Re: Diatonic notation system

[Hans Aberg]

On 10 Dec 2008, at 13:01, Graham Breed wrote:

> > doing transpositions. Otherwise, one could have written
> >  \key b \bayati
>
> Say what?  You're talking about key signatures again, not
> transpositions.

I just assume the system for transposing key signatures is synced  
with that.

> You can uncomment anything you like now because the
> rational numbers are accepted.

Fine.

> I've checked the documentation for key
> signatures and see no indication that \key b \bayati could possible
> work though.

In E12, I use key signatures like
  hitzaz = #`(
  (0 . 0)
  (1 . ,FLAT)
  (2 . 0)
  (3 . 0)
  (4 . 0)
  (5 . ,FLAT)
  (6 . ,FLAT)
  )
...
  \tempo 4 = 144
  \key b \hitzaz
  \time 7/16
and they work just fine.

It would be the same, but for intermediate pitches. In Turkish and  
Arab music they may give a transposition a new name, but in Farhat  
had transpositions in Persian music.

> > I think the reason is that key signature only work in E24. Then on  
> > top of
> > that, an non-transposable model for Turkish music was added. But  
> > it isn't
> > really transposed, so it is not a problem.
>
> If the key signature works with quarter-tones but not sixth-tones
> there must surely be a bug.  So report it.  Don't bury this in a huge
> thread that the developers have probably given up on reading.

I keep saying that it was a feature, not a bug, due to the  
development history. You keep returning to it, creating noise.

> This, incidentally, will give you the key signature in terms of
> generic intervals instead of fractions:
>
>   \set Staff.keySignature =  #(list
>     (cons 2 HALFFLAT)
>     (cons 6 FLAT))

Fine, I may try it someday.

> > I wanted to drop off the model I gave to some developer, so that  
> > they could
> > think it was useful to them. The changes run too deep for it  
> > making sense on
> > any other list.
>
> I doubt they could have understood it if I hadn't been here.

It is probably good if you and other microtonalists help out. - If  
you can learn my system, i don't have to worry about it. :-)

> > But you are not developing LilyPond either, right? - so my attempt  
> > failed.
>
> I can read C++ and Scheme.  I think support for retuning the nominals
> would be entirely reasonable.  So if I can get a patch maybe it would
> be accepted.  It isn't a priority though because I'm mainly looking at
> the printed output and we can surely hack the init files for now.

I have found Haskell <http://haskell.org/> useful, using the  
interpreter Hugs <http://haskell.org/hugs/> or compiler GHC <http:// 
haskell.org/ghc/>. Hugs is good as a programmable calculator, but  
with a full typed functional language in the back.

  Hans