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Messages - Mike Shawaluk

751
Tips & Tricks / Object plugins and "multi-spin"
Hello all,

Recently, I have updated several of my object plugins to allow modification of multiple parameters using custom menus in conjunction with the + and - "spin" keys. While I announced the changes in the Object Plugins board, I did not go into much detail in those posts, so I thought I would provide a brief description here of what I am calling "multi-spin".

First, I should probably describe what the Spin function is for a custom object, for those who are unfamiliar. When an object is selected in the score, it can optionally respond to the user pressing the + or - keys. If this feature is active for the object, these keystrokes will increase or decrease one of the object's settings, such as the Span parameter.

A while ago, I had the idea of allowing this Spin function to modify several different parameters, rather than a single parameter. I do this by using a custom menu selection to choose the parameter to be "spun" with the + and - keys. When an object has a custom menu, it is accessed either by right-clicking on the object's marker icon, or by selecting the object and pressing the "J" key. The latter method is required for multi-spin to work, since the object needs to be highlighted in order for the + and - keys to work. From the menu, the user can select a "spin target" to identify the parameter to be adjusted with the + and - keys. This allows the user to interactively "tweak" multiple parameters for an object, seeing the changes on-screen after each keypress. For certain objects, including Hairpin, Slur and SlurCubic, I temporarily add anchor boxes to provide a visual cue to the user during the adjust process. (These boxes only appear during editing, and are removed by pressing the F9 key when editing is complete.) In a few cases (specifically, for the slur objects) I have also provided a way to adjust multiple parameters with each + or - keypress.

The best way to learn how the multi-spin interface works is to insert an object and play with it. For each multi-spin object, the custom menu has a section labeled "Choose Spin Target:" which identifies which parameters can be adjusted via the spin keys. Select the desired parameter in the menu, and with the object selected, use the + and - keys to adjust it, observing the results in the edit window. Once you have adjusted one parameter, press J to redisplay the menu and choose another parameter to adjust. (You can do this with the mouse, but I think the keyboard works better for this.)

As of this writing, the following objects have some form of multi-spin support:

Slur.ms
SlurCubic.ms
Hairpin.ms
Brace.ms
GuitarChord.ms

I am interested in hearing feedback from users of these objects, to find out if they find this feature useful or helpful, or if they might have suggestions for improving on this. I will probably add this functionality to my other objects, especially those with numerous numeric parameters.

Thanks,
Mike
752
Object Plugins / Re: GuitarChord.ms (1.1)
The GuitarChord.ms object has been updated, with the following change:

  • Addition of custom menu and multi-spin parameter update

Please refer to the parent post for a description of the available parameters and a sample clip.
754
Object Plugins / Re: Brace.ms (1.0)
The Brace.ms object has been updated, with the following change:

  • Fix typo in parameter label
  • Minor changes to parameter values in custom menu

Please refer to the parent post for more information.
755
User Tools / Re: User Tool: Mark as 8va.lua (0.4)
The "Mark as 8va.lua" user tool has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Choices for 22ma / 22ma bassa added to drop-down.

Please refer to the parent post for a description of the tool's behavior and usage.
756
Object Plugins / Re: Ottavamatic.ms (1.2)
The Ottavamatic.ms object has been updated, with the following change:

  • New parameters to handle 22ma / 22ma bassa
  • New parameter to allow suppression of dashed line for short sections (single notes)
  • Improvements to the custom menus

Please refer to the parent post for a description of the available parameters and a sample clip.
757
General Discussion / Re: Leading adjustment in lyrics?
No one has said this, but it seems to me that it would be a useful feature to be able to adjust the leading on lyric text. Perhaps this would be considered as an enhancement to NWC in a future version.
758
General Discussion / Re: sharp/flat sign between paranthesis
Quote from: guidovanharten –
I am sorry for the double post.
I searched for the keyword "paranthesis", but did not find these topic.
Hi again Guido,

I did not intend to criticize; I was only trying to help you find the previous thread, where several people (including me) helped to answer your question.

I did a search on "courtesy accidental" to find it, since I knew what they were called.

Thanks,
Mike
760
General Discussion / Re: enharmonic errors in NWC's "audit enharmonics" tool
I've been reading and re-reading the responses to this thread, and a part of me wants to weigh in on the issue (especially since my name was included in Bill's comments about people who "like" user tools).

I'm not a huge fan of user tools. But I do use them occasionally, when they give me a way to do something that would otherwise be difficult/impossible. (As opposed to custom objects, which I love & use in virtually every score I create lately... but that is not what I wanted to talk about here.) I agree with Bill that it's a bit frustrating that a number of tools are essentially "better" versions of features that are already in NWC. (e.g. audit enharmonics, audit accidentals, score analysis). I try to remind myself that there will always be a need for specialized tools for certain situations (i.e. why there are so many different kinds of hammers out there), so it might make sense to have different types of audit tools for different kinds of music.

One thing that I personally would like to see is better integration of user tools into the NWC "experience". The current user tool dialog works well enough for infrequently used tools, but I would also like a way to assign a particular tool (or tools) to be run via a selector button. (This is mainly for the simple tools I've written to automate creation of tremolos and 8va sections.)

One final note about my usage of tools. Until recently, the tool I used most was Rick's "Flip RestChord" tool, because it's something I found myself needing to do frequently. Happily, as of version 2.75 I can now flip rest chords directly in the program, so I was able to retire that tool. I guess what I'm saying here is that perhaps Bill's request for enhancing the Audit Enharmonics function could also result in something like this happening some day.
761
Object Plugins / Brace.ms (2.0)
This plugin will draw a brace of configurable size, weight and direction. This can be useful for lyrics and other purposes.

Paste the following snippet into NWC 2.75, then go to Tools > Manage Objects to install the object.

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposer(2.75)
|AddStaff|Name:"Staff"|Group:"Standard"
|StaffProperties|EndingBar:Section Close|Visible:Y|BoundaryTop:12|BoundaryBottom:18|Lines:5|Color:Default
|StaffProperties|Muted:N|Volume:127|StereoPan:64|Device:0|Channel:1
|StaffInstrument|Trans:0|DynVel:10,30,45,60,75,92,108,127
|Lyrics|Placement:Bottom|Align:Standard Rules|Offset:0
|Lyric1|Text:"One two three\n"
|Lyric2|Text:"Four five six seven\n"
|Lyric3|Text:"Eight nine ten\n"
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up
|Bar
|User|Brace.ms|Pos:-12.5|Offset:3.7|Height:11.5
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up
!NoteWorthyComposer-End

For details on the object's parameters, refer to the context-sensitive help on object's properties page.
762
Object Plugins / Re: SlurCubic.ms (1.1)
The SlurCubic.ms user object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Minor parameter adjustment and menu improvements
  • Parameter adjust anchor boxes are now visible only in edit mode

Mike
763
Object Plugins / Re: Slur.ms (1.6)
The Slur.ms user object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Minor parameter adjustment and menu improvements
  • Parameter adjust anchor boxes are now visible only in edit mode

Mike
764
Object Plugins / Re: SlurCubic.ms (1.0)
Attached are the first pages of a choral score I am creating for our church choir, as rendered with standard and cubic slurs. The version with the standard slurs makes extensive use of the slur markers to tighten things up where possible.

One advantage of the cubic slur version is that I was able to reduce the spacing between staves.

I am sure that the difference in appearance between the two slur types is a matter of personal preference, but people can choose whichever they prefer.

It should also be noted that for the cubic slur version, I had to create two slurs for each run, on each side of the system break, since SlurCubic.ms (and Slur.ms for that matter) does not know how to span systems.

Thanks,
Mike
765
Object Plugins / Re: SlurCubic.ms (1.0)
Thanks Lawrie. I don't expect this new version to be used everywhere, but for long multi-note slurs, I have felt that the end points for regular (quadratic) slurs can be a bit too flat, at least in comparison to published sheet music I've seen.

Mike
766
Object Plugins / SlurCubic.ms (2.1)
This object is based on Slur.ms, but instead uses cubic Bezier curves, which offer finer control over the shape. The snippet below shows a cubic slur with example settings, compared with a balance-adjusted Slur.ms and native slur.

Paste the following snippet into NWC 2.75, then go to Tools > Manage Objects to install the object.
Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.75,Single)
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Text|Text:"SlurCubic.ms"|Font:StaffItalic|Scale:75|Pos:10
|User|SlurCubic.ms|Pos:2|Dir:Upward|LeftBalance:0.4|RightBalance:0.8|LeftStrength:0.8|RightStrength:0.9
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:4
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:0
|Bar
|Text|Text:"Slur.ms (balanced)"|Font:StaffItalic|Scale:75|Pos:10
|User|Slur.ms|Pos:1|Balance:0.1
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:4
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:0
|Bar
|Text|Text:"Native"|Font:StaffItalic|Scale:75|Pos:10
|Note|Dur:Half,Slur|Pos:4
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:0
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
For details on the object's parameters, refer to the context-sensitive help on object's properties page.
767
Object Plugins / Re: Hairpin.ms (1.1)
The Hairpin.ms user object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Addition of menus and anchor boxes to allow interactive parameter editing

Mike
768
Object Plugins / Re: Slur.ms (1.5)
The Slur.ms user object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • "Span" values that exceed the number of available notes will no longer result in a hidden slur.
  • "Strength" maximum value has been increased from 10 to 100.
  • The middle anchor box during parameter adjustment is now positioned on the curve, rather than above/below it.
  • Menu has been expanded and restyled: all parameters can be adjusted.
  • The mechanism for showing/hiding the parameter adjustment anchor boxes is now more consistent.

Mike
769
Object Plugins / Re: Arpeggio.ms (1.2)
The Arpeggio.ms object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Fixed bug for extreme combinations of playback rate, note count and duration.

Please refer to the parent post for additional information.
770
Object Plugins / Re: Slur.ms (1.3)
The Slur.ms user object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • New parameter "Balance" has been added, which can be used to further shape the slur.

In addition to the new parameter, I have added an experimental "interactive parameter adjustment" mode, using the object's right-click menu and the + and - "spin" keys. Saying more would spoil the fun - try it out and let me know what you think.

Mike
771
Object Plugins / Re: Trill.ms (1.0)
Thanks Harald - that was an interesting post/article. There is obviously much more to trills than meets the eye.

There are certainly a number of things that could be added to Trill.ms to make it more versatile/realistic. However, the object currently has 11 parameters, and there is a hard upper limit of 16 parameters available (although it should be possible to combine a few of them). One easy improvement would be to expand "Playback Note Type" from the current 3 choices (16th, 32nd, 64th), or possibly change it to a numeric value, as in the Arpeggio object. This would give much finer control of the speed than can be had with the various dotted/double-dotted/triplet combinations that are possible with standard notation.

Mike
772
General Discussion / Re: markers
Adding to Rich's post:
Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.75,Single)
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=First|Pos:-6|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=End|Pos:5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Marker|Pos:6|Target:Triplet
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=First|Pos:-6|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Marker|Pos:13.5|Target:Triplet
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=End|Pos:5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Marker|Pos:-10|Target:Triplet
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=First|Pos:-6|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Marker|Pos:1.5|Target:Triplet
|Note|Dur:8th,Triplet=End|Pos:5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
When markers are added at the beginning and end of a beamed triplet, they can be used to force the bracket on, either on the stem or notehead side.
773
General Discussion / Re: markers
Quote from: William Ashworth –
  • And speaking of triplet brackets, it would sometimes be useful to be able to move them closer to the notes. Again, good practice usually says to put the bracket above or below the staff. But in a dense score, it can be difficult to tell which notes the bracket belongs to if that particular "good practice" is always followed.

Just hopin'....

This is already possible. You just need to use two markers, before the first and final notes of the triplet:
Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.75,Single)
|Marker|Pos:7.5|Target:Triplet
|Note|Dur:4th,Triplet=First|Pos:5
|Note|Dur:4th,Triplet|Pos:5
|Marker|Pos:7.5|Target:Triplet
|Note|Dur:4th,Triplet=End|Pos:5
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
774
General Discussion / Re: extra note spacing
Quote from: William Ashworth –
I'd like to reiterate Rick's often-stated request for incremental extra note spacing. It's needed for extended passages of crossed voices, such as the alto and soprano in the attached example of a choral piano reduction for rehearsal purposes. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think this looks really crappy. Even just a half-space option would be vastly better. Decimals would allow fine tuning. Please?
There is another use case where fractional extra note spacing would provide better appearance for layered staves. When whole notes are on adjacent staff positions, the "weak side" note is moved by more than one note width, so notes on a layered staff that have extra note spacing of 1 will not quite line up. See the following clip.

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposer(2.75)
|AddStaff|Name:"Staff"|Group:"Standard"
|StaffProperties|EndingBar:Section Close|Visible:Y|BoundaryTop:12|BoundaryBottom:12|Lines:5|WithNextStaff:Layer|Color:Default
|StaffProperties|Muted:N|Volume:127|StereoPan:64|Device:0|Channel:1
|StaffInstrument|Trans:0|DynVel:10,30,45,60,75,92,108,127
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Chord|Dur:Whole|Pos:-3,-2
|AddStaff|Name:"Staff-1"|Group:"Standard"
|StaffProperties|EndingBar:Section Close|Visible:Y|BoundaryTop:10|BoundaryBottom:10|Lines:5|Color:Default
|StaffProperties|Muted:N|Volume:127|StereoPan:64|Device:0|Channel:2
|StaffInstrument|Trans:0|DynVel:10,30,45,60,75,92,108,127
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Chord|Dur:Whole|Pos:-7,-5|Opts:XNoteSpace=1
!NoteWorthyComposer-End
775
User Tools / Re: Test Release: nwc2musicxml
I have made a few test runs of the tool, but haven't tried to import the results into any other programs just yet. However, I've noticed a few anomalies:

1. If the score contains hairpins, text similar to the following will be printed in the STDOUT window prior to the XML:
Crescendo
Crescendo
Crescendo
Stop
Stop
Diminuendo
Stop
Diminuendo
Stop
Diminuendo
Stop
Stop
Stop
Stop

2. I received an exception when running this for one score:

Code: [Select · Download]
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: "9.5"
 at java.lang.NumberFormatException.forInputString(Unknown Source)
 at java.lang.Integer.parseInt(Unknown Source)
 at java.lang.Integer.parseInt(Unknown Source)
 at fr.lasconic.nwc2musicxml.model.Tempo.parse(Tempo.java:49)
 at fr.lasconic.nwc2musicxml.convert.Nwc2MusicXML.processLine(Nwc2MusicXML.java:550)
 at fr.lasconic.nwc2musicxml.convert.Nwc2MusicXML.convert(Nwc2MusicXML.java:80)
 at fr.lasconic.nwc2musicxml.convert.Nwc2MusicXML.main(Nwc2MusicXML.java:1519)
It appears to have been caused by a Tempo object with Pos:9.5. Changing the Tempo object's position to an integer value prevents the exception.
776
General Discussion / Re: Wishlist requests
Quote from: TonyQ –
2 wishlist items, please

1) I usually use the "Extend the last system" feature, but while it's often ok, it sometimes ends up looking silly because the last system is so long with others on the line fairly cramped.  Would it be possible to scale the spacing of all the systems in the last line of music to fit the width of the page as an alternative, please?  It would look better on the page at least some of the time.
There is an existing "workaround" for this one, that you may want to try. Add an extra bar at the very end of the top staff of the system, setting its type to the desired Ending Bar appearance for that staff, and check the Force System Break checkbox. Make sure there is nothing after this bar.  Now, when you Print or Print Preview, it will properly justify the measures in the final system.

For correct appearance in the Viewer, you should change the Ending Bar for the top staff to be Open (hidden) when you use this trick.

Mike
777
Object Plugins / Re: Slur.ms (1.2)
The Slur.ms user object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Numerous bug fixes and adjustments to correctly handle slurs on rests and various split voice chord types.

Please refer to the parent post for a description of the available parameters.

Mike
779
Object Plugins / Re: Slur.ms (1.1)
Quote from: hmmueller –
When I copied a "slur" object (ctrl-C, ctrl-V) to another position, I got the error

Slur.ms.nwcuser.lua:110: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'x2' (a nil value)

in the "Alert Log."
(Moreover, I had to copy this text manually - it seems that it is not possible to copy-paste from the Alert Log :( )

Regards
Harald M.

Hello Harald,

Are you able to reproduce this error consistently? It seems to be very sporadic; I have gotten it to happen once after doing many copy operations, but now I can't make it occur again. It would help if you tell me what kind of notes were at the destination site (where you were copying the slur object). I am pretty sure I know the cause of the error, but I want to make sure the error won't occur once I put a fix in place.

Never mind, I can reproduce it now. Working on a fix.

Thanks,
Mike
780
General Discussion / Re: Tiny bug with placing accidental
That's interesting. I suspect it is doing this because both A's have the natural applied. Consider this chord:

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.75,Single)
|Chord|Dur:4th|Pos:#-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Slur=Upward|Dur2:Half|Pos2:n-3,n-1
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

As can be seen in the nwctxt, the quarter note is sharp, and the half notes are natural, but it is unclear to me which is which when I look at the score.

Mike
781
General Discussion / Re: My 2 wishes: 1) small staffs 4) striked-through grace notes
Quote from: hmmueller –
And I have a new (last?) one: Grace notes that are striked through. Although it is possible to create them with careful placement of a dash (text) over the grace note, this is a nuisance; and almost impossible for grace chords or multiple grace notes that would need a longer or differently angled strike-through line. Striked-through grace notes have been a standard musical notation "since ever," so I would very much like to see them ...

Thanks!
Harald M.
Hi Harald,

Check out this post.

Mike
782
Object Plugins / Re: WingedRepeats.fso (version 1.2)
In my experience, the most common way for "execution limit exceed" to happen is if a plug-in manages to go into an infinite loop.  If you show a sample score that is causing the error, hopefully we can see what is happening.

Mike
783
Object Plugins / Re: PageTxtMaestro.nw
Quote from: William Ashworth –
I may be missing something, but I don't find a way to indicate that a text object should be used only once.  One can, of course, enter a copy of the "PageTxt" object on the next page with no text in it, but that's awkward. I'd like to see the "Page Display Control" drop-down box include a "this page only" option.
Your observation is correct. There does not appear to be a way to do this without a second PageTxt object, either with no text or with its Visibility is set to Never.

I agree that having a "This page only" choice would be a nice feature.

(Message edited - what I meant to say originally)
784
General Discussion / Re: NWC 2.75 and the new User Object facility. A thank you.
Quote from: William Ashworth –
I do have one quibble - or perhaps it's a question. Why are these called "objects" instead of "plug-ins"? I recognize that the requirement to place an object in the score in order to use it is different from the usual plug-in behavior of adding menu entries, but the function is the same. It seems to me an unnecessary confusion for newbies who have used plug-ins elsewhere. But maybe I'm just being cantankerous.
Actually, the forum is named "Object Plugins" so perhaps they are both. :)

But this is my take on "object" versus "plugin". The "plug-in" is the script that gets installed (once) in your UserPlugins folder; it is the part that "plugs into" NWC to create new behaviors. These behaviors are created by inserting "objects" in scores, in the same way that notes, rests, bars, time signatures, instrument changes, etc. are inserted. Each object that has been added to a score "points to" its designated plug-in.

Or, for the TL;DR crowd: you install a plug-in, and you use its corresponding object.

Mike
785
General Discussion / Re: Object plugins
A very nice FAQ. It might also be helpful to include the process for updating an object that has already been installed, to the latest version (following a post in the forum that an object has been updated). The steps would be similar to those for installing the object for the first time.

I have two other minor corrections to other FAQ pages:

Thanks again,
Mike
786
Object Plugins / Re: TremoloSingle.ms (1.2)
The TremoloSingle.ms object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • The Split Chord Member parameter is now ignored for rest chord playback - the chord portion will always be used.

Please refer to the parent post for a description of the available parameters and a sample clip.
787
Object Plugins / Re: Glissando.ms (1.3)
The Glissando.ms object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • The Line Weight parameter now affects all line types (straight and wavy)

Please refer to the parent post for additional information.
788
Object Plugins / Re: GuitarChord.ms (version 1.0)
Well, here is one minor drawback to your idea of 6 separate parameters for string fret positions: a custom object's spec table can have a maximum of 16 parameters. GuitarChord.ms currently has 13 parameters, and adding 5 more would give us a total of 18. (And this does not include strum speed). So tell me which of the 3 existing parameters/features you would like me to remove :)
789
Object Plugins / Re: GuitarChord.ms (version 1.0)
Quote from: Lloyd –
4 (or 5)  are usually the number of frets shown in chord charts, when the fret is over 4 (or 5) the 'Top Fret' marking is added to the diagram, and then just simple arithmetics: Fret 6 (with Top Fret 1) = Fret 2 (with Top Fret 5), this is (TopFret-1)+Fret. In this way you don't need to draw more than 4 (or 5) frets to the diagram.  ;D
I agree that generally only 4 or 5 frets need to be visible at once. The Top Fret parameter basically gives you a "window" of the region of the fretboard you wish to see. However, GuitarChord.ms expects the user to provide the absolute fret number for each string, not the number relative to the specified Top Fret. Perhaps this change in operation would be appropriate for GuitarChord 2.0 (or GuitarChord.fso :) )
790
Object Plugins / Re: GuitarChord.ms (version 1.0)
Quote from: Lloyd –
But I have some suggestion about entering chords, here's one of them (it's only the code for spec table... it won't work, but you can see the idea):
Code: (lua) [Select · Download]
local FretList = {'o', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', 'x'}
local obj_spec = {
...
  { id='6th_Fret', label='6th String', type='enum', default=FretList[1], list=FretList},
  { id='5th_Fret', label='5th String', type='enum', default=FretList[1], list=FretList},
  { id='4th_Fret', label='4th String', type='enum', default=FretList[1], list=FretList},
  { id='3th_Fret', label='3rd String', type='enum', default=FretList[1], list=FretList},
  { id='2th_Fret', label='2nd String', type='enum', default=FretList[1], list=FretList},
  { id='1th_Fret', label='1st String', type='enum', default=FretList[1], list=FretList},
...
}
That's an interesting suggestion. There was no 'enum' parameter type when the GuitarChord.ms object was created, and this seems like a reasonable way to enter chords. I would probably want to allow for higher fret numbers than 5 though, since the fret numbers are the actual fret number on the guitar neck, and that can go up to 20 or so, I think. Also, I think that parameter values can't start with a number.
Quote from: Lloyd –
The finger picking option could even be more interesting with a tablature object. I'm not sure how fingerpicking must be shown in Chord Charts (are we talking about P I M A fingers, right?) but, could it be added to the Fret List in the code above (0, 1, 1p, 1i, 1m, 1a, 2, 2p,...)? ::)  anyway, if it's only for playback purposes, well... maybe it will be too much information for only a chord chart, don't you think? Of course, it's the same for strum speed/rate... but I'm still thinking that at least the option "disabled" must be present within the strum options  ;D
When I said "finger picking", I meant a playback-only option, which would effectively play the strings in a particular order/sequence (most likely looped) to simulate how the chord would sound when finger picked. For true finger picking, tablature notation is probably a must.
791
Object Plugins / Re: GuitarChord.ms (version 1.0)
Hi Lloyd,
Quote from: Lloyd –
  • In guitar music strings are usually numbered as 6-5-4-3-2-1 from lowest to higest pitch (EADGBE), but barres option interprets string numbers as 1-2-3-4-5-6. I think it could be a little confusing when making custom chord charts... for example, when the object creates a barre for a 'F' chord it types 5:6 (to barre B and E strings), but usually those strings would be 2:1. It's not a serious issue, only a little confusing.
I don't contest what you are saying here, but the problem is that the object has been out there for a while now, and if I changed the interpretation of the numbers in that parameter, it would break a lot of existing scores. I would probably need to create a new parameter and translate/reverse the numbers from the old parameter to the new one.

To be completely honest, I think that the method required to enter chords for GuitarChord.ms is clumsy at best. It needs some sort of graphical "widget" that lets users put the dots and barres where they want them, and then populates the necessary parameter values that allows the chord chart to be drawn. How good are you with JavaScript? :)
Quote from: Lloyd –
  • My other suggestion is about Strumming. I think it would be good to add an option for 'Strum Duration'. Even it's not displayed in the chord chart, it's not the same a strum played with Sixteenth notes than other played with Eighth notes, so I think it would improve playback function of the object (although it's already very good).
This would not be that difficult to add, since the "strum" code has much in common with that in Arpeggio.ms, which has a playback rate parameter. However, there have been other suggested changes/additions to the Strum parameter, to allow custom "finger picking". If there were a finger picking option, then speed/rate would also be needed.

Maybe you want to take a crack at adding this? :)
792
Object Plugins / Re: CueHeads.ms (0.3)
The CueHeads.ms object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Corrected numerous issues (2-note chords, colored noteheads, ties.)

Please refer to the parent post for additional information.
793
Object Plugins / Re: CueHeads.ms (0.2)
The CueHeads.ms object has been updated, with the following changes:

  • Now supports split stem chords.

Please refer to the parent post for additional information.
794
Object Plugins / CueHeads.ms (1.0)
This plugin draws cue noteheads in the positions of any blank note space noteheads on a subsequent chord. If Class is set to StaffSig, then multiple chords will be notated, up to the next object occurrence. The size of the cue noteheads can be adjusted via a Size parameter.

Paste the following snippet into NWC 2.75, then go to Tools > Manage Objects to install the object.

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.75,Single)
|User|CueHeads.ms|Pos:1|Class:StaffSig|Size:70
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Chord|Dur:Half|Pos:-7z,-4z,-3,-2,1,2
|Chord|Dur:4th|Pos:-2,1,3z,5z
|Chord|Dur:8th|Pos:-2,1,3z,5z|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Chord|Dur:8th|Pos:-2,1,3z,5z|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Bar
|RestChord|Dur:4th,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Down,ArticulationsOnStem|Dur2:Half,Dotted|Pos2:-2,-1,1z,3z
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

There are a currently several known limitations/exclusions for this object:
  • The noteheads on the upper and lower portions of a split stem chord do not line up, since they are drawn relative to the existing stems.
  • The sizes of beams, flags, accidentals, ledger lines and augmentation dots are not adjusted/affected. You may wish to manually shorten the stems of notes/chords if they consist solely of cue noteheads.
  • All noteheads drawn by the object will be in the item color of the custom object.

I created this object primarily for use in choral scores, where there are alternate vocal parts or optional descant notes. Please let me know if you find other uses, or encounter any bugs.
795
General Discussion / Re: Missing Measures
In my experience, the top staff line can't be abbreviated, even it is collapsed for the remainder of the score, as in this case. If you add extra "rest" measures after the "start collapsible section" mark, your score will print correctly.

Mike
796
General Discussion / Re: Need to put one verse in italics - any ideas?
Actually, I wasn't suggesting that you would need to write a tool or object yourself; there are a number of us here (including me) who know how to do this, and have created tools and objects to provide solutions to problems like this.

However, I agree with you that a way to "escape" lyric text to provide italics (as well as bold and underline) would be a nice enhancement for the next version of NWC. Or if not that, perhaps a way to override the lyric font for a particular staff, and do the deed with layers.
797
General Discussion / Re: Need to put one verse in italics - any ideas?
Quote from: Solong –
Is there no easier method than writing the italicised text, character by character (selected from the symbol table set to the Romital font) into a word processor then cutting and pasting the result into NWC? Or have I just found the most difficult and tedious method of doing it!
There might be slightly better ways to do this than the one you describe, but they would probably be almost as tedious. However, it occurs to me that a user tool could be created that would "italicize" or "unitalicize" the lyrics for a set of notes, using this font.

It also occurs to me that a custom object could be written that lays down lyrics in an alternate font under a set of notes. (I seem to recall looking into this a while back, during the NWC 2.75 beta period). In order for that approach to work, space would need to be reserved for the lyrics, probably by putting sets of ___ characters for the "real" lyrics (assuming that "Underscore shown as space" is checked).

Mike
798
User Tools / Re: User Tool: Mark as 8va.lua (0.3)
Quote from: Peter Edwards –
Staff transposition still has to be set correctly in the ottavamatic object itself. Would it be possible to use the same transposition trick as in this user tool to remove a step from the insertion process?
There is currently not a function in the API for examining the staff transposition setting, so there is no way for a custom object to determine it. It would be possible to create a separate user tool that just inserts the Ottavamatic object, after querying the staff transposition, but that seems inefficient to me.

What would be an interesting improvement to me would be a way for a clip tool to also be able to make changes or insertions elsewhere in the staff/score, without requiring multiple tools to be executed. Or, alternately, a way for a clip text user tool to "chain" to a separate tool that runs in file text mode. Or perhaps this is already possible and I haven't figured it out yet?
799
User Tools / Re: User Tool: Mark as 8va.lua (0.3)
The "Mark as 8va.lua" user tool has been updated, with the following changes:

  • No longer prompts for staff transposition: this value is now pulled from the Staff Instrument 'fake' item.

Please refer to the parent post for a description of the tool's behavior and usage.
800
Object Plugins / Re: Melismatic.nw
One way to add extra hyphens is to put them in the lyrics, separated by spaces, and then set several of the interior notes of the slur to have Lyric Syllable = Always set. For example, in the bottom staff, change the first "im-ple-vit" to "im-ple - - - vit", and set Lyric Syllable = Always (via notation properties) on the first, second, fourth and sixth notes (C, Bb, G, E) of that slur. You can set more (or fewer) hyphens as needed.

Let me know if this works for you.

Mike