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Topic: XML2NWC and Chord Importing (Read 5184 times) previous topic - next topic

XML2NWC and Chord Importing

Hello!

I've been using NWC2 with great success. I'm so pleased to be able to enter chords & use the User Tool "transpose chords" - great for lead sheets.

When I'm doing a few sheets at a time, I key them into NWC2. But if I need to do lots of sheets, I open up an already scanned PDF file and 'read' them in (via OCR) using Neuratron Photoscore (the OCR program that is bundled with Sibelius). It does chord & key transposition. However, it does not have any print formatting! So however it was scanned (fonts, shape, size) is how it prints.

(I saw the other threads on SharpEye - I trialed them both. SharpEye was certainly more pretty & had print formatting I believe, but for scanning, they were about equal. But SharpEye was also more than double the cost of Neuratron.)

Anyways - So I save it as MusicXML and then import it into NWC2 using Nicolas' XML2NWC program. Works great. Imports the line nicely. Imports the lyrics. But does NOT import the chords (ie, the Eb, D, Bb+, etc).

Does anyone know how I can import the chords as well & thus avoid re-keying them?

Thanks!
BA

Re: XML2NWC and Chord Importing

Reply #1 –
AFAIK Nicolas' program doesn't import text entries other than lyrics - Actually, does the MXML spec. even allow for non lyric text on the page - one would think it had to for things like dynamic markings etc. but I don't know.
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: XML2NWC and Chord Importing

Reply #2 –
Quote
Does anyone know how I can import the chords as well & thus avoid re-keying them?

The tedious part of entering the chord symbols is positioning them and pressing X for text entry.  Instead of trying to import the chord spellings, use the lyric editor. It's quick(er) and easy, and entry can be quicker if you just copy and paste earlier chords to the place you're working at in the lyric editor.

I generally start a new line of text within the lyric editor for the chords that begin at each rehearsal marking.  I'm not expressing my suggestion well.  Here's what I mean:

Put this in the lyric box for an empty staff
F C7 F F7 Bb Bbm F C7+5 F Gm7 C7 Gm7 C7 F Bb F

If the same sequence is needed again, just copy it again, so you have
F C7 F F7 Bb Bbm F C7+5 F Gm7 C7 Gm7 C7 F Bb F
F C7 F F7 Bb Bbm F C7+5 F Gm7 C7 Gm7 C7 F Bb F
all within one "page" in the lyric editor. 

Configure the lyric so it appears above, rather than below, the staff.

Now, since that was an empty staff, you enter hidden rests on the staff until you need the chord symbol.  There, you enter a muted quarter note, and make it headless, with a stem length of zero.  The chord symbol will appear above it.

Layer this staff with the staff to be played by the person who needs to see the changes.



Re: XML2NWC and Chord Importing

Reply #3 –
Thank you David for your suggestion, but if the chords are part of the lyric line, I won't be able to use the user tool "transpose chords" will I?

But not only that Photoscore scans and assigns things as it sees them. So below the staff, they become lyrics. (I never fix them up - very tedious in Photoscore, note by note lyric selection! I always fix those in NWC - SO much easier!) And above the staff, they assign them as chords.  ... So i think it might be impossible (or alot of effort) to move them to a lyric line in Photoscore for the purpose of importing them to NWC2. 

In Photoscore, you just click where you want to place the chord - and voila! - it stays put. No spacing issues. And if you want to move it, you just drag it wherever. Very handy. WOuld love if NWC2 would add this capability. Then it'd be even better than it already is!

BA
 

Re: XML2NWC and Chord Importing

Reply #4 –
Quote
if the chords are part of the lyric line, I won't be able to use the user tool "transpose chords" will I?

Just paste them into a word processor, run a few search and replace routines, and copy them back into the lyric editor.  The routine may take all of a minute or so.

A caution, the first search should be G, to be replaced with H, assuming you're transposing up two semitones.  Then F --> G, E -->F etc. down to A--B, then finally H-A.

Sorry about the limitations of Photoscore.  I don't know that program.  But unless you've got dozens of chords to notate, why not just type them Bb, Ab, Abm, F#, etc.?  It's pretty easy to do...