Bernard Hill writes: | In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Neil | Jennings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes | > Or, perhaps, by having a note object contain a list of (zero or | >more) pitch objects rather than just one pitch value. A note object | >with a duration and no pitch objects would, of course, be a rest. | > | >The problem with this is that the duration would be the same for all | >notes within the object | | That's a standard rule of music. You can't put black and white notes on | the same stem for instance.
Actually, this isn't a rule at all. Music printers routinely put white and black note heads on the same stem. They also put dots after some of the note heads and not others. You see this all the time in keyboard and guitar music, where damping individual notes in a chord is fairly easy. You also see it in choral music, where one voice can continue after others stop.
You are mistaken. I quote Gardner Read "Music Notation" page 69 "Intervals (involving two note heads) or chords (three or more note heads) may use a single stem to join all the notes as a unit provided they are of equal value". There is much more on the placement of the stems in more complicated examples showing the fundamental avoidance of different notes length on the same stem.
Just how would you indicate a crotchet (quarter) note starting at the same time as a quaver (8th) on the same stem?
If you require different note lengths to be started simultaneously then you cannot use one stem, and normal practice is to have one with stems up and one with stems down. If there are 3 such then 3 stems are required, the 3rd being offset a small distance from the other two.
This is the practice in choral music or any music where two parts share one stave.
The problem is that standard staff notation has some serious limitations on what note lengths can be combined on a single stem. They all have to have the same number of flags, for instance. But this isn't really a "rule"; it's just a defect in the physical representation.
I have a number of books which indicate that it's a rule. I merely chose the most popular to quote from.
It's also fairly common to have a (dotted) whole note aligned vertically with notes on a stem, though there are some obvious limitations on where you can do this.
Since it doesn't have a stem the question doesn't arise. But if it were in the middle of a chord of say quarter notes then it would be offset slightly to give a gap between the whole note and the others.
Also, it's fairly common to have some (but not necessarily all) of the notes on a stem have ties to a continuation note.
True. I have no problem with that.
ABC has a somewhat more general representation of a "chord" of notes, since each note can have an arbitrary length. But it has some other limitations that aren't present in staff notation. For example, in guitar (and some keyboard) music, you'll see notes with "dangling" ties that don't lead to another note. This means "let it ring", which can be done on those instruments.
Again, I've no problems with that.
-- Bernard Hill Braeburn Software Author of Music Publisher system Music Software written by musicians for musicians http://www.braeburn.co.uk Selkirk, Scotland
To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
