Re: TimeSignature with note in denominator

[Flaming Hakama by Elaine]

>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Jean Abou Samra <jean@abou-samra.fr>
> To: Flaming Hakama by Elaine <elaine@flaminghakama.com>, lilypond-devel <
> lilypond-devel@gnu.org>
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:54:44 +0100
> Subject: Re: TimeSignature with note in denominator
> Le 13/11/2021 à 04:21, Flaming Hakama by Elaine a écrit :
> > So, I guess for me this is a 2- or 3-part trick question.
> >
> > The first is, how is the usage of \time different in lyrics than anywhere
> > else?
> >
> > Frankly, I was not aware that using \time inside lyrics was a thing.
> > What is the reason to use \time inside lyrics?
> > It is a suggested practice, is it the only way of doing certain things?
> >
> > If it is interpreted differently in lyrics than elsewhere,
> > is that a pattern that we want to keep?
> >
> > Or should we fix it so that it behaves the same in both contexts?
> >
> >
> > The second has to do with the example syntax.
> > I don't suppose it will change your use case,
> > but just to be clear, I was proposing it might be possible
> > to distinguish a number from a duration by using {}
> >
> > So, for one thing, you used it in the numerator
> > where I was suspecting it would only ever appear in the denominator,
> > so it would be more like;
> >
> > \lyrics { \time 4/4 + 4/{8} }
> >
> > But really, that was just for doing a shorthand notation, I was not
> > formally proposing that syntax.
> >
> >
> >
> > Rather, I was rather suggesting that it be used in the syntax of
> >
> > \lyrics { \compoundTime #{{4 4) (4 {8})) }
> >
> > I suspect that using {} to distinguish number from duration is still not
> > going to cut it in this usage, either.
> >
> > But I suspect that there could be some other kind of way to modify either
> > the data type (number vs string?) of that denominator argument so that it
> > was clear which representation was intended.
>
>
> Elaine,
>
> I'm sorry if it came across as a 'trick question'.
> It was certainly not meant such.
>

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that.

Really, I was just saying that I was unaware that the \time function had
parser rules in lyrics versus music contexts.

In general, though, whether it is lyrics context or music context, I agree
with this point:


> My point was merely that -- independently of the
> specific case at hand here -- there are technicalities
> that cannot be avoided. So I was trying to explain
> why LilyPond developers may make decisions of
> syntax that sometimes even them would like to see
> differently if only considering the intuitiveness, and
> not the special cases, the programmability, the
> possibility/ease of writing good error messages
> for invalid input, the flexibility of the parser
> tooling, etc.
>

Yes, while we might want to start brainstorming ideas about syntax that
seems expressive, given the existing syntax and parse rules, many of the
obvious choices would not be available, since those symbols already have
meanings.


>
> I don't have much to add, and the discussion is
> already well-furnished, so I won't comment
> further on the specific topic for now.
>
> Kind regards,
> Jean
>


Thanks,

Elaine Alt
415 . 341 .4954                                           "*Confusion is
highly underrated*"
elaine@flaminghakama.com
Producer ~ Composer ~ Instrumentalist ~ Educator
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