Thanks, Hans. Your explanation clarifies the situation nicely.
Best,
David
> On 04/09/2025 5:39 AM EDT Hans Aikema <hans.aik...@aikebah.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> > On 9 Apr 2025, at 10:08, David House <dlhous...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > So, going through the tutorial. I am confused about the ' designating
> > middle C.
> >
> > This is the coding in the example of page 15 of the tutorial manual which
> > places c' in within the bass clef staff:
> >
> > \relative {
> > \clef bass
> > \time 3/4
> > \tempo "Andante" 4 = 120
> > c,2 e8 c'
> > g'2.
> > f4 e d
> > c4 c, r
> > }
> >
> > Yet this coding using the c' designation places middle C where it is
> > supposed to be, above the bass clef staff -
> >
> > \relative {
> > \clef bass
> > c'1
> > }
> >
> >
>
> David,
>
> see also
>
> https://lilypond.org/doc/v2.24/Documentation/notation/writing-pitches#relative-octave-entry
>
> c’ is middle-C in absolute mode, but is “ <relative computed c> shifted one
> octave up from the relative computed pitch” in relative mode.
>
> In the snippet from the tutorial you enter relative mode, start at
> c-2-octaves-below-middle-c (absolute c,) then go relative to e from that c
> (ending up at absolute e, then go relative back to a c (absolute c,) and
> shift that an octave upward ending up at absolute c (one octave below middle
> c)
>
> Your second snippet starts of at middle c (the first note in a \relative
> without a start-pitch is interpreted as absolute)
>
> So in relative mode number of comma- or apostrophes indicate the amount of
> octaves to shift upward/downward from the computed relative position of the
> pitch based from the previous note.
>
> In absolute mode the number of comma- or apostrophes indicate the absolute
> octave of the pitch (with a single apostrophe indicating the octave of
> middle-C)
>
>
>
> HTH to clarify the effects you see
>
> kind regards,
> Hans
>
