Hi Boris,
I've read about the workarounds, like proportional mode
Can proportional spacing be applied only to one Voice or Staff
context, instead of to the whole Score?
If so, you might be able to set up an invisible "spacer" context
(which forces the measure width to be equal), and then lay the music
notes out in a separate (non-proportional) voice.
Wouldn't this be a nice add-on feature for the next version?
Maybe… but, for the record:
1. I don't have a copy of Ross's engraving book (which goes into much
more detail than my little handbook), but my "Essential Dictionary of
Music Notation" says "The size of the measure within the staff is
determined according to a compromise between two extremes: 1) equal
space for each measure, 2) measure size based on note density only",
followed by an example highlighted as "WRONG: spaced according to
equal measure size".
2. I know of no examples of traditionally-engraved scores which
contain equal measure sizes. Quite the opposite, I have many scores
where the engravers have specifically avoided equal measure widths —
for example, in the band parts from the jazz musical "City of
Angels", there are generally 4 measures per line, and in at least one
spot, there are 4 *identical* measures of music on 2 consecutive
lines [!!], and the engraver has *clearly* nudged the barlines so
that they don't line up precisely. [From my engraving classes way
back when, I seem to recall that it's harder for musicians to read
systems that are aligned precisely, since the eye gets confused about
which line to be following.]
If this feature is super-easy to add, I could imagine it being in an
upcoming version — however, since the stated goal of Lilypond is to
output great looking music based on established engraving practices,
I can't imagine it being very high on the priority list. =)
Best regards,
Kieren.
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