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Topic: Hairpins! (Read 14125 times) previous topic - next topic

Hairpins!

I'm a chorister with my school's choir & I had been using noteworthy composer to type several scores, however, I would like to ask is there a option for me to put hairpins instead of crescendo or decrescendo? I currently have cakewalk express, but I find noteworthy much easier to use & much capable of more inputting more musical terms than cakewalk, however, cakewalk does has hairpins. Any suggestions on how to add hairpins on noteworthy?

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #1 –
Go to the NoteWorthy Scriptorium at

http://noteworthy.beyondtheweb.com

and download the Boxmarks font. This has become the "de facto" standard for additional musical symbols, including but not limited to hairpins. Install it as per usual, and assign it as a user font (most people seem to use User2 for this.) If you open the file Boxmarks.nwc in a separate window, you can copy items from this window and paste into your work.

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #2 –
I downloaded the boxmark file, however, I find that the notations(namely the hairpins) do not really have any effect on the dynamics stated on the notes. Is it supposed to work this way?

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #3 –
In short - yes. The hairpin symbol in the boxmarks font is an inactive text object - it is not linked in any way to the MIDI properties of the score. 'Active hairpins' has been requested by many users (myself included). Put it on a wish list - if enough requests are received we may get it! The wishlist reference is:
http://www.noteworthysoftware.com/composer/wishlist.htm

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #4 –
Next best would be the ability to "hide when printing" dynamic variances like cresc. and decresc.

The only known workaround at present is to use volume mpc's to do the actual dynamic variance (these don't show when printing) in conjuction with the text objects (i.e. hairpins) for the visual score.

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #5 –
Graphical dynamics (hairpins) are a major omission in the NWC notation marks (along with rhythm markers and multi-bar rests).
The problem with including variations in length etc. in a font like Boxmarks is that there is a width restriction on each character in the font.
Hairpins really need to be stretchable like Metafile objects to be of any real use.
In the meantime I'll be Wishin' and Hairpin' like everybody else!

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #7 –
How do I use a volume mpc? How does it work anyway?

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #8 –
Go where you want to enter the MPC.
Use L to open the MPC window (or Ctrl-E later to edit it, when selected)
Type V for volume, Tab, L for linear sweep, and jump to controller values.
Enter the correct value for volume (refer to your last dynamic entered, or set it at will) at the beginning (i.e. just at the MPC place, if you let 1st "Time Offset" to 0)
Enter the number of beats (in quarters, according to "time offset multiplier) for 2nd value of the volume. Set the last value for volume.

You just entered a (de)crescendo volume variation, from [1st volume value] to [2nd volume value] with a duration of [Time Offset Multiplier x [2nd setting value].

3rd and 4th values can be used subsequently to previous ones (offsets are from previous point, not absolute)

you may also read help ("Multi-point command controller") in online help.

Hope I've been clear & this helps,

Marsu

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #9 –
Proper hairpin crescendo support is my biggest and longest standing wish for this product.

The Boxmarks crescendo symbols are too small. Longer ones would be a lot more useful as a work-around.

As for hiding the "cresc." symbols, yes there should be a hide setting. But if you are doing a piano score where you need to place these symbols on both staves, you can effectively hide one of them by placing it right on top of the other. They usually line up perfectly.

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #10 –
Blair said: "The Boxmarks crescendo symbols are too small. Longer ones would be a lot more useful as a work-around."

I spoke to Barry about this a while ago, and the problem is that it affects the width of the character set in general, I guess causing alignment problems elsewhere.

Gives rise to the request for a horizontal adjustment of text, I guess.

"As for hiding the "cresc." symbols, yes there should be a hide setting."
Agreed.

"But if you are doing a piano score where you need to place these symbols on both staves, you can effectively hide one of them by placing it right on top of the other. They usually line up perfectly."
...Until you change the stave's vertical height, say to allow for extra note space.

A

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #11 –
Thank You All for your help, I greatly appreciate that however, I have another problem. Certain times on a score for the piano, the notes on one staff can run on to the other staff to omit unneccesay ledger lines, however, I had not been able to do that, so I have to type with all the ledger lines which can be a hassle to the typist & the person playing the score. Take for example John Rutter's All things bright & beautiful. Secondly, the arpeggio effects written cannot be replicated in a midi, which make the whole piece sounds quite subtle.

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #12 –
About Arpeggio effect: this can be done through a hidden staff. Look at moonlite.nwc in the samples folder, esp. measure 154 or 156.
To see how it is really made, open the "Page Setup" window, and check the box "hidden" in the Contents tab. Then go to measure 154.

About too many ledger lines, and notes going through staves:
NWC can't currently manage notes that change of staves, especially if you want to beam them (otherwise you can write them directly on the other staff). But for ledger lines, you can either use 1. "shifted clefs", i.e. clefs with a small 8 above or under it, which indicates that what you read must be shifted one octave up/down; 2. use the Boxmarks font, and insert the chars 8, v and w at the beginning/end of the sequence that is octaved-shifted. Look at http://noteworthy.beyondtheweb.com/ftp/classical/beetfur.nwc (Thank Blair Dowden), measure 81: before the first note, there are two text items for such a usage. You may want to increase the "upper" space of the staff to see it easily.

Hope this helps,
                                        Marsu
 

Re: Hairpins!

Reply #13 –
The only solution I know to your problem with ledger lines, is to put it on the wishlist. Ask the author to allow "vertical size" settings (under staff properties) down to 6, instead of the current 8. That ought to line up the staves the way you want (with only one ledger line between the treble and the bass staves).