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Messages - Dave C.

1
General Discussion / Re: Does this sound like a native american-y song?
I think it sounds more techno-minimalist than anything else, but the intervals have an almost native american feel. EDIT: On second listening, the organ seems like it doesn't fit the native american vibe. Don't crucify me, though, just trying to give some helpful feedback. :)
5
General Discussion / Re: Some questions regarding lyrics...
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The other is that you are asking a lot out of your male voices. Some of it is very low for a tenor and at measures 44 and 45 it is high for a bass
Yes, that is true, I tend to ask alot of my performers, particularly tenors and pianists (seeing as I am both). I did pause and consider that once, but seeing as I was going to be singing that part, I went for sound rather than ease of performance. Another reminder for me to not write to your own unique abilities. (I've also done some insane piano stuff too, like runs of straight sixteenth notes, that I eventually had to modify)
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You can achieve much the same, or even better, result by using layered staffs and save a lot of work.
and for some reason, I thought about that after I wrote the song. :)
6
General Discussion / Re: Some questions regarding lyrics...
Thanks! I did make all the changes you suggested. This is going to be read by some pretty non-musical people, so it's good to be able to make it as easy to read as possiblle.
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Most of your top staff bars are syncopated.  I think they're going to be hard to read, since most of the notes don't start on the beat.
Yes, unforunately. My choir director dreads the amount of rehearsal time my pieces take up. :)
8
General Discussion / Re: Software Question
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If you know how to use abc notation, there is a very nice chord-setting tool associated with Henrik Norbeck's "abcmus" program, available here.
Is this tool compatible with NWC file types?
9
General Discussion / Re: Software Question
A little side note- perhaps it could also be possible to do the same with chord names? A tool that could, perhaps, analyze the harmonies in a score and then insert a text for the most common chord associated with them? There would be a substantial margin of error, but I would much rather edit one or two incorrect text entries than put  all the chords in manually. Too far fetched?
10
General Discussion / Re: Some questions regarding lyrics...
That's why it's good to have access to people much cleverer than I when it comes to this. :) Works great. Only thing I had to change was the quarter rest at the end should be an eighth rest. Still, I'm impressed you did that so quickly!
*Edit* I was wrong. It was just an eighth rest that I probably entered myself at the beginning in error.
13
General Discussion / Re: Some questions regarding lyrics...
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Of course there would be those who ask: Why do I have to add a whole layer just for a few notes?
*Raises his hand* ;) I've been using diamond noteheads for cue notes, even though they're not "correct", just because I hate dealing with creating noteheads that are smaller and yet take up the same amount of space, ie mounting grace notes onto invisible rests and the like.
14
General Discussion / Re: Some questions regarding lyrics...
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....which brings up one of our pet peeves. Smaller noteheads would be really, really nice for entering descants (as well as cues and ossia....)
I completely agree. Especially since I have soprano and alto notes on the top staff. without the smaller noteheads, the descant just makes it look too cluttered. :(
16
General Discussion / Some questions regarding lyrics...
I'm currently composing a choir piece, and I would like the verses to be sung as a tenor solo, (It's a hymnal, so lyrics above the staff, check.) And have a descant for verse three above the treble staff. Is there a way to start entering lyrics at a certain point? I attached the piece to give you a better idea.
18
General Discussion / Re: Weird sounds
I agree that music really can't go forward without experimentation, of course. I do it all the time! Dissonance is one aspect of music that I feel many people are afraid to experiment with, save for the one note resolution that is so common, but it is something that can really produce some beautiful and unique harmonies. Anyway, that's how I feel about it. :)
19
General Discussion / Re: Weird sounds
I listened to it, reminds me of a piece for prepared piano, something like John Cage would have written. To some, Cage was a revolutionary- to others, just an oddball who "composed" 4min. and 33 seconds of silence.
20
General Discussion / Re: odd drum notation
I asked my sister, who is a long-time drummer. She said that since it is on one line, it is only one drum playing one beat. She rules out the possibility of a second drum because they would be on two lines. HOWEVER, I did ask her if it was possible that it was a flat flam- she said that she had never heard of it and even consulted her book of rudiments and found no instance where one should ever use two sticks at the same time, since it has no effect on volume or sound in any way. She basically told me that from her experience the notes in question are in error. But she also said that one line equals one drum, so perhaps it does mean two sticks, if such a rudiment existed.
21
General Discussion / Re: 2 note tuplet
What I have done is put two notes and a rest on a staff, and made those a triplet. then you can  set the visibility for the rest to "never" (highlight rest, press alt, enter)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=First|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Rest|Dur:8th,Triplet|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=End|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=First|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=End|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Bar
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-4|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=First|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Rest|Dur:8th,Triplet|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=End|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:-2
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
23
General Discussion / Re: MIDI Import errors - any ideas?
That would explain it! I'm American and, well, I wasn't taught at all in any tradition! Hence I always fear that I'll be wrong in some way or another. Thanks for the "Conversion Table", I'm sure other non-british/aussie-types besides me will find it helpful as well :)
24
General Discussion / Re: MIDI Import errors - any ideas?
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minim rest, a dotted crotchet rest and the quaver note
Just wondering, but please tell me you are using some kind of vernacular equal to half note, quarter note etc., So that I can assume that my knowledge of music theory is not way off! Just never heard those terms before. :)
27
General Discussion / Re: Scanned music
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actually, there is a pretty good tool called "SharpEye" which is an OCR for music.
Well, now you've gotten me interested. Where do you get this tool? Sounds useful.
28
General Discussion / Re: Scanned music
There's really no way that I know of to import scanned images into NWC. Scanned sheet music will come out in .jpg or .bmp, and NWC isn't equipped to read these file types. Looks like you'll be doing it by hand, unless, of course, you import a midi file of the song into NWC. BTW, good luck with your new position. Music Ministry can get rough. :)
29
General Discussion / Re: Help for the Cyber Hymnal
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From my collection, only the Episcopal Hymnal divides the voices as you describe.
If you look at some hymnals published by GIA, the standard at my church, the stem directions for each song are all pretty much varied. Mostly due to the age of some of the pieces, I assume.
32
General Discussion / Re: Ledger Lines: What Do YOU Think?
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Rick is correct re 8va bassa never being used on the treble staff.
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There are few absolutes in music, but I think I can safely say that 8va bassa is never used on a Treble Clef or beneath the top staff (regardless of clef) in piano music.
I have seen it (belive it or not), and understand why it should not be used. I found it very confusing, and it completely threw me off track, again, being self taught and having seen nothing like it. I totally agree that moving down or up one staff and changing stem directions can also be a good way to go, but I have seen it get really messy in conjunction with split chords and things of that nature. 
34
General Discussion / Re: Ledger Lines: What Do YOU Think?
That is actually really helpful. I ask this because all my music skills are entirely self-taught, so I find myself writing music above my formal education. What is even more of a pleasant surprise is to find out that the question I asked wasn't as obvious as I thought it would have been. ;) 
35
General Discussion / Ledger Lines: What Do YOU Think?
A question for eveyone (mostly pianists): Say you are writing a song where the piano is playing around middle C, so that the notes will end up on ledger lines in bass and treble clef. Normally, since ledger lines can be annoying, I will write the piano part with double bass clefs or double treble clefs in order to cut down on the ledger lines in the overall piece. My question is: if ledger lines must be used in a piece (meaning most of the piece is situated there) which is preferable, low ledgers on a treble clef or higher ledgers in a bass clef? If I've thrown you with this explanation I've attatched an example piece.
36
General Discussion / Re: Glissando
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The speed of gliises and where (and if) they take their time from depends on the rest of the music and ultimately the pianist's ability and taste.
I think Rick pretty much hit it. When I play a gliss, it usually takes about one quarter note length of time (depending of course on how fast I'm already playing)- making the timing with 32nd notes and the like tricky. I'm going to experiment with David's idea a little bit (with all the proper naturals in it of course!) and see where it gets me. Might be tricky since the are all located at measure breaks, but I think now I have the general idea.
37
General Discussion / Re: Glissando
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Look for gliss.nwc in here for a working example. "You will need to inspect the hidden staves to see how it is done."
I did look at that. however, as K.A.T. mentioned, It is for a "not piano" instrument-too smooth.
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I have one that's about two ocatves with naturals on every note, for that "white-key" effect
 
Could you maybe attatch an example? I've tried using grace notes or even 32nd notes but it never has really worked. The result is that when I play in performance (usually church) the guitarist thinks I'm just improvising it since it's not written- and imagine her surprise! It throws everyone off.
38
General Discussion / Re: No sound
Make sure that all the stems are in the right directions- sometimes if you are using a split chord you need to have both notes with opposing stems. If that doesn't work you could always use two staves and layer them.
40
General Discussion / Re: Boxmarks and the like
Okay, finally I can post the score. The problem lies in measure 5. As you can see, I have a long way to go on this arrangement before it's ready for performance!
44
General Discussion / Glissando
Is there any easy way to create a Glissando that actually looks and sounds like one? I use them alot in my piano accmps.