Tuplet readability

[Silas S. Brown]

Hi,

I am wondering if the readability of tuplets could be
improved.  I am not entirely sure how, but I thought I
should report what follows, in case someone can use it.

I enclose a .ly file which I typeset with ly2dvi version
1.4.13 (it comes to exactly 1 page on that version) and
which has rather a lot of unusual tuplets.  I notice a few
things that could be better, for example:

a) The "2:3" in the first tuplet of the piece is typeset
   right on top of the stave line so they are hard to read

b) Some of the numbers are too close to the brackets and
   collide or almost collide (for example, the "4" in the
   second tuplet in the piece collides with the bracket)

c) Some of the tuplets are a little too close to the noes,
   for example, the sixth tuplet in the piece (left-hand
   side) and maybe the seventh

d) The 8th tuplet collides with the stem of the note A,
   which could be better

e) The 10th tuplet collides with the dynamic mark "mf" (and
   there are some slightly worse examples of this kind of
   thing later)

f) A few of the tuplets later in the piece look a little
   like bass clefs when seen from a distance (although I'm
   not sure if this is necessarily a problem).

Feel free to incorporate this file as a test if it's useful
- consider it GPL'd (sorry if I didn't do it right).

Best wishes,      Silas

-- 
Silas S Brown, St John's College Cambridge UK http://www.cus.cam.ac.uk/~ssb22

"He that is wise keeps it calm to the last." - Proverbs 29:11

% Copyright Silas S. Brown 2002, distributed under the General Public License
% as published by the Free Software Foundation (see the file COPYING)

\header{
  title = "Permafrost"
  composer = "S. S. Brown"
  tagline = "``\ldots{}the permanently frozen ground in the Arctic and in other 
regions where the average temperature is below freezing.  The soil, rocks and 
groundwater freeze into a solid mass, sometimes to a depth of 3,000 
feet.\ldots{}Plants that grow in the thin top layer are often small or stunted; 
their roots cannot penetrate the permafrost.''"
}
%\include "paper16.ly" % default 20
#(define crotchet '(columns ((music (font-relative-size . -1)) "noteheads-2" 
((kern . -0.1) "flags-stem")))) % for the meteronome mark
#(define metmark `("Coldly " ,crotchet " = 72"))
\score{ \notes{
  \key e \major
  \property Staff.instrument = "Trumpet"
  \property Staff.midiInstrument = "trumpet"
  \property Staff.TimeSignature \set #'style = #'1style
  \property Voice.tupletNumberFormatFunction = #fraction-tuplet-formatter
  \time 1/1   % (actually want no time signature)
  \cadenzaOn
  \times 2/3 {e16 b16 e'1\mf^#metmark } \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {dis'16 fis'16 a'1\cr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       fis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       gis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       a'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       c''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e16 b16 e'16 b'1\rc\f} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {e'16 gis'16 b'16 e''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {d'16 g'16 b'16 d''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {f'16 a'16 c''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e'16 gis'16 b'1\ff} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {c'16 d'16 fis'16 a'4\mp\decr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       gis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       fis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 e'16 gis'16 b'1\rced\p} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {d'16 fis'16 a'16 d''4\mf} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {c'16 e'16 g'16 c''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {g'16 b'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {f'16 a'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {g'16 b'16 e''1\ff\cr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       c''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       d''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       f''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       g''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {c''16 f''16 a''4\rc\fff\decr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {a'16 d''16 fis''4\mp\rced} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e'16 gis'16 b'16 e''1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {cis'16 fis'16 a'16 fis''4\cr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {cis'16 e'16 fis'16 a'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {fis'16 b'16 dis''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {b16 dis'16 fis'16 a'16 b'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e'16 gis'16 b'16 e''1\rc\f} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 4/5 {gis16 bis16 dis'16 fis'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       cis'4\sfz \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {e'16 gis'1\cr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {cis'16 gis'16 cis''4\rc\ff} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {cis'16 e'16 gis'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       fis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 dis'16 fis'1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       cis'4\mp \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       dis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {a16 cis'16 e'4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       dis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {b16 dis'16 fis'1\sfz} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       cis'4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       cis''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {cis''16 e''16 gis''1-\mordent} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       cis'''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {cis''16 e''16 gis''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       fis''4\cr \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {e''16 gis''4} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {cis''16 fis''16 ais''1\rc\fff} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       gis''4\mf \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       fis''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b'16 dis''16 g''16 b''1\ff} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {a'16 cis''16 e''16 fis''16 a''1} \bar "" % possible 
breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {fis'16 a'16 e''16 g''1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {fis'16 b'16 dis''16 fis''1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       dis''1\mf\decr \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b'1 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b1-\tenuto \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4\rced\f \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 e'1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 fis'1\cr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {b16 fis'16 a'1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {b16 e'16 fis'16 a'16 c''1\rc\ff\decr} \bar "" % possible 
breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 e'16 gis'16 b'1\rced\mf\cr} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e'16 gis'16 b'16 d''1\rc\f} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e'16 fis'16 a'16 c''1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 e'16 fis'16 gis'16 b'1\mf} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       e4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/5 {c'16 fis'16 a'16 d''1\f} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       c''4 \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b'4\ff \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {e'16 gis'16 b'16 e''1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 2/3 {b16 e'16 gis'1\fff} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 3/4 {b16 e'16 g'1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       \times 4/5 {b16 e'16 fis'1} \bar "" % possible breakpoint
       b16 e'16 f'1-\accent\trill\ffff\cr^"flutter" \bar "" % possible 
breakpoint
       e'1-\fermata\rc\ppp \bar "" % possible breakpoint
      
\bar "|."
} \midi{\tempo 4=72} \paper{} }