Re: Isolated durations on rests

[David Kastrup]

Noeck <address@hidden> writes:

> Hi,
>
> is this behaviour intentional?
>
>   \version "2.20.0"
>   { r4 8 a b }

Yes.

> The "8" is equivalent to c'8.

Not really.  It remains unpitched.  Put it in some other context, and it
will assume a different pitch.

> I think I understand what happens: the isolated duration is given a
> default pitch c'.


> What I would expect is that it is another rest, equivalent to
>
>   { r4 r8 a b }
>
> Was this just easier to implement that way for isolated durations or is
> there another reasoning behind that behaviour?

A rhythm can contain rests.  If rests would be part of the system, you
could not write an unpitched rhythm that takes its pitch once you
precede it with something else.

Like

rhythm = { 4. r8 8 8 r4 }

\new Staff
<<
  { e''1 \rhythm } \\
  { c''1 \rhythm }
>>

-- 
David Kastrup