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Topic: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe! (Read 5932 times) previous topic - next topic

Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Attention experienced NWC users who want to place X-head drum notation within NWC and have it track note positions:

I am working on a font that I believe will do the job. Before I complete it, I have placed an "Alpha Test" version for download, so that I can get feedback before I finish. This veriosn is very incomplete, but I do not want to put a lot of work in if I am doing the wrong thing (I do not play drums, myself).

The concept is simple: My font is used as a LYRIC font, not a TEXT font. Recall that lyric syllables track note positions. You would create your drum staff within NWC in the ordinary fashion, then make the notes (except for rests) invisible. Using the lyric editor with my font, X-head notes (visible in the editor) are entered as lyric syllables. They track the note positions horizontally, and are adjustable vertically. I believe I can extend the method to allow for beamed note groups, triplets, etc. My font leaves ordinary letters of the alphabet in the CAPITAL letter and punctuation keystrokes.

The font itself, instructions, and a NWC sample can be downloaded at:

http://www.icogitate.com/~ergosum/Ndrum1.zip

Please, only those who already know how to use NWC should look at this. I need feedback before I continue. My E-mail address is in the README note accompanying the font.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #1 –
Robert-

Looks great so far! I played with it a little bit, and am impressed with how nice it looks in print preview/printout. One suggestion, I wouldn't worry too much about using the open x's for half and whole notes, since x-headed drum notation generally doesn't have anything of a higher value than a dotted quarter (in my experience, at least). Keep us posted and upload the final version once you've finished your work. Thanks.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #2 –
Well, you see, here's the reason why I wouldn't use it! What about cymbal rolls?!?

Besides, there's more to it than just X headers! Tom headers are just under-used, because they're just plain unknown to non-drummers! But I'd be very happy to use them! And what about Triangle signs?

There's just too much going on about percussion writing to just finalize it into a single font! Unless someone finds a way to superimpose a font over a note header and masking the black header to replace it with the symbol desired... Looks like a challenge!!!

I gues I'll stick to writing stuff with NoteWorthy, and hand-write my drum charts! ...until a new version fulfills my dreams...!!!

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #3 –
hi Folks!
Can someone please tell me how easy this solution will be to use? for example, will I have to manually put in each note or can I just import a midi file to drum notation or can I convert an already imported drum track into drum notation? thanks for any help; I really appreciate Robert's effort in doing this. users have been asking for this for a few years now so it will be well received in any form - then we can all make it really cool. I got another musician friend into using noteworthy - he asked "does it do drums" and I said somebody is working on it. too busy to check it out myself but best wishes to you all!
johnti.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #4 –
As the author of the font (that is, if I decide to go ahead and finish it), here are my replies:

(1) Regarding cymbal rolls, etc: Any custom-made font can put in any kind of symbols. BUT they would not be controlled from the NWC control panel, they would be used as "lyrics," meaning that they would have no effect on MIDI. Since there are already fonts with various symbols that can be used as "text," I don't see that it would be useful to re-invent this.

(2) Regarding changing the note-head to various styles: That would have to be done by NWC. It is possible to do it globally (that is, for every note on every staff) by manipulating a WMF. BUT unless your composition consists of nothing but staff for a single kind of instrument (all tomm-toms, etc.) this is not useful.

It would be possible to use my method for a couple of different styles -- say, X-head and something else. It would be better to have one custom font for X-heads, and another for the "something else." But only one or the other could be used in a single composition. I wasn't planning on doing more than one font.

(3) My approach does nothing to the MIDI. It is merely a way of changing the appearance of the printout (or WMF) in a manner that over-writes the NWC notes with a different style. It overwrites the entire note, not just the head. Incidentally, the method could be used with "handwritten" or "jazzy" note styles, but I am not working on that.

(4) My decision point as to whether to proceed will be sometime in late February. If I do proceed, the font should be done by the end of February. If I do create the font, it would be free. Meanwhile, I need more feedback. I have figured out how to do beams. I assume that with drums, there is no need for slurs and ties. Is that right?

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #5 –
Slurs are not used very often, but ties are used all over the place.

ex: half-note snare roll tied to an eighth, follwed by an eighth rest (in 3/4 time)

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #6 –
Ties are possible.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #7 –
Sounds too hard for me to use in my music. WHy doesn't
noteworthy composer do this to their program
thanx,
cirrus

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #8 –
Robert-

        For heads that are usually open like the half note, you use squares, somewhat like <>. At least, that is how it works in Musicals. Other than that change, the font as it is is good enough for me! Thank you for making it!

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #9 –
In reply to Johnti

On the Scriptorium there is a program of mine that converts a drum track in a midifile to drum notation that can be imported into NWC.
And it does the reverse - write the drum notation then export and convert the to midi drums to get the sound.

The program uses Qbasic but there is a Windows version created by user Drake Donahue that will do the same but the documentation is lacking (where are you Drake?).

The resulting notation still has the notehead problem.
(No cymbal, crash cymbal or open percussion heads - because this is an NWC problem not mine.

The program uses default positions that I'm familiar with but you can customize both versions to what ever suits.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #10 –
I haven't gotten much encouragement regarding the font project. I will leave the un-completed version for awhile before I take it off my web site.

Since it would take a lot of work, and have little benefit, I will not complete the font. But the concept I described does work. For those of you who have a font editor and want to try it yourself, the trick to making beams and ties as "lyrics" (or, text) is to create zero-cursor-width glyphs. This allows several items to be superimposed.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #11 –
If my ten years of marching percussion have taught me anything, the font as it stands now wouldn't be effective. For the occasional cymbal crash, it works all too fine. But using it for complex rhythms and drum set notation is a challenge. However, you're a few steps ahead of providing us with a worthy X-head font. Here's some pointers if you decide to press on later:

-One style of X-heads resembles the double-sharp more than a plain X. And as for whole/half notes, imagine a regular whole note squeezed into a rounded diamond. Thicks on one slant, thins on the other slant.

-You'll need to include partial beamed eighths and other flagged notes. Also consider stems of different heights so notes on different "tones" can beam together. Don't worry about ascending/descending beams.

-Have a look at the Noteworthy font itself (NWC15.ttf, I think). If you don't mind the wait, try downloading trials of other visual MIDI manipulation programs, esp. those which accomodate percussion notation, and check out their fonts. (btw, if anyone objects to such "reverse-engineering", now's the time to speak up)

-Make sure it plays well with the standard notation. This is especially important for drum set notation.

-Try to use the keyboard layout in an inventive way.

Hope this helps. If you've given up, the least you can do is show the rest of us how to make fonts or where we can find info online. [NR]

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #12 –
I did indeed look at those other things... I own several notation programs, and have looked at published percussion music (although I do not know the significance of what I see).

Fonts do not need to be reverse engineered, in general. I did take notice of the kinds of noteheads you mentioned.

To make use of beamed groups, a font to be used as "lyrics" within NWC would need to have sets of pre-constructed beams, as well as closures for beams, to span "syllables."

This is all possible, BUT I believe of such limited utility that I have expended my font-making efforts elsewhere.

For an interesting example of what is possible to do using a font -- without a notation program -- look at "MusiTone2001" on my web site:

http://www.icogitate.com/~ergosum

MusiTone allows synthesis of note chords and beams - including some tilted beams -- in a font! It is of little practical use, merely developed as a training exercise for myself. The font is for a word processor, not NWC.

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #13 –
I've been browsing this forum every so often and have done so for two if not three years. In that time Noteworthy Artware has made very little improvements as far as features for this period. Sure there have been minor fixes and additions but basically it's the same boat it was when I started dabbling with the software. The key features for me would be integrated guitar chord notation, optional font styles (including handwritten), and percussion notation (including single line staves for triangles, etc). Is anybody with me?
Thanks for letting me share this.
lurker

Re: Drum X-head font for NWC -- here it is -- maybe!

Reply #14 –
Without a doubt, NWC could use a few key enhancements. My (limited) understanding of the way the program works seems to indicate that allowing drum-X notation, fasola (shaped notes), handwritten-appearing notes, gregorian chant notes, and whatever, might all be possible if users could choose from notation fonts on a staff-specific basis. Currently, only text allows the user to choose fonts that vary from place to place. The lyric font is selectable but global. The notation font is not selectable.

Allowing a choice of notation font would not, by itself, allow users to make use of notation fonts from other programs (besides, that would be a no-no). But it would be possible, without too much brain strain, to create a variety of custom fonts that have the same encoding as that of NWCV15, assuming that this font is permanent (not a good assumption). Merely changing the appearnace of a note has no affect on the MIDI -- if that is the intention. But it would be a more complex program revision to have the MIDI output change in response to changes in appearance.

For those who did not know, NWC does not generally use pre-assembled notes. In general, notes are assembled from components consisting of a mixture of font-objects and drawing-objects. Note-heads are font objects, as are accidentals, flags, clefs, and so forth. Staff lines, leger lines, note-stems, beams, ties (and perhaps other things) are drawing objects, not part of the font. It is possible to create a custom font that replaces the note heads with whatever -- I have done it as an exercise. Likewise for the other font objects. But a change of font would not be able to turn the straight note-stems into, for example, curves, nor would it be able to turn beams into the appearance of hand-scratch.

As for tablature, if all you want is the appearance of tablature in a NWC composition (not linked to the MIDI), then there are some free fonts running around that can be used as user-selected text. I believe -- but am not certain -- that fonts known as Frets A, B, and C are available on the Internet for general usage. But if they are free, then Noteworthy Software itself could not re-distribute those fonts as part of a commercial product.

As for microtonal notation, the experts have their own say. But microtonals link to the MIDI, and thus are more complex than merely permitting user-selectable fonts on a staff-by-staff basis.

I myself already own other programs that have the kinds of features commonly mentioned. But since I do not need those features, I use NWC for the simple reason that it is easiest to use, by far.

About two weeks ago, the "Dilbert" comic strip had a character called the "feature creep." Those of you who have ever worked in the business end of technical products (as I have) know that there will always be requests for additional features, many of which require major changes to address small market segments. It would be a waste of Noteworthy's efforts to invest in program changes that would primarily be of interest only to those who already own a major, expensive commerical product. Or, extensive changes could make the program less attractive!!! Those of you who find Netscape Navigator 6 more of a pain than NN 4.7 know what I mean.