Re: is etf2ly of any use, really?

[Daniel Johnson]

Han-Wen Nienhuys wrote:

> Eduardo Vieira wrote:
>
> > Hello friends,
> >  
> > I was testing the capabilities of conversion between ETF and LY. 
> > Granted, I didn't expect any astounding result, for even the 
> > documentation mentions that it has limited effectiveness, but I was 
> > surprised with the deplorable result.:(
> > So much so, that I can't see the reason to have such script. Check it 
> > yourselves.
> > The file is a well known hymn: Abide with me (Tune: Eventide).
> > I'm sorry I don't have the midi right now, but in a site like Cyber 
> > Hymnal you could find it. I also don't have Finale myself. But I used 
> > another program (Harmony Assistant) to open it and it was fine.
>
>
> etf2ly was a hack that I wrote a long time ago.  I have proposed 
> removing it before, but some people actually use it to use Finale  as 
> a GUI for lilypond; YMMV, not all ETF files are the same, and the ETF 
> file as a whole is almost undocumented.
I use etf2ly regularly when I need a point-and-drool interface for 
particularly complex multi-layer music.  Here are a few pointers:

1. etf2ly does not handle partial measures or empty measures.  If you 
have an empty measure in your Finale file, fill it with ordinary rests.  
You can clean it up on the Lily side later.
2. Don't expect dynamics, intonation markings, trills, hairpins or 
anything else fancy to come through.  Etf2ly will import notes, rests, 
slurs and ties; anything else it may happen to import is a lucky 
coincidence for which you should give thanks.
3. Grace notes may or may not be properly handled. Use with care.  I 
prefer to omit them from the etf and add them by hand in the Lily file.
4. Even when you take 1-3 into account, occasionally etf2ly will choke 
with no real explanation.  In this case, be prepared to create an ETF 
file for each voice independently so you can pinpoint the problem area.

You should estimate how much time it would take you to enter notes by 
hand using Lilypond, and how much time it would take you to massage the 
etf2ly output into a useable form; then decide if it will actually save 
you any time.

--Daniel