Re: [frogs] Re: Numeric note heads for singers

[Carl Sorensen <c_sorensen@xxxxxxx>]

On 1/10/10 4:52 AM, "Ian Hulin" <ian@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi Carl and everyone,
> 
> This looks a good idea in principle, but you've got to address what I call the
> tonic-sol-fa/solfeggio problem.
> You have to consider all of these (and I may have missed a few)
> 1. What is your base-level tonic?
> 2. what mode you are in (\major \minor \dorian etc.)?
> 3. => what key signature do you currently assume?
> 4. are you adopting \relative-type rules  - when do you decide on an octave
> shift for the base tonic?
>> 1. A good test for this would famously difficult singing range of the U.S.
>> national anthem 
> 5. How do you notate modulations when a piece is changing key, an f in the key
> of c needs to become an f# to prepare for a modulation into g, but you aren't
> quite ready to adopt the new key signature (and therefore reset the tonic)
> yet?
> 6.  
> I suppose you could do some of this with mark-up stuff
> 1. \key c  -> ^"tonic=c" or
> 2.  
> 3. \key c \major -> ^"tonic= c major"
> 4. whatever \key is set as
> 5. you could use the \relative type idea,  f4 c'4 notates as 4 1' on crotchet
> note-heads 
> 6. Add the possibility of accidental  f# or b flat being notated as 4# or 7b
> on note-heads, or 4^"#" 7^"b" (except use the flat-sign for b) 
> Just some things to think about, HTH.

Thanks for the thoughts.  These are all potential problems for complex
music; I doubt any of them are problems for shape-note music.  Shape-note
music is used for hymn singing from the shape-note hymnbook; there aren't
modulations in these songs[1].  Further, shape-notes are based on the major
scale, rather than minor or dorian.  The whole idea of shape notes is that
regardless of the key, the intervals between the various shapes are
constant.  Now, this idea is not enforced in Sacred Harp singing, because
there are only four shapes in sacred harp, but it is in Aiken heads, where
there are seven different shapes.

Bottom line, I don't think we need to worry about the difficult stuff, and I
don't think we need to worry about the octavation.  I think 1-7 would be
very helpful.

Thanks,

Carl

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_note


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