 
after _loco_ for the relevant duration."

Brian Barker