Re: LilyPond problems with Windows

[Mats Bengtsson]

Mark Dewey wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm having trouble with all LilyPond versions I've tried except for 
> version 2.4.6 for Cygwin, which works fine.
>
> Anyway, version 2.6.0 for Cygwin seems to install fine, but when I go to 
> compile an ly file, I get the following error every time:
>
> GNU LilyPond 2.6.0
> warning: can't find file: 'mySong.ly'
> error: failed files: "mySong.ly'
>
> Yes, I'm sure the file is in the correct directory.

For some reason, the Cygwin version of 2.6.0 only works if you specify
the full path of the file, at least that's what has been reported
on the mailing list.


> Now, for the regular Windows version 2.6, and the beta releases I've 
> tried (with the regular Windows version), I get partial functionality.  
> For instance, it won't create midi files.

Strange! Haven't heard any other reports of such problems.

>  There may be some other files 
> it doesn't make, but I usually only use PDF and midi anyway; it makes ps 
> files, but they are corrupt for some reason.
Yes, see the recent discussions in the mailing list archives.

>  Also, when I put lyrics in 
> the song with special characters, such as ð, ß, í, é, or pretty much 
> anything that's not typable without pressing alt + the number for the 
> character, then these characters do not show up at all (they do in 2.4.6 
> for Cygwin, however)--these are not unicode characters, but extended 
> ASCII, commonly used in txt files, when dealing with anything that's not 
> English that still doesn't require unicode; anyway, I figure the problem 
> has something to do with the way LilyPond was designed for Linux or 
> something.

One of the big new things in LilyPond version 2.6 was the text handling.
As you can read in the new version of the manual, you now have to save
your files using UTF-8 encoding. Then, LilyPond is able to handle
virtually any language. So, just change the setting in your text editor
so it saves as UTF-8 instead of latin1.


> While I'm at it, where do I go to request new features? 
This mailing list is one good option. You could also send it to
lilypond-devel.

> I've been wanting piano introduction marks for some time now (they look like 
> little brackets of sorts, used with hymns and such)
If you can provide some example (scanned from some printed score, for
example), it's much easier to understand exactly what you want.

> Also, I was wondering if there was a way to put a single rest on the 
> staff, in the vertical middle, to represent a rest for both/all parts on 
> the staff (right now, I have to have a rest for every part).
If you search the mailing list archives, you can find several solutions.

>  Also, I
> was wondering if it is possible to lessen the space between verses of 
> lyrics, as I would prefer it to be minimal.
Read about vertical spacing in the manual.

>  Also, I was wondering if 
> one can add extra verses that are on the paper, but not up with the 
> music (although I do enjoy the ability to have loads of verses in the 
> music, quite frankly).
Certainly, see the manual.

>  Also, I was wondering if there is a way to add a 
> word to indicate the mood of the song in the upper left hand corner 
> (such as Boldly, or Earnestly--in Italics).

Read in the manual about the different fields you can specify for the
titling and use the one that is placed where you want your indication to
appear. You can also redefine how the titling is typeset.


>  Also, I was wondering if 
> there is a convenient way to visually add the tempo markings at the top 
> of the music (i.e. have a quarter note followed by and equals sign, 
> followed by a range of numbers, such as 69-84).

For the range of values, you have to typeset it using Text Markup.
Search the Lilypond Snippet Repository or the mailing list archives
if you can't figure it out yourself.

> Also, is it possible to
> put slurs under the note brackets instead of over them? 
What do you mean by note brackets?

> Also, is it
> possible to transpose music written in a certain key to a certain other 
> key without re-writing all the notes in the ly file? 

Did you search for "Transpose" in the manual?

> Hmm, it would also
> be nice to be able to put the information about who wrote the song at 
> the bottom of the song,

Use the same technique as for putting lyrics below the score.

> and to be able to write notes (and to make it so 
> the composer isn't necessarily capitalized)

Use Text Markup to modify the default layout in the titling.

> Most of the above concerns relate to choral music, and making things 
> more convenient for it.  It would be nice if there was a special section 
> devoted to explaining how to do things like this, in detail, if/when 
> there is already a way.

Of course, it would be just as nice to have something specific for
guitar music and orchestral scores and ...
That's why the manual tries to formulate things as general as possible.

   /Mats