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Topic: Hyphenating lyrics (Read 5120 times) previous topic - next topic

Hyphenating lyrics

Does anyone know a a program that will automatically hyphenate lyrics?  I feel as if I’m spending too much time looking up words to find their proper hyphenation.  I am familiar with most rules regarding hyphenation, but there is always a significant number of words which seem to disobey the rules, or follow rules that I may not know.  Any ideas?

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #1 –
Karakan (a karaoke midi editor) includes hyphenation, for several languages at that. Basically, it operates on ordinary text files (but with the .stf "song text file" suffix). I've never actually used the hyphenation aspect myself, so can't vouch for it. (The karaoke editor works great though, and is what we use for the karaoke midis on our site.) It's something to try out...

Fred

Edwin van Veldhoven's Karakan

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #2 –
I should have asked for this before, because being a lazy boy, I didn't want to keep on doing it myself. So I've started to develop an awk file to do it, some months ago... (available for French only, and without any warranty)

As usual, Fred has the right resource :-)
And free!

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #3 –
Thanks, Fred!
Just downloaded it - gotta go install and try it out...

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #4 –
OK.  It’s installed.
It does work, but not perfectly.
There are seven words in this song which did not come out right:  teenage, Lovers, Amer-i-cans, heinous, di-versely, promised, & over-come.
But, all in all, it does save quite a bit of time.
Thanks again, Fred!
[This is the fourth time you save me anguish.  Keep up the great work!]

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #5 –
Oops!  I forgot to ask something else.
The word “violent” also appears in this song [lyrics are about the 9/11 attack], and it should be hyphenated as “vi-o-lent,” but it is sung with two syllables.
I’m looking for a way for NWC to do this satisfactorily.
Any suggestions?

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #6 –
You could use an en-dash, which NWC would not perceive as being a syllable separator. It's a little wider than the usual dash, but might suit your needs. You can "type" an en-dash by holding ALT while typing 0150 on the numeric keypad.

(Does that make five?) ;-)

Fred

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #7 –
If "violent" is to be sung as two syllables, then it doesn't make sense to make it "vi-o-lent" in the lyrics.  It'll just confuse the singer, who will waste time trying to figure out how to put three syllables where only two will fit.  Far better IMHO would be simply to make it "vio-lent", which the singer will understand perfectly (and so will NWC).  Or am I missing something?

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #8 –
Well, Fred, I did try the – but it doesn’t look enough like the - (at least in the preview).  [I guess that’s still four. “There will come another…” ;)]
I was thinking about Grant’s approach, but the lyricist wasn’t too keen on that, so I added a grace note and hid it.  Looks weird in the editor, but okay in print preview.
[The things we do for our lyricists…]

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #9 –
I clearly missed sth on that one.
Why do you need a grace note on "violent" if you need 2 syllables?? this seems to me that you have 3 differents notes for your word, with two syllables (with one being a "diphtongue" : (vi, o) and (lent).
can't you avoid the grace note and make it as a normal note?

About hyphenating in NWC: it would certainly help, but for english only. For instance, "violent" should be hyphenated "vio-lent" in french, rarely (in opera probably) "vi-o-lent"...

And finally, instead of using an en-dash (alt+0150, – ) or em-dash(alt+0151, — ), you can simply use a normal space. If the letters/notes are close enough, that's perfect.
There is also the Alt+0173 which looks exactly like the 0045 (normal '-'), but I'm not sure it's always available.

Now you have at least 3 solutions :)

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #10 –
From Princess Ida

O dain-ty tri-o-let,
O fra-grant vi-o-let,
O gen-tle heigh-ho-let
(Or lit-tle sigh).

Gilbert at his most contorted, but I love it.

Peter

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #11 –
My lyricist has, after all, decided to go with “vio-lent,” so I got rid of the hidden grace note.

Marsu, “vi-o-lent” is the proper hyphenation, on this side of the Atlantic, anyway. ;)  It is technically not a diphthong.  We Yanks just lazy it up a bit…
 

Re: Hyphenating lyrics

Reply #12 –
This may be regional.  I know I (Northeast U.S.) make it 3 syllables, though the middle syllable is simply a very light schwa.  OTOH I tend to say "violet" as two syllables, with no hint of the 'o'.  (Ro-ses are red; vi-lets are blue . . .)  A petty consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.