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Messages - Peter Edwards

553
General Discussion / Re: Del segno question
For all multi-verse pieces, assuming that the music is the same each time, you can use the Local Repeat featurs which can loop as many times as you want (within reason). You can also hide the repeat barlines so that, as in published music, the verse repeats are implied rather than explicit.

You can write any Perfomance Flow Directions as text.
554
General Discussion / Re: Incorrect timing with dotted notes
Look at the stem directions. The dotted quarter and eighth are up and total a half. The two quarter notes are down and total a half. The chord itself should be rendered with two stems - which is what NWC does in this instance.

NWC then counts the bar length using the shorter of the notes in the chord and indeed is clever enough to put the stem of the next note in the right direction to match. Unfortunately it then fails to see that the other part is now the shorter one. The only way round this (using only one stave) is to split the second note into two tied notes so that the two parts are matched. With Hank's problem this would result in a dotted quarter and quarter chord;  an eighth (tied); an eighth and eighth chord.
555
General Discussion / Re: Incorrect timing with dotted notes
Hank, I'm afraid your analysis is not correct - Rich has a valid point.
Rich, it is not a stinking program.

NWC does not support multiple parts on one stave (personally I think it could try harder) but it does provide a mechanism called Staff Layering which achieves pretty much the same results, so I suggest you examine the proffered solution in more detail.

Nevertheless there are unresolved drawbacks, in particular different stem/flag lengths and accidental incompatibilties in the layered staves which do need to be addressed, but in general it is usually possible to work round these with enough thought.

In other words, the program can usually create what you want, and with sufficient pushing we might even get it to do it without too much cerebral effort too!

So instead of flaming, try to be constructive. Legitimate shortcomings can be resolved.

Peter
556
General Discussion / Re: Breves (double whole note duration)
Sorry if I came across a bit harshly. It was just that the question was really about the length in crotchets of a breve, even though the question itself referred, misleadingly, to beats. If I offended then please accept my apologies.
558
General Discussion / Re: Breves (double whole note duration)
Yes, be pedantic if you like, but do give a helpful reply too!

There are 8 crotchets (i.e. quarter notes) in a breve. As the name suggests a breve is twice as long as a semibreve note. Of course in the right circumstances a semibreve rest can be any length. ;-)

Peter
561
General Discussion / Re: the symbol for repeating measures
"Shooting the messenger" is not my intent. I'm just trying to make sure the messenger delivers the proper message.

The message you would like is obviously not the one the messenger is delivering - nevertheless it is a message delivered from an authoritative source and indicates accepted usage to a sizable proportion of musicians.

On the other hand I have never come across your sytem of symbol usage (which in itself doesn't mean it is incorrect) but it would be helpful if you could quote some authority or source for your assertions.

And I'm sorry for my simplistic suggestions. I was just trying to ascertain whether the two usages could or did have some attributes in common, but I suppose you'd rather prove the other guy wrong than have a meaningful and constructive dialogue.

And actually it wasn't that simplistic. Multiple bar rests have just such a mechanism (admittedly inside the bar itself), and if it doesn't apply to multiple bar repeats too then the figure "2" is pretty redundant really.
562
General Discussion / Re: the symbol for repeating measures
I'm just quoting the UK authority on the matter, please don't shoot the messenger.

And in any case it would appear from your example that the indication of two repeated bars is not the symbol (which I assume is acting exactly as I described - a repeat of an irregular figure) but the figure '2' that you mention as placed just above the symbol.

Further, I would assume that a figure '4' with exactly the same symbol underneath it would indicate four repeated bars. Or am I being too simplistic?
563
General Discussion / Re: the symbol for repeating measures
The Associated Board Guide to Music Theory says:

Single Slash - Repeat group of quavers.
Double Slash - Repeat group of semiquavers.
Triple Slash - Repeat group of demisemiquavers.

These all appear inside the bar after the group to be repeated and add up to the length of the bar.

Slash with dots (like % sign) - repeat whole bar. Each bar to be repeated is shown: | % | % | % |

So far OK. However a double slash with dots represents the repetition of an irregular phrase within a bar and not a repetition of multiple bars.

The repetition of a few bars may be indicated by the word bis with a square bracket over the staff showing the bars to be repeated, but personally I'd find that somewhat confusing.
564
General Discussion / Re: Octave change indicator
According to the Associated Board Guide to Music Theory 8va = ottava, Italian for octave, used above or below the stave.

Having said that they seem to use mainly 8 on its own in their own published pieces. However one instance in a Poulenc piece uses 8e double for the double octave up (French presumably) and another in a Debussy piece 8a bassa.
566
Tips & Tricks / Re: Measure numbers
If you just want to increase the bar count (without layering) then put hidden bar lines onto the top staff. If the extra bars are before a rest then put grace rests into the dummy bars. But if the next bar starts with an actual note then these rests will subtract themselves from that note. The answer is to tie hidden grace notes through the dummy bars and onto the real note. Make sure accidentals and dynamics are consistent.
567
General Discussion / Re: Barbershop Quartet Songs
My impression is that it comes from four gentlemen sitting in the row of chairs in the barber's shop singing while they were getting shaved, but this could be totally erroneous.
568
General Discussion / Re: Alto Notation Help
Useless fact:

All vowel sounds are made up of two simultaneous frequencies (formed from the resonant cavities in the pharynx and mouth)which are fixed for each vowel. This means that Sopranos cannot physically sing some vowels where the frequency of the sung note is higher than the lower of the two vowel frequencies.
569
General Discussion / Re: Shave and a Haircut...
Wondered how 'Shave and a Haircut' fitted the tune. Now I know - it doesn't!

I'd never heard of the title but have known the snippet from babyhood, normally played as a sort of boom! boom! after a joke, and always with a triplet and flattened A.
570
General Discussion / Re: Shave and a Haircut...
Yes it's possible, but it's so close to the well known tune snippet that it's obviously a wrong rendition of that tune, rather than a random set of notes. And if it were actually played it wouldn't sound right either.
571
General Discussion / Re: cadenzas
Well strictly you can achieve a value of 99 whole notes by putting in a time signature of 99/1 and one semibreve rest.

In fact it might be easier to do it this way by putting a temporary time signature the same length as the cadenza (instead of padding with rests).