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Topic: What is that zig-zag vertical line called (Read 8334 times) previous topic - next topic

What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Hi,
I am sure there must be a post about this question.  But without knowing the what I am looking for, I can not do any 'search'.  So...
I see a vertical zig-zag line across the instrument staff.  What is it called and how do I insert it in NWC.

Thanks for any help
- sam

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #2 –
The cats in 'The Aristocats' sing about it in one of their songs '... your scales and your arpeg-gi-ooooooooos! '

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #3 –
Hi,
Thanks for your reply
- sam

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #4 –
I want to use arpeggio's but when there is a large distance between the notes, the arpeggio of boxmarks.tff isn't extended enough to cover all the notes.

Is there a way round? I tried using two arpeggio's to form one bigger arpeggio...

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #5 –
Yes, two or more arpeggios is how I do it.  To make them align vertically, go to the Expression Placement tab and set the text properties to Justification = Right and Alignment Placement = At Next Note/Bar.  You will almost certainly need to add some space after the "c" in the text expression.

If you change the size of the font or the size of the staff or how much you overlap the text symbols (if at all), you will get different results.  Staff size 17 with font size 16 gives a reasonable result on the preview screen, and better results when printed, although it's a small staff.

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #6 –
It's correct.  The apostrophe represents a contraction, not a possessive.

Aaaggghhh! I'm not trying to be the grammar cop, but I thought you'd appreciate the support, Ewan.  Someone has destroyed the confidence of many of us in choosing between  its and it's.

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #7 –
It's the English language that's at fault. Why should it be that it's "Robin's pen" (with an apostrophe), but "the cat sat on its mat" (without an apostrophe)? No wonder people get confused!
But, we're stuck with it, so the simplest way to remember is that "it's" is an abbreviation of "it is". Nothing else. Possessive pronouns do NOT have apostrophes, and plurals certainly NEVER do and never have (except for possessive plurals, of course, and even then, not possessive plural pronouns... you're just as confused, aren't you?)

In short, let's dump the English language with all its (no apostrophe) inconsistencies and irregularities, and let's all start speaking in Esperanto! (Don't tell me, Rob, you speak that too!)

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #8 –
No, no... I'm a multi-linguist, not an omni-linguist.
'The simplest way to remember is...' yes, that's exactly how I perform the check!

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #9 –
David: The cop that hands out directions to the post office is much more liked than the one that hands out parking tickets.

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #10 –
Thanks for the help, David.  I was being [abbr="Facetious" is the most common English word with the five traditional vowels in alphabetic order.  "Facetiously" is the most common English word with the six traditional vowels in alphabetic order.]facetious[/abbr].  It was a hook for the language-obsessives.  I has already put a few in other replies, and probably should have resisted temptation!  I meant the reply to read "it's although you can have its if you want.

I really do know the difference between "its" and "it's", and usually get it right.  Like everyone, I sometimes make the occasional tyop.  But I am good with the [abbr=although there are very good arguments for calling it the "possessive" in English, not the least of which being because that's was most people call it!]genitive[/abbr].

Robin, I've read one theory that explains why genitive nouns have apostrophes when pronouns don't.  It is that genitive nouns once has an "es" ending - "the cattes mat" - which now has the missing "e" shown as an apostrophe.  Pronouns had - and still have - different words for different cases ("us"/"we"/"our"/"ours" just for first person plural).  So if this [abbr=and I kinda hope it is, because it's elegant]theory is correct[/abbr], the apostrophe has always done just the one job - show missing letters.

There is at least one pronoun that has an apostrophe.  I think it's quite new, and probably gained its apostrophe in error: "one's".

Despite all that, I too use the "simplest way", but as well as "it is", I check "[abbr="It's been fun; we must do it again sometime.]it has[/abbr]" and "[abbr=but I suspect I'm doing this one needlessly]it was[/abbr]".

As for how well Rob speaks Esperanto, see https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=15.msg33029#msg33029.

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #11 –
The missing E sounds plausible.
I have taught my children the following principle, concerning French: 'the Riddle of the Vanished S' Look at:
école - school
écosse - Scotland
écran - screen
château - castle
coûter - cost
and lots more: the accents mark the spot where the S has disappeared. Very often you will find the link between the English and the French word. Well, in English the e disappeared, and left a trace: the apostrophe.
 

Re: What is that zig-zag vertical line called

Reply #12 –
Well, well, well!  I knew that the circumflex often shows a lost S (fête is another), but didn't [abbr=do some people REALLY spell this "realize"?  It looks so odd!]realise[/abbr] about the acute.  The things you don't learn in [abbr=getting back to music, if not NWC - I learned this from a conductor]high-school French[/abbr]!