I think everyone has their faves, just like the original copyists. Here's a few themes: 1. Landscape vs portrait-- Both existed historically, some formats work better for some music. But see below 2. Diplomatic facsimile--hints at, or strongly resembles the original. A very good choice for many lute players as they have knowledge of original tab notation. A nice choice for many less problematic items, follow the original in choosing paper size, flags, etc
3. Reconstructive facsimile Used in some but no all musicological editions. The idea here is that whatever is on the page will allow you to recreate the original. There are many ways to do this, it is a very good way to present editions. 4. Edition Facsimile Choose an editing option and facing or on subsequent pages include the original. NB This is the only satisfactory way to do an edition since we do not use sophisticated proofing techniques. You need not do a rigorous reconstructive edition as the facsimile is present, unless you so choose. 5. Study editions This is a bit off topic, but everyone should be using study editions, ideally in three or four part staves, although most of these are in keyboard notation. However, unless you are training in short score, which is of course a great way to get gigs, single line expansion is much, much better for study and improving your playing than keyboard, and has historical precedent as well, for example, Dowland's Lachrimae set. Once you have decided which kind of edition you are making, many choices will follow a sort of house style, for example, in a diplomatic facsimile you will want to choose the fonts and spacing that resemble the original. However some of these choices will be personal; the computer allows the end user to "repersonalize" the edition. So, include a computer file so the end user can mess around with it. Currently Finale and Sibelius users benefit by the XML interchange format, a standard interchange format--other than midi--would be a good thing, although midi has sort of occupied that slot, G Flats and all. 6. A wiki interface for correcting online editions should be present. This is very important. 7. All editions should be free. We need more lute players. Thanks to all who make the music available. dt At 12:08 PM 12/9/2008, you wrote: >On Tue, Dec 9, 2008, David van Ooijen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: > > > Clarity above clutter is a common factor in many postings. > >agreed, clutter is bad for legibility. > >Grids can be good, when the music has a regular pulse that is shown >clearly. Sparse flags can get me lost, the occaisional redundant reminder >is good, say, at beginning of each bar. > >Regular spacing uses the paper best, some musicians have a preferrence for >proportional spacing as is seen in engraved editinos, but that is a huge >can of worms and endless tweeking. Useful when polyphony is shown by >notes with real duratinos; but in tablature we obscure the actual >durations of polyphony (when it is present), so I prefer a denser display, >for me there is no gain to spreading the longer 'chords' further apart. > >I can number my own measures, markup my own fingerings, and add my own >ornamentation marks in my own systems thank you. > >Landscape vs portrait is in part an issue of what stand I am working on >and how I am organizing it. I might be working from a tall fakebook, or a >wide edition - playing on both wind and plucked or perhaps singing; If the >book is wide, tall music (not necessarily tab) placed behind and >projecting above (legal longways) lets me switch between both as desired; >maybe a wind player stands behind me sharing the stand... > >Dont be despayrd ye publishers, I can always take the originals to a >copyshop and make what is necessary for that performance. > > > I'd like to know what people think is > > beautiful tablature. > >For magically clear french fretglyphs I think Granjon's font is the best >first used on the continent for a variety of cittern and lute tab, and >also in england - Kingston used it in 1574 for Le Roy's >_Instruction...Lute_, and Wm Barley used it in the 1599 print of Richard >Alison's settings of the _Psalms of David_. It is rare to have distinct >small round miniscule a, c, e, but granjon achieved that. > >-- >Dana Emery > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
