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Topic: Jazz Font (Read 2748 times) previous topic - next topic

Jazz Font

Would it be true to say using the Jazz font only changes the appearance of the clef and other signs? The notes don't seem to be "jazzed" at all.

Re: Jazz Font

Reply #1 –
Yes, it would be true to say using the Jazz font changes only the appearance of the clef and other signs.
It is simply for printing a jazzier looking piece of music.
I use the regular font for my orchestral parts, and the jazz font for my swing band parts, and they both look idiomatic.

To get the notes to be "jazzed," you will have to use one of the user tips on this topic (tips 53, 54, 55, and 103).

Re: Jazz Font

Reply #2 –
Thanks for that. My comment was that the jazz font is really a waste of time because it doesn't change the style of printing of notes, stems and beams, but only clefs and other signs. So the printout really doesn't look like a commercial chart.

Re: Jazz Font

Reply #3 –
As for stems and beams, they should be straight no matter what, but the noteheads are slightly different, the accidentals are different, the rests are different, the articulations are different, and the coda and other flow signs are different.  Combine these differences with the proper fonts for dynamics and all other text, and it looks very much like a commercial chart.

("Hey, where'd you get this?  I told you we don't have any more money to buy new stuff!"
"I didn't buy this.  This is my arrangement."
"Did you get this published or something?  It looks so real!"
"Thanks!  But no, it's not published.  I just finished this chart this week, and printed the parts this morning."
"Wow!  This looks better than half the stuff we bought last year!
Nobody's gonna have any trouble reading these charts tonight!"
---And they didn't.  The arrangement went off without a hitch.---)
 

Re: Jazz Font

Reply #4 –
I have made a zip file of tempo tracks with many different tempos from the slowest to the fastest typical jazz tempos.  These will "swing" the notes.  You cannot just use a regular tempo track and change its tempo because to make NWC play swing Multi-point Controllers have to be inserted on both halves of EACH beat to change the tempo, slower-faster, to make the halves of the beat uneven and so swing the eighth notes.  I tried the formulas for this and all the other jazz tempo tracks here ("Jazzy", etc.) but they didn't seem to have the right feel.  By trial and error I made tempo tracks that gave more of a true jazz-swing feel.  Each track has a phrase of "Joe Turner Blues" included so you can judge for yourself.  Just copy and paste the tempo track that has the tempo you want into your piece and delete any tempo track or tempo indication already there.  Hope they work for you.  Here's the link to the User Tip:  https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=3271