Re: sponsorship offer: Lyric fixes (GSoC, etc.)

[Jacques Menu]

Hello Kieren,

Thanks for the explanation, it’s clear now!

JM

> Le 21 nov. 2015 à 15:25, Kieren MacMillan <address@hidden> a écrit :
> 
> Hi Jacques,
> 
>> why is it that you have to struggle with the edition-engraver so much?
> 
> I wouldn’t say I struggle *with* the edition-engraver (though it could be 
> made easier to work with, I suppose…).
> 
> I would say I *use* the edition-engraver to struggle with *Lilypond* (i.e., 
> her faults and defaults).
> 
> Consider the output from this snippet (cf. 
> <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2015-11/msg00400.html>):
> 
> %%%%  SNIPPET BEGINS
> \version "2.19.30"
> \language "english"
> 
> #(set-global-staff-size 15.5)
> \paper {
>  ragged-right = ##f
>  indent = 0
> }
> 
> global = {
>  \key g \major
>  \time 3/2
>  s1.
> }
> 
> theNotes = {
>    <d' d''>8 <fs' fs''> <e' e''> <e' e''>] <d' d''> q <b b'> <fs' fs''> <e' 
> e''> q <d' d''> q   | %
> }
> 
> theLyrics = \lyricmode {
>    ez, Ron -- sard me cé -- lé -- brait, du temps que j'ét -- ais
> }
> 
> theScore = <<
>      \new Staff \new Voice << \global \theNotes >>
>      \addlyrics \theLyrics
>>> 
> 
> \bookpart {
>  \paper { line-width = 6\in }
>  \score { \theScore }
> }
> 
> \bookpart {
>  \paper { line-width = 3\in }
>  \score { \theScore }
> }
> %%%%  SNIPPET ENDS
> 
> As you can see, the default behaviour under normal spacing (i.e., page 2) is 
> not publication-ready.
> 
> I need to use the edition-engraver to fix problems such as this. (Well, it 
> could also be done “in-line”, but what a content-presentation and maintenance 
> nightmare that would be! Thank goodness for the edition-engraver…)
> 
> As I indicated, this exact problem [of the notes being wildly uneven, due to 
> lyrics which can easily be nudged to avoid all unevenness] happens in 
> essentially every measure of all vocal music which is reasonably (i.e., not 
> extremely-widely) spaced. Many times, fortunately, the spacing is such (i.e., 
> wide enough) that the resulting unevenness falls below a certain threshold, 
> and I don’t have to spend any time on it; often the unevenness can be 
> eliminated by simply nudging a single LyricText to the left or right (usually 
> using ‘self-alignment-X’), so it’s only a matter of thirty seconds’ work per 
> lyric tweak (though in very large scores, recompiling times can be in the 
> minutes, which makes such tweaks less cost-effective); in “extreme” cases 
> like the one in the above snippet, it requires dozens (or more) 
> “trial-and-error” tweaks to get the spacing to be publication-ready, and the 
> time required really adds up.
> 
> And this [unevenness] is only one Lyric-related issue that I use the 
> edition-engraver to overcome.
> 
> I hope this clarifies my struggle.
> 
> Best regards,
> Kieren.
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> Kieren MacMillan, composer
> ‣ website: www.kierenmacmillan.info
> ‣ email: address@hidden
>