On Tuesday 15 July 2003 8:05 pm, Bernard Hill wrote:
> In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jean-Francois Moine
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>
> >Note that different lengths on grace notes are also handled by abcm2ps.
> >For compatibility, the unit length is a quaver for a single note, and
> >a semi-quaver when many notes.
>
> Aargh! Another inconsistency from the standard! Why not leave it as the
> standard dictates, ie default given by L: ?
L: has nothing to do with it. From the standard which is distributed with
abcm2ps (1.7.3). This hasn't changed in 1.7.6.
$ Grace notes can be written by enclosing them in curly braces, {}. For
$ example, a taorluath on the Highland pipes would be written {GdGe}. The
$ tune `Athol Brose' (in the file Strspys.abc) has an example of complex
$ Highland pipe gracing in all its glory. Although nominally grace notes
$ have no melodic time value, expressions such as {a2} and {a>b} can be
$ useful and are legal although some packages may ignore them.
$ The unit duration to use for gracenotes is not specified by the abc
$ file, but by the package, and might be a specific amount of time
$ (for playback purposes) or a note length (e.g. 1/32 for Highland pipe
$ music, which would allow {ge4d} to code a piobaireachd 'cadence').
This would seem to imply that the package can pretty much do what it likes
without breaking the standard; it canheed gracenote duration directives, or
not; it can set a standard duration according to the phase of moon or the key
signature (or not).
> You do not encourage programmers to include abc compatibility with
> exceptions link this.
Not an exception. Look ma, it's in the standard.
This is *very* useful, and moreover, the one reason that abcm2ps is useful to
me. By simply specifying K:HP, the entire program reverts into highland pipe
mode, and I don't have to do any further mucking around to get pipe music
entered correctly. And a damn sight more easily than with programs
'specially built' for the job...
>
> >Also, when K:H[pP], the unit length is
> >a demi-semi-quaver.
>
> ... and suppose someone writes dsqs (c'// - then what??
Are pipers likely to do that? Given that I can't even guess what that means,
and that c' is two notes higher than any pipe chanter I've ever seen can
reach, I'm guessing the likelihood is low...
Cheers,
Calum
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