Bravo, Linda! Well said and I agree with every word. Harold
On Friday, July 12, 2002 11:38 AM, Linda Worsley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >This whole subject of parts extraction has interested me greatly, and >I can't resist throwing my 2 cents in. > >My view is that: > >* Scores should be as compact as possible, so that they don't have >to be printed in ant-sized type for the conductor to try to read. In >other words, I pair winds on the same staff, even when it requires >two layers for very independent parts. The exception is when, say, >two clarinet parts are SO independent that they become confusing or >marginally legible when placed on the same staff... in which case I >add an extra staff and optimize in order to keep the score >consistently compact. BUT: > >* Parts should ALWAYS be individual. Every horn, every flute, etc. >should have their own single line, one instrument part. > >Now, the problem is, I sometimes have to do a little WORK (gasp) to >make this possible. Having spent the early years of my career >copying everything by hand, I am amazed at the amount of kvetching >about parts extraction from a few on this list. > >So it takes a little more work to create two parts from one.... It >sure ain't the time and effort it used to take copying those parts by >hand. There are a dozen different quite easy and usually rather >quick ways in Finale to create two parts from one when you "extract >parts" and get combined parts (two instruments on one staff). It's >just not that hard. Or maybe my early years of having to hand >extract have made me grateful for the fact that at least I'm not >introducing new errors by doing it by hand. And I don't have to start >over when I discover that something has been left out, or transposed >incorrectly, or whatever. Those were the bad old days. > >Call me cranky, but I find all this whining just another example of >technology causing otherwise exemplary people to become so dependent >on "push the button and voila" that they can't stand the idea that >they have to go to a little effort. > >Sure, it would be great if the machines could read our minds or >automatically, somehow, understand that the "flutes 1 and 2" part >should be made into two individual pages, with the correct instrument >label, all the "a2"s and "solo"s etc. intact, perfect cues, and so >on. Probably that will come as the programs get smarter. Will they >also create perfect page turns? Space everything perfectly? >Probably, someday. Meanwhile, I don't understand the problem of >having to tweak a bit and make parts really readable, beautiful, and >correct. I actually don't mind this process, and (probably because I >am not a fanatic about every little spacing ratio and articulation >position, as long as it's crystal clear for the player or singer) it >just isn't that hard. While it's sometimes a challenge to get it just >the way I want it, I grew up knowing that this was part of the work, >so I might as well enjoy it. > >Linda Worsley > > > > > >-- >Hear the music at: >http://www.ganymuse.com/ >_______________________________________________ >Finale mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
